Shrnutí

Popis

On May 9, 2006, NOAA's National Marine Fisheries Service (NOAA Fisheries Service) listed staghorn and elkhorn corals (Acropora cervicornis and A. palmata) as threatened under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). These two species qualified as ESA threatened species because there was evidence they have undergone substantial declines in abundance (from historic levels) throughout their ranges. NOAA Fisheries Service is now seeking to determine the extant spatial distribution of these two species throughout the Caribbean Sea and Atlantic Ocean to aid in the management and regulatory activities related to ESA listing. These data represent the potential locations of presence or absence for elkhorn coral (Acropora palmata) and staghorn coral (A. cervicornis).