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reviewed during the course of the survey to ensure that there are no gaps in the data due <br /> to diver error and that the quality of the video is acceptable for video analysis . Any <br /> missing video transect data or poor quality video shall be refilmed during the course of <br /> the monitoring event. <br /> Landscape panoramic views shall be recorded with the digital video camera at the start <br /> and end of each transect. Close-up digital still video/photographs shall be obtained of <br /> representative benthos along the transect to aid in identification during video analysis. <br /> Still photographs shall be obtained using the digital video camera or digital still camera at <br /> all quadrat locations, areas of scleractinian coral recruitment along the transect or <br /> adjacent to transect (within underwater visibility during transect establishment), and <br /> changes in dominant benthos along the transect. Voucher sampling of macroalgae shall <br /> be conducted to assist with video identification of macroalgae genera. <br /> Video Transect Analysis <br /> During each monitoring event, the six, 20-meter transects shall be quantitatively analyzed <br /> using PointCount' 99 based upon the random point count method for estimation of percent <br /> cover from digitally frame-grabbed underwater video images. Each 20-meter segment <br /> shall result in approximately 100 non-overlapping frame-grabbed images . A unique set <br /> of 20 random points shall be generated at the time of frame-grabbing and stored with <br /> each set of images so that the same points are assessed during each monitoring event. <br /> This also ensures that each observer examining a particular image will view the same <br /> points, allowing for the assessment of inter-observer variability and quality assurance and <br /> control of the image analysis. <br /> An estimate of percent cover (projected to the surface) will be performed for each image <br /> according to the following functional groups/categories : scleractinian corals (to the genus <br /> level), octocorals, macroalgae (to the genus level if possible, if not, then according to the <br /> following breakdown : calcareous red, calcareous green, fleshy brown, fleshy red, fleshy <br /> green), microalgae/cyanobacteria, sponges, tunicates, hydroids, sabellariid worm, <br /> zoanthids, urchins, holothuroids, and substrate. Substrate shall be broken down into the <br /> following categories: unconsolidated substrate (rubble/shell hash, rhodoliths), sediment <br /> over hardbottom, sediment over benthos (where the underlying fauna cannot be identified <br /> due to the sediment cover), and sand. <br /> Quadrat sampling <br /> During each survey, a 0.25 square meter gridded quadrat will be sampled by the <br /> diver/biologist at a three point-intercept locations along each of the transects. The first <br /> quadