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Shallow/Coral Reef

A coral reef with a school of white and brown fish.

Roving schools of surgeonfish in Fagatele Bay keep macroalgae under control.

Species/Subject: Herbivore school - ACTR, ZESC, CTSR, ACNC
Attribution: V.Brown/NOAA
Site: Fagatele

Two white fish with a vertical black bar and large white spot and yellow fins swimming over a coral reef.

Two butterflyfish (Chaetodon unimaculatus) swimming over a coral reef at Fagatele Bay.

Species/Subject: Teardrop butterflyfish (Chaetodon unimaculatus)
Attribution: RJE/NOAA
Site: Fagatele

Orange fish with a white stripe in a bright green and blue anemone.

Clownfish and anemone have a mutual relationship; the anemone protects the clownfish from predators, while the clownfish provides nutrients that help the anemone grow.

Species/Subject: Pacific anemonefish (Amphiprion pacificus), Anemone
Attribution:
Site: Fogama'a

Coral reef with two scuba divers and a school of small fish in the distance.

Coral reef with two scuba divers and a school of small fish in the distance.

Attribution: Wendy Cover/NOAA
Site: Swains

A pufferfish next to corals.

The blackspotted pufferfish (Arothron nigropunctatus) feeds on large Porites coral polyps. You can see it's bite marks on these large corals.

Species/Subject: A blackspotted pufferfish (Arothron nigropunctatus) preparing to eat a Porites coral.
Attribution: V.Brown/NOAA
Site: Fagatele

A black and white striped fish with a yellow tail under a massive coral.

Oriental sweetlips (Plectorhinchus vittatus) are one of many species that like to shelter under a large Porites coral in Fagatele Bay.

Species/Subject: Oriental sweetlips (Plectorhinchus vittatus) under a large Porites coral in Fagatele Bay
Attribution: V.Brown/NOAA
Site: Fagatele

A coral reef with a school of white and brown fish.

Roving schools of surgeonfish in Fagatele Bay keep macroalgae under control.

Species/Subject: Herbivore school - ACTR, ZESC, CTSR, ACNC and Staghorn Acropora corals
Attribution: V.Brown/NOAA
Site: Fagatele

Four divers hover over a coral reef with very large corals.

Closed circuit rebreaher divers and support divers at their deco stop in Tau's Valley of the Giants after surveying mesophotic corals.

Species/Subject: CCR divers near big corals.
Attribution: J. Leonard/NOAA
Site: Ta'u

An image of the seafloor

Hundreds of photos were combined to make this photogrammetry model of the mesophotic habitat on the west side of Swains Island at 145 feet deep .

Species/Subject: Photogrammetry model of mesophotic reef.
Attribution: NOAA
Site: Swains

Two divers on a reef with a hydrophone.

Divers installed an ecological acoustic recorder at Fagatele Bay to record underwater sounds made by whales, fish, invertebrates, and vessels.

Species/Subject: Ecological Acoustic Recorder (EAR)
Attribution: H. Spathias/NOAA
Site: Fagatele

Bright yellow seafan.

A seafan coral deep in the underwater twilight zone is illuminated by a flash, showing off a colorful scene in the Fagalua/Fogama’a marine sanctuary area.

Species/Subject: Yellow Mesophotic Coral
Attribution: Daniel Wagner/NOAA
Site: Fagalua/Fogama'a

A variety of vibrant shallow coral species with sun rays shining through the surface of the ocean

Shallow coral ecosystem at Fagatele Bay.

Species/Subject: A variety of vibrant shallow coral species
Attribution: Nick Evensen
Site: Fagatele Bay

A school of butterflyfish swims over a tropical reefscape.

A school of reticulated butterflyfish (Chaetodon reticulatus) swims over a reefscape at Fagatele Bay.

Species/Subject: A school of reticulated butterflyfish (Chaetodon reticulatus)
Attribution: South Florida PBS/Changing Seas
Site: Fagatele Bay

Porites coral and Acropora staghorn coral

Species/Subject: Porites coral and Acropora staghorn coral
Attribution: South Florida PBS/Changing Seas
Site: Fagatele Bay

Black feathery basket stars perch on a brownish sea fan deep in the underwater mesophotic zone where sunlight can barely reach.

Black feathery basket stars perch on a brownish sea fan deep in the underwater mesophotic zone where sunlight can barely reach.

Attribution: Daniel Wagner/NOAA

A science diver floating above a bed of corals, and taking notes on a waterproof tablet.

Research scientists conduct annual coral reef monitoring at sanctuary sites like Fagatele Bay to observe and track the health of underwater resources.

Species/Subject: Corals
Attribution: Alisha Gill/NOAA
Site: Fagatele Bay

Deep underwater, a long whip coral is seen in the foreground lit up by a camera flash, and in the background, a specialized science diver floats beside a tall wall of rocks and algae.

A specialized scientific rebreather diver explores the twilight zone at Fagalua/Fogama'a marine sanctuary area.

Species/Subject: Mesophotic whip coral
Attribution: Daniel Wagner
Site: Fagalua/Fogama'a

A diver holds a clipboard up to measure a coral on a sunlit reef full of branching corals.

Dr. Charles Birkeland surveying corals in Fagatele Bay. Dr. Birkeland has surveyed these reefs since the 1980's.

Species/Subject: Scientist and coral
Attribution: Alice Lawrence
Site: Fagatele Bay