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NOAA CIOERT Cruise Report South Atlantic MPAs and Oculina HAPC: Characterization of Benthic Habitat and Biota

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Date Issued:
2018
Summary:
The South Atlantic Fishery Management Council (SAFMC) and Department of Commerce through the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Management Act have established eight deepwater Marine Protected Areas (MPAs), five Deepwater Coral Habitat Areas of Particular Concern (CHAPCs), and the Oculina Coral HAPC off of the southeastern U.S. This project proposes to document and characterize the benthic habitat, benthic sessile biota, and fish populations within some of these protected areas and within the jurisdiction of the SAFMC. The Oculina Experimental Closed Area (OECA) was established in 1994 and closed the area to all bottom fishing in order to evaluate the effectiveness of the reserve for management and conservation of snapper grouper populations. The OECA is located within the Oculina Habitat Area of Particular Concern (OHAPC) which was established in 1984 when the significance and value of Oculina varicosa to important fishery species was recognized by the SAFMC. The OHAPC doubled in size when the Northern and Western Extensions were added with the implementation of Amendment 8 of the Fishery Management Plan in August 2015. As part of the OECA Evaluation Plan, a re-evaluation of the area is currently in progress. Data collected from the current grant will provide crucial data needed for this re-evaluation.
Title: NOAA CIOERT Cruise Report South Atlantic MPAs and Oculina HAPC: Characterization of Benthic Habitat and Biota.
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Name(s): Harter, Stacey, author
David, Andrew
Reed, John K.
Farrington, Stephanie
Drummond, Felicia
Type of Resource: text
Genre: Technical Report
Date Issued: 2018
Publisher: Florida Atlantic University
Place of Publication: Boca Raton, FL
Physical Form: application/pdf
Extent: 318 p.
Language(s): English
Summary: The South Atlantic Fishery Management Council (SAFMC) and Department of Commerce through the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Management Act have established eight deepwater Marine Protected Areas (MPAs), five Deepwater Coral Habitat Areas of Particular Concern (CHAPCs), and the Oculina Coral HAPC off of the southeastern U.S. This project proposes to document and characterize the benthic habitat, benthic sessile biota, and fish populations within some of these protected areas and within the jurisdiction of the SAFMC. The Oculina Experimental Closed Area (OECA) was established in 1994 and closed the area to all bottom fishing in order to evaluate the effectiveness of the reserve for management and conservation of snapper grouper populations. The OECA is located within the Oculina Habitat Area of Particular Concern (OHAPC) which was established in 1984 when the significance and value of Oculina varicosa to important fishery species was recognized by the SAFMC. The OHAPC doubled in size when the Northern and Western Extensions were added with the implementation of Amendment 8 of the Fishery Management Plan in August 2015. As part of the OECA Evaluation Plan, a re-evaluation of the area is currently in progress. Data collected from the current grant will provide crucial data needed for this re-evaluation.
Identifier: FAUIR000406 (IID)
Note(s): Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute Technical Report number 188
Persistent Link to This Record: http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FAUIR000406
Use and Reproduction: http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/NoC-US/1.0/
Use and Reproduction: http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/
Host Institution: FAU
Is Part of Series: Florida Atlantic University Digital Library Collections.

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