Concentrations of Atlantic croaker (Micropogonias undulatus) larvae collected during Fisheries Oceanography of Coastal Alabama (FOCAL) surveys off the coast of Alabama (2006-2008)

Metadata:


Identification_Information:
Citation:
Citation_Information:
Originator:
Dauphin Island Sea Lab: Fisheries Oceanography of Coastal Alabama (FOCAL) Program
Publication_Date:
2011
Title:
Concentrations of Atlantic croaker (Micropogonias undulatus) larvae collected during Fisheries Oceanography of Coastal Alabama (FOCAL) surveys off the coast of Alabama (2006-2008)
Description:
Abstract:
The Fisheries Oceanography of Coastal Alabama (FOCAL) program began in 2004 as a way for scientists at Dauphin Island Sea Lab (DISL) to provide baseline biological information on a proposed liquefied natural gas facility located 11 miles south of Dauphin Island. Over time, and with additional funding from the State of Alabama's Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (ADCNR), Marine Resources Division (MRD), the study expanded to include the waters of Mobile Bay extending south approximately 23 miles from the original study site. The FOCAL data set provides a six year baseline of natural variability of the nearshore system. FOCAL's purpose is to capture and understand the highly variable nature of Alabama's nearshore environment as it relates to fisheries production. It is a system influenced and driven, in varying degrees, by freshwater from the Mobile-Tensaw River system, saline waters of the Loop Current, and mixing from weather events. Perturbation of the system also comes in many forms and at many spatial and temporal scales: tropical storms and hurricanes, oil and gas operations, maritime accidents, and climate variability. Separating the effects of perturbation on fisheries from the natural "noise" of the system is an arduous task. Without long-term, baseline fisheries-independent data, capturing and quantifying those effects becomes almost impossible. The FOCAL time series includes hydrographic data from a permanent offshore mooring (ADCP, vertical thermister and CTD array) and shipboard surveys (vertical CTD profiles), as well as monthly ichthyoplankton and zooplankton (depth-discrete) sample collections at FOCAL sites. The subset of data presented here reflect the concentrations of Atlantic croaker (Micropogonias undulatus) collected during FOCAL surveys.
Purpose:
FOCAL's purpose is to capture and understand the highly variable nature of Alabama's nearshore environment as it relates to fisheries production. These data focus on Atlantic croaker (Micropogonias undulatus).
Time_Period_of_Content:
Time_Period_Information:
Range_of_Dates/Times:
Beginning_Date:
20061109
Ending_Date:
20081217
Currentness_Reference:
ground condition
Status:
Progress:
Complete
Maintenance_and_Update_Frequency:
As needed
Spatial_Domain:
Bounding_Coordinates:
West_Bounding_Coordinate:
-88.2486
East_Bounding_Coordinate:
-88.0975
North_Bounding_Coordinate:
30.1683
South_Bounding_Coordinate:
29.7608
Keywords:
Theme:
Theme_Keyword_Thesaurus:
None
Theme_Keyword:
Atlantic croaker
Theme_Keyword:
Sciaenidae
Theme_Keyword:
Micropogonias undulatus
Theme_Keyword:
BIONESS
Theme_Keyword:
zooplankton
Theme_Keyword:
ichthyoplankton
Theme_Keyword:
larval fish
Theme:
Theme_Keyword_Thesaurus:
ISO 19115 Topic Categories
Theme_Keyword:
environment
Theme_Keyword:
oceans
Theme_Keyword:
biota
Place:
Place_Keyword_Thesaurus:
None
Place_Keyword:
Gulf of Mexico
Place_Keyword:
Alabama
Place_Keyword:
Dauphin Island Sea Lab
Place_Keyword:
DISL
Access_Constraints:
Permission to access these data must be given by Dr. Frank Hernandez of the University of Southern Mississippi Gulf Coast Research Laboratory.
Use_Constraints:
Acknowledgment of the Dauphin Island Sea Lab (DISL), Fisheries Oceanography of Coastal Alabama (FOCAL) program and the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources is required in products developed from these data, and such acknowledgment as is standard for citation and legal practices for data source is expected by users of these data. Users should be aware that comparison with other data sets for the same area from other time periods may be inaccurate due to inconsistencies resulting from changes in mapping conventions, data collection, and computer processes over time. The distributor shall not be liable for improper or incorrect use of these data, based on the description of appropriate/inappropriate uses described in the metadata document. These data are not legal documents and are not to be used as such.
Point_of_Contact:
Contact_Information:
Contact_Person_Primary:
Contact_Person:
Frank Hernandez, Jr.
Contact_Organization:
University of Southern Mississippi: Gulf Coast Research Laboratory
Contact_Position:
Principal Investigator
Contact_Address:
Address_Type:
mailing and physical
Address:
703 East Beach Drive
City:
Ocean Springs
State_or_Province:
MS
Postal_Code:
39564
Country:
USA
Contact_Voice_Telephone:
(228) 818-8800
Contact_Electronic_Mail_Address:
frank.hernandez@usm.edu
Contact_Instructions:
Please email Dr. Frank Hernandez for further information.
