The NOAA Ship Rainier has completed the National Coral Reef Monitoring Program Survey, Fish Survey and mapping efforts, during a ten day expedition around Tutuila.
This was Leg 6 of RICHARD (Rainier Integrates Charting, Hydrography, And Reef Demographics) cruise.
Governor Lemanu received a summary report from NOAA Research Ecologist Thomas A. Oliver about their work.
Dr. Oliver said the survey surpassed expectations and the teams completed the turnover of NCRMP-OCC cardinal transects on Tutuila and made significant progress in the fish survey efforts.
The team conducted one hundred and fifty six dives to collect and deploy monitoring equipment and recorders, sample collections, fish and photo-quadrat surveys, Structure-from-Motion(SfM) transects, and more.
Governor Lemanu commends the group of scientists and crew members of the Rainier for their commitment and resilience during the expedition.
“On behalf of Lieutenant Governor Talauega, I extend our deepest gratitude to the dedicated scientists for their unwavering commitment in providing us with reports of their invaluable operations conducted within our territory. Their continued efforts contribute immensely to our understanding and preservation of our enriched marine environment. We greatly appreciate their ongoing collaboration and look forward to further fruitful partnerships in the future,” stated Governor Lemanu.
Dr. Oliver expressed his appreciation to their team leads and scientists, and to the American Samoa Government.
