2016 Coral Reef Condition, Mapping, & Fisheries Cruise

FKNMS, and the following partners, will embark on a research and monitoring cruise this summer to study relationships between marine reserves in the Dry Tortugas region. Researchers focused on the connections between fish populations in the Florida Keys, Marquesas, Dry Tortugas National Park, the Tortugas Ecological Reserve North (TER-N) with spawning habitat at Riley's Hump in Tortugas Ecological Reserve South (TER-S) plus surrounding reef habitats including areas such as Warsaw Hole. This cruise builds upon previous research by FKNMS with FWC and NCCOS.

Participating Institutions:

  • NOAA’s Office of National Marine Sanctuaries (NOS)
  • NOAA’s Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary (FKNMS)
  • NOAA’s National Center for Coastal Ocean Sciences (NCCOS)
  • NOAA Southeast Fisheries Science Center (SEFSC)
  • NOAA’s National Weather Service (NWS)
  • Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC)
  • Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute (HBOI) at Florida Atlantic University

Highlights from the cruise were posted on the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary's Facebook page. To see more details about the expedition, read our factsheet pdf (800 kb).


Most of the Science Team, 2016. Most of the 2016 Science Team celebrate a successful conclusion to the cruise on the fantail of the R/V Nancy Foster.

Summary

With a science crew of 17; an amazing deck, operations, engineering, bridge, and steward team; plus fortunate weather, the NOAA Ship Nancy Foster accomplished:

  • Sailed 12 awesome days;
  • Conducted 108 dives;
  • Tagged 16 fish;
  • Switched out 10 acoustic receivers;
  • Completed 6 stereo camera deployments;
  • Deployed the wave glider for 4 days;
  • Conducted 16.5 drop camera deployments  ;
  • Mapped 22 miles of seafloor with multibeam sonar;
  • Conducted daily weather briefings;
  • Presented 3 science seminars (2 weather, 1 telemetry); and,
  • Posted 13 facebook stories.
Now that the cruise is over, the real work of processing all the data and information collected begins. It is anticipated that a full Cruise Report will be avaible in 2017.


Fun Fact!

The NOAA ship, plus the location of the FKNMS offices within the Dr. Nancy Foster Environmental Complex in Key West, both honor Dr. Foster who was a marine biologist known for her science-based conservation of coastal aquatic life. Dr. Foster was one of the first Directors of the Office of National Marine Sanctuaries, and later the head of NOAA's National Ocean Service. During her short tenure, she increased the agency's strength and positioned it to lead the nation in coastal stewardship.