NOAA Technical Memorandum NOS MEMD 3

A quantitative assessment of Fagatele Bay National Marine Sanctuary in American Samoa was conducted to establish a biological baseline for future comparisons. Surveys of algae, corals, macroinvertebrates, and fish were performed along transects at varying depths. Despite damage from a 1979 Acanthaster planci outbreak, coral species were recovering by 1985, with new recruits showing potential for full recovery, and a total of 215 fish species and 87% of known gastropod species were observed in the bay.