Marine Resources Assessment for the Marianas Operating ... - SPREP

AUGUST 2005 FINAL REPORT
Cryptofauna—cavity-dwelling organisms
Currently harvested coral reef taxa (CHCRT)⎯a sub-category of MUS including species that have
been reported on commercial fishery catch reports for federal EEZ waters but are not MUS under any the
Council’s already-implemented FMPs; membership in this group is based on two criteria: (1) more than
1,000 lbs (454.54 kg) annual harvest for all members of a taxon (families or subfamilies) based on
commercial fishery catch reports and (2) within these taxa particular genera or species are identified
based on their appearance on catch reports
Cyanobacteria—large and varied group of bacteria that possesses chlorophyll a and carries out
photosynthesis in the presence of light and air, with concomitant production of oxygen; formerly regarded
as blue-green algae; may produce harmful algal blooms in low-salinity systems with excessive nutrients
Cyclonic—counterclockwise circulation in the Northern Hemisphere or clockwise in the Southern
Hemisphere; in oceanography, synonymous with cold-core ring
Datum—set of parameters and control points used to define the three-dimensional shape of the earth
and which defines part of a geographic coordinate system that is the basis or backbone for a planar
coordinate system
Decapod—order of freshwater, marine, and terrestrial crustaceans having five pairs of legs on the thorax
and a carapace completely covering the throat (e.g., shrimps, crabs, lobsters)
Decibel (dB)—a logarithmic measure of sound strength; it is a ratio of intensity (pressure) at reference
range compared with a reference level; in air, the reference pressure is 20 µPa and the reference range is
1 m, while for underwater sound, the reference is 1 µPa and the reference range is also at 1 m
Deepwater—the area of the ocean that is past the continental shelf break, deeper than 100 to 200 m of
water
Delayed implantation—in mammals it is the suspended development of an embryo between shortly after
conception and subsequent attachment (implantation) to the uterine wall
Delimitation—fixing a boundary
Demersal—applied to fish that live close to the seafloor, such as cod and hake
Demosponges—largest and most complex group of siliceous and horny sponges; includes forms with
needle-shaped or four-branched siliceous spicules, which may or may not be sported by spongin
Density—physical property measured by mass per unit volume; in biology, the number of organisms per
unit of distance
Dermochelyidae—the family of sea turtles that includes only one species, the leatherback turtle
Developmental habitat—an environment crucial to the growth of late-stage juvenile animals; for some
sea turtles, this environment can be a shallow, sheltered habitat where forage items such as seagrasses,
sponges, mollusks, and crustaceans are abundant
Diandric—possessing two different types of males, a large, brightly-colored and aggressive terminal
phase and a smaller drab and relatively non-aggressive initial phase (e.g., wrasses)
Diatom—phytoplankton member of the class Bacillariophycea; posses a wall of overlapping silica valves
Diel—refers to 24-hour activity cycle based on daily periods of light and dark
8-7