HAPPENINGS

NOAA Ship Oscar Elton Sette will travel throughout the Mariana Archipelago for a major reef monitoring mission this summer. Scientists from NOAA’s Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center (PIFSC) will conduct underwater surveys to learn more about coral reef communities, fish populations, oceanographic conditions, and ocean chemistry to monitor potential changes in coral reef health as part of the National Coral Reef Monitoring Program. After collection and a thorough review process, this data will be shared with local management agencies and made publicly available.

The NOAA Ship Oscar Elton Sette departed Honolulu on March 24, 2025, to conduct surveys around Wake Island, before heading to Guam and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. Throughout the spring and summer from April through July, community members may see the large white ship sailing around the islands and wonder what’s happening.

Please feel free to share the informational flyer with partners and community members.

For more information on this project, please contact PIFSC’s Archipelagic Research Program Lead, Jennifer Samson (Jennifer.Samson@noaa.gov).