Description: Dataset incorporates species locations and depicts species richness across the state of Florida by several governmental and non-governmental organizations (see following list). This dataset focuses on the species that require protection across all life stages, size classes and habitat. This raster dataset merges a variety of spatial datasets that focus on specific regions or species of Florida. Additionally, three of the datasets were separated and then recombined into larger datasets based on the species classification. This dataset depicts the “protected” species classification from the smaller datasets.The species location datasets in this dataset included:-Marine-life Data and Analysis Team (MDAT – Duke University) Cetacean spatial abundance species raster for Gulf of Mexico and U.S. east coast.-Florida Keys Nearshore surveys 2002-2007 point file (Florida Fish & Wildlife Commission, FWC) and related dbase table from which species observations was collected.-Florida Middle Keys seine survey sample locations (FWC) and a related dbase table from which species observations was collected.-Fisheries Independent Monitoring (FIM) Nearshore & Offshore dataset (FWRI-FWC) -Ocean Biogeographic Information system Spatial Ecological Analysis of Megavertebrate Populations (OBIS-SEAMAP; Marine Geospatial Ecology Lab-Duke University) sea turtle, Cetaceans and Chondrichthyans were acquired, classified and included in the Protected species spatial layers.-Coral Reef Evaluation and Monitoring Project (FWC-CRMEP) sample locations and related dbase species richness table. This layer was included in the larger Protected species dataset.-Manatee synoptic survey observation location (FWC) which were included in the larger Protected species dataset.
Copyright Text: OBIS Database:
-Halpin, P.N., A.J. Read, E. Fujioka, B.D. Best, B. Donnelly, L.J. Hazen, C. Kot, K. Urian, E. LaBrecque, A. Dimatteo, J. Cleary, C. Good, L.B. Crowder, and K.D. Hyrenbach. 2009. OBIS-SEAMAP: The world data center for marine mammal, sea bird, and sea turtle distributions. Oceanography 22(2):104-115
MDAT Dataset:
-Roberts JJ, Best BD, Mannocci L, Fujioka E, Halpin PN, Palka DL, Garrison LP, Mullin KD, Cole TVN, Khan CB, McLellan WM, Pabst DA, Lockhart GG (2016) Habitat-based cetacean density models for the U.S. Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico. Scientific Reports 6: 22615. doi: 10.1038/srep22615
Prior to July 1, 2004, the Fish and Wildlife Research Institute (FWRI) was known as the Florida Marine Research Institute (FMRI). The institute name has not been changed in historical data sets or references to work completed by the Florida Marine Research Institute. The institute name has been changed in references to ongoing research, new research, and contact information.