Mar 17, 2023
Moorea Transect Protocol
This protocol is a draft, published without a DOI.
- Ellis Gelt1,
- Kiran Bengard1,
- jparadise1,
- slicata1,
- Ellinor Arzbaecher1,
- Juliet Capriola1,
- Laura Barragan1,
- Grace Sandel1
- 1University of California, Berkeley
Protocol Citation: Ellis Gelt, Kiran Bengard, jparadise, slicata, Ellinor Arzbaecher, Juliet Capriola, Laura Barragan, Grace Sandel 2023. Moorea Transect Protocol. protocols.io https://protocols.io/view/moorea-transect-protocol-crdzv276
License: This is an open access protocol distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited
Protocol status: Working
We use this protocol and it's working
Created: March 17, 2023
Last Modified: March 17, 2023
Protocol Integer ID: 79001
Abstract
This procedure is used for costal monitoring and has been tested along the majority of the coast of Mo'orea, French Polynesia; completed by UC Berkeley's Island Sustainability classes. This protocol includes steps to collect observation data regarding birds, costal armoring, and boats, along shoreline transects.
Guidelines
- Do not trample coral.
- Do not walk through private property, unless you have explicit authorization.
- Write observations in a field notebook.
- Take pictures to document your transect.
- Try interacting with people as soon as possible and explaining what you are doing/getting feedback.
Materials
- Gaia GPS mobile app
- Field notebooks
- Stopwatch (with seconds)
- Water-appropriate shoes
- Tape-measurer
- Pencil
Safety warnings
- Eels and stone fish may be present
- Remain wary of stray dogs (staying grouped and pretending to pick up a stone or stick to throw at them is a sufficient deterrent)
- Entering private property often happens by accident, be prepared with phrases in the local language to explain who you are
Before start
- Wear attire appropriate for constant re-entry into the water.
- Check that a working seconds stopwatch is present..
GAIA GPS Tracking
GAIA GPS Tracking
Have two team-members start a track (full battery).
After starting track recording, with the GAIA-App take a picture of the group’s hand-watch with seconds showing on the hand-watch (will help making sure time on watch and GPS time are synced).
When done tracking, don’t forget to save and export track as .gpx file.
Observation Methods
Observation Methods
Bird Observations
When you see a bird, record the number and identify whether the birds(s) is an egret or heron. Refer to the bird ID sheet, linked here.
Record the timestamp at the time you spotted the bird.
Coastal Armoring
Coastal Armoring
Start time-stamp as soon as coastal profile changes or as soon as you are no longer able to monitor.
Record-stamp on data sheet and tecord the coast types on the data sheet using the following categories: unArmored (no apparent human-made alteration), armRocks (armored coast w/ piles of rocks/stones), armSeaWall (armored coast cement/concrete wall), and armOther (other category of armored coast). When you encounter a perpendicular structure (dock/over-water bungalow/stone alignment), record a time-stamp and the type of perpendicular structure on the data sheet.
Estimate the distance in meters from the coastal armoring to the shoreline and record on data sheet.
Start a time-stamp if backtracking or if you left the coast and make note.
Boats
Boats
Walking along the shore, take a time stamp of any boats, canoes, jetskis, or other vessels on the water that are visible to you. Record under Time-Stamp using military time up to the millisecond.
If a fishing vessel, ID each vessel as one of the following under fisherBoat: outrigger, motorboat, swimon-foot. Leave this section blank if not a fishing vessel.
If applicable, note the type of fishing gear under fisherGear: spear, line, or net.
Under fisherN, record the number of fishermen in the crew if applicable.
Under vesselType, regardless of if the vessel is for fishing, ID the vessel from the following categories: closed-cabin motorboat, opened-cabin motorboat, tourist-operator motorboat,
sailboat, jet-ski [indicate number of jetskis in ()].
Under anch-navigating, indicate whether the vessel (regardless of if it is fishing), is anchoring or navigating.
Repeat for each new vessel spotted. Use a single entry for each vessel unless it is a group of jetskis which pass at the same timestamp. Indicate if you cannot see the gear in the fishing boat.
Closing Steps
Closing Steps
At the end of the day, take a picture of your notebooks before data entry.
Water Outlets
Water Outlets
Walking along the shore or as close to the shore as possible, write down the time stamp of every water outlet walked by.
Try estimating width of outlet (in feet or meters. Write down the estimate.
Mark if the water outlet is flowing and any other relevant observations about it.
Protocol references
Dr. Jean Wencelius - Data Collection Protocol