INTRODUCED MARINE SPECIES IN PAGO ... - Bishop Museum

II. METHODS
A. Literature Search
A variety of sources of information on the environmental conditions and biological communities of
Pago Pago Harbor, Fagetele Bay, Vatia Bay, and Fagasa Bay were examined. Literature
consulted included published papers in the open scientific literature, taxonomy-based
monographs, and unpublished reports for environmental studies. Resources that were consulted
in this search were the libraries of Bishop Museum, the University of Hawai‘i, Manoa, AECOS
Inc., and a bibliographic list available from the American Samoa Department of Marine and
Wildlife Resources (DMWR).
B. Bishop Museum Collections
Bishop Museum collections databases for algae, invertebrates, and ichthyology were reviewed for
all marine organisms that been collected from Pago Pago Harbor, Fagetele Bay, Vatia Bay, and
Fagasa Bay. The retrieved data were assembled into a combined database for containing taxa
identity, taxonomic authority, collection location and date, collector and collectors notes, when
available.
C. Field Surveys
Samples were collected from six sites in Pago Pago Harbor, two sites in Fagetele Bay, and one
site each in Vatia and Fagasa Bays (Figure 1) using methods previously employed on
nonindigenous species surveys in the Hawaiian Islands and Johnston Atoll. Sampling station
locations, dates, coordinates and depths are summarized in Table 1.
Collections and observations were made by a team of four experienced investigators while
snorkeling or using scuba at each station and sampling as many micro-habitats as possible on
the forereef at reef sites. Working from shore and using snorkel, the phycologist (PAS) recorded
algal taxa observed in the intertidal and subtidal zones and collected specimens for later
identification. One scuba diver (VB) recorded the identities of abundant invertebrate and
macrofauna and fishes swimming in the area and did some sampling of organisms, while the
second (PAR) focused on collecting of invertebrates and macroalgae from hard surfaces and
coral rubble. Macro-organisms were collected by hand, hard surfaces were scraped with a chisel,
and coral rubble was placed in bags and transported back to a temporary laboratory at the
DMWR for inspection and removal of cryptic organisms. A third diver (SLC) recorded general
observations of the habitats and dominant organisms at each station, took underwater digital
photographs of specimens and made additional collections of macrofauna that were added to the
specimen collections. In addition to these more detailed samplings and observations on Tutuila,
rapid assessments were made on the island of Ofu in two moats and on their reef crests offshore
of the airstrip and the hurricane house.
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