ME70 Water Column Sonar Data Collected During PC2102

The goal of the cruise was to gather additional data on habitat and fish assemblages in six of the South Atlantic MPAs and OECA as part of a long term sampling program to document changes in these areas before and after fishing restrictions are implemented. The southernmost boundary of the work areas were Port Canaveral, FL while the northernmost boundary was Cape Lookout, NC. Efficacy testing of this management tool aids fishery managers in future use of area restrictions for the protection of valuable habitat and fishery resources. Specific objectives included: Daytime Operation: Conducted ROV transect surverys of habitat and fish assemblages and collections of corals and sponges during daylight hours. Night Operation: Conducted multibeam mapping to find areas to dive on with the ROV for the following day. Night Operation: Conducted total water column CTD profiles and XBT casts to collect sound velocity data for the mapping.