Data_Set_Credit:
DISL: FOCAL Lab
Native_Data_Set_Environment:
ESRI shapefile
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Data_Quality_Information:
Logical_Consistency_Report:
not applicable
Completeness_Report:
Data was gathered from 20061109 to 20081217 with no major lapses between collections.
Lineage:
Process_Step:
Process_Description:
Atlantic croaker larvae were collected as part of a long-term biological survey (2004-present) off the coast of Alabama. The data described here include only samples collected from November 2006 through December 2008 using a multi-net plankton sampler (BIONESS; Bedford Institute of Oceanography, Net Environmental Sampling System). The BIONESS (mouth opening of 0.25 m2) was fitted with 202 µm and 333 µm mesh nets. Tows were made within discrete depth bins as well as throughout the whole water column (oblique) at three cross-shelf stations south of Mobile Bay (water depths of 10m, 20m and 35 m). A CTD integrated into the BIONESS provided depth, temperature and salinity profiles for each tow. Flowmeters recorded the volume filtered. Ichthyoplankton were sorted, counted and identified to the lowest possible taxonomic level by taxonomists at the Sea Fisheries Institute Plankton Sorting and Identification Center in Szczecin, Poland and at the Dauphin Island Sea Lab. The total number of Atlantic croaker collected in each net was standardized by the volume of water filtered. The data presented here are thus larval concentrations (number of larvae per 10m3).
Process_Date:
Unknown
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Entity_and_Attribute_Information:
Detailed_Description:
Entity_Type:
Entity_Type_Label:
Atlantic Croaker Summary
Entity_Type_Definition:
Microsoft Excel table cataloging Atlantic Croaker data from 20061109 to 20081217.
Entity_Type_Definition_Source:
DISL: FOCAL Lab
Attribute:
Attribute_Label:
Date
Attribute_Definition:
Calendar date of sampling event
Attribute_Definition_Source:
DISL: FOCAL Lab
Attribute_Domain_Values:
Range_Domain:
Range_Domain_Minimum:
20061109
Range_Domain_Maximum:
20081217
Attribute:
Attribute_Label:
Taxon
Attribute_Definition:
Sample species
Attribute_Definition_Source:
DISL: FOCAL Lab
Attribute_Domain_Values:
Unrepresentable_Domain:
Micropogonias undulatus
Attribute:
Attribute_Label:
Latitude
Attribute_Definition:
Latitude of sampling event
Attribute_Definition_Source:
DISL: FOCAL Lab
Attribute_Domain_Values:
Range_Domain:
Range_Domain_Minimum:
29.7608
Range_Domain_Maximum:
30.1683
Attribute:
Attribute_Label:
Longitude
Attribute_Definition:
Longitude of sampling event
Attribute_Definition_Source:
DISL: FOCAL Lab
Attribute_Domain_Values:
Range_Domain:
Range_Domain_Minimum:
-88.0975
Range_Domain_Maximum:
-88.2486
Attribute:
Attribute_Label:
Atlantic croaker density
Attribute_Definition:
(number of croaker in sample X aliquot)/ (total swept volume)
Attribute_Definition_Source:
DISL: FOCAL Lab
Attribute_Domain_Values:
Unrepresentable_Domain:
Number cannot be negative
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Distribution_Information:
Distributor:
Contact_Information:
Contact_Person_Primary:
Contact_Person:
Frank Hernandez, Jr.
Contact_Organization:
University of Southern Mississippi: Gulf Coast Research Laboratory
Contact_Position:
Principal Investigator
Contact_Address:
Address_Type:
mailing and physical
Address:
703 East Beach Drive
City:
Ocean Springs
State_or_Province:
MS
Postal_Code:
39564
Country:
USA
Contact_Voice_Telephone:
(228) 818-8800
Contact_Electronic_Mail_Address:
frank.hernandez@usm.edu
Contact_Instructions:
Please email Dr. Frank Hernandez for further information.
Distribution_Liability:
The Dauphin Island Sea Lab's FOCAL Lab makes no warranty regarding these data, expressed or implied, nor does the fact of distribution constitute such a warranty. The DISL: FOCAL Lab cannot assume liability for any damages caused by any errors or omissions in these data, nor as a result of the failure of these data to function on a particular system.
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Metadata_Reference_Information:
Metadata_Date:
201106
Metadata_Contact:
Contact_Information:
Contact_Organization_Primary:
Contact_Organization:
Dauphin Island Sea Lab
Contact_Position:
Data Management Specialist
Contact_Address:
Address_Type:
mailing and physical
Address:
101 Bienville Blvd.
City:
Dauphin Island
State_or_Province:
Al
Postal_Code:
36528
Country:
USA
Contact_Voice_Telephone:
251-861-2141
Contact_Electronic_Mail_Address:
metadata@disl.org
Hours_of_Service:
8-5:00 CST
Contact_Instructions:
Please email the metadata specialist for further information.
Metadata_Standard_Name:
FGDC Biological Data Profile of the Content Standard for Digital Geospatial Metadata
Metadata_Standard_Version:
FGDC-STD-001-1998
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