The Mekong River is one of the most biologically diverse rivers in the world, and it supports the most productive freshwater fisheries in the world. Millions of people in the Lower Mekong River Basin (LMB) countries of the Union of Myanmar (Burma), Lao People's Democratic Republic, the Kingdom of Thailand, the Kingdom of Cambodia, and the Socialist Republic of Vietnam rely on the fisheries of the basin to provide a source of protein. The Mekong Fish Network Workshop was convened in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, in February 2012 to discuss the potential for coordinating fisheries monitoring among nations and the utility of establishing standard methods for short- and long-term monitoring and data sharing throughout the LMB.

This report outlines the potential impacts of coastal protection structures on the resources of the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary. At least 15 miles of the Sanctuary's 300-mile shoreline are currently armored with seawalls and riprap revetments. Most of these coastal protection structures are placed above the mean high tide line, the official boundary of the Sanctuary, yet some influences of armoring impinge on the marine realm and on recreational use. In addition, continued sea level rise and accompanying coastal retreat will force many of these structures below the high tide line over time. The Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary staff has recognized the significance of coastal armoring, identifying it as a critical issue in the Coastal Armoring Action Plan of the draft Joint Management Plan.

This document presents the results of the first three monitoring events to track the recovery of a repaired coral reef injured by the M/V Alec Owen Maitland (hereafter referred to as the Maitland) vessel grounding incident of October 25, 1989. This grounding occurred within the boundaries of what at the time was designated the Key Largo National Marine Sanctuary (NMS), now designated the Key Largo NMS Existing Management Area within the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary (FKNMS). Pursuant to the National Marine Sanctuaries Act (NMSA) 16 U.S.C. 1431 et seq., and the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary and Protection Act (FKNMSPA) of 1990, NOAA is the federal trustee for the natural and cultural resources of the FKNMS.

Ambient noise in the ocean is a topic that has been widely studied since the 1940s. Over the last 25 years the effects of noise on marine organisms has become a concern. The primary issue has been the potential of noise to adversely affect marine mammals. The Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary (SBNMS) and upper estuary of the St. Lawrence River are sites where the degradation of habitat due to increasing noise levels is a concern because they are feeding grounds and summer havens for numerous species of marine mammals. In an effort to provide information for better sanctuary management this report describes the current understanding of ambient noise and existing levels of ambient noise and its relationship to marine mammals in the Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary and the designated marine park area of the Upper St. Lawrence River Estuary.

This project proposes a series of regulatory changes intended to resolve inconsistencies in regulatory language and enhance resource protection within the three central and northern California National Marine Sanctuaries.

This is a new release of the original 1961 edition.

The vital sign selection process of the NPS Inventory and Monitoring Program (I&M) identified forest vegetation monitoring as a critical need for the parks of the National Capital Region Network (NCRN). The data collected using this protocol will provide much needed baseline information on the forests in the NCRN, particularly in terms of community structure and composition. The information will also be used to determine long term trends in community composition, and in the abundance and distribution of individual species.

In 2000, the National Capital Region Inventory and Monitoring Network (NCRN) initiated a deer monitoring program to collect information on deer densities. The program is carried out through fall spotlight surveys in Antietam National Battlefield, Catoctin Mountain Park, Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historic Park- Gold Mine Tract, George Washington Memorial Parkway - Great Falls Park, Manassas National Battlefield Park, Monocacy National Park, National Capital Parks - East (Greenbelt and Piscataway units), Prince William Forest Park, and Rock Creek Park. Pellet-group counts are used in Harpers Ferry National Historic Park because of the lack of a road network. This report summarizes and analyzes the fall 2008 spotlight surveys and the 2008 fall-winter pellet-group count.