Data Management Plan

The photographs described in this dataset were collected using a Structure from Motion (SfM) approach during in-water marine debris swim surveys conducted by snorkelers in search of derelict fishing nets. Surveys were conducted by the NOAA Fisheries, Ecosystem Sciences Division (ESD) at Pearl and Hermes Atoll in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands (NWHI). Initial surveys occurred from September 24 - October 3, 2018 during an ESD-led marine debris removal mission aboard the NOAA Ship Oscar Elton Sette, and follow-up surveys occurred from September 13-14, 2021 on a joint mission with non-profit organization Papahanaumokuakea Marine Debris Project aboard the M/V IMUA.

During the 2018 mission, only a subset of marine debris surveys resulted in a SfM survey. Fishing nets were located during swim surveys and selected for SfM if the net was interacting with coral or hard substrate, the depth of the net was within ~1- 4 m of the surface, and the area of the net fit within the 9 sq. meter SFM survey plot. During a SFM survey, a permanent 3 x 3 m plot was established around the center of the fishing net, and the net was photographed using a back and forth swim pattern ("before" photos) for later processing using a SfM approach. The net was then removed and the same area was photographed again in the same way ("after" photos). A nearby (>50 m distant) paired control site was also photographed using the same method ("control" photos).

During the 2021 mission, relocation of all paired sites where "after" and "control" photos were taken in 2018 was attempted; if found, the permanent 3 x 3m plot was reimaged using the same SfM approach. Only a subset of 2018 sites were successfully relocated in 2021 (12 "after" sites, 8 "control" sites), and five new nearby "control" sites had to be established to fulfill the paired study design.

Geographic extent of marine debris structure from motion surveys conducted at Pearl and Hermes Atoll.

Lineage Statement:
Marine debris removal has been conducted by the Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center's Ecosystem Sciences Division at the atolls, reefs and islands of Northwestern Hawaiian Islands since 1996. Standardized data collection has been implemented since 1999. Swim surveys are typically used in the comparatively high-relief and patchy lagoonal reef habitats. Survey areas are chosen based on regional reef morphology and past accumulation records. At each Structure from Motion (SfM) data collection site, a permanent 3 x 3 m plot was established around the center of the net. SfM images were taken underwater before and after net removal. The same method was also used at the paired control sites. Sites were relocated and reimaged in 2021.

Process Steps:

• This step describes the initial site survey in 2018. The swim survey method was developed for surveys in lagoonal, reticulated reef areas. During swim surveys, two or more divers swim across reefs to search for debris while being directed by personnel in small boats to follow pre-planned routes and are coordinated for maximum visual area covered. Survey areas and routes are chosen based on regional reef morphology and past accumulation records. Based on this net prevalence information, five spatial zones were defined. A minimum of three nets in each of the five zones were surveyed using a Structure from Motion (SfM) approach if the net also fit within the additional selection criteria (≥ 75% hard substrate and within ~1-4 m depths). (Citation: Dameron, O. J., Parke, M., Albins, M. A., & Brainard, R. (2007). Marine debris accumulation in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands: an examination of rates and processes. Marine Pollution Bulletin, 54(4), 423-433.)
• At each impact site established in 2018, a permanent 3 x 3 m plot was established around the center of the net by securing zip ties to the reef at each corner of the plot and taking a GPS location at the center. Depth measurements were recorded at each corner of the plot. Only nets that fit within the plot were selected for this study to allow rapid data collection of the Structure from Motion (SfM) imagery. In 2018, SfM images were taken underwater before net removal to record the extent of the reef covered by net. In both years, images were collected by snorkeling in a cross-hatch pattern over the plot at 1 m above the substrate to achieve image overlap of at least 60% (~580 images per site). JPEG images were collected using a Nikon SL2 digital camera in an underwater housing. (Citation: Suka R, Asbury M, Couch C, Gray A, Winston M, Oliver T. 2019. Processing Photomosaic Imagery of Coral Reefs Using Structure-from-Motion Standard Operating Procedures. U.S. Dept. of Commerce, NOAA Technical Memorandum NOAA-TM-NMFS-PIFSC-93, 54 p. doi:10.25923/h2q8-jv47)
• This step only occurred in 2018 when the net impact sites were established. Fishing nets were disentangled from the reef by hand or carefully cut using knives to free the net from the benthos in order to minimize impacts to the underlying habitat. A second series of "after" images were collected in the same manner as the first series of "before" images (i.e., before the fishing net was removed from the reef).
• In 2018, a paired control site was selected for each net impacted site within the same zone (≥50 m away from net-impact site for independence). The same photogrammetry method was also used at the paired control sites (3 x 3 m plot). In 2021, each paired control site was relocated and reimaged. When the old control site could not be found, a new paired control site was established using the same criteria and reimaged.

Each image set was evaluated for image quality. Images deemed unsatisfactory were removed from the image set.

Data can be accessed online via the NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI) Ocean Archive.

NOAA IRC and NOAA Fisheries ITS resources and assets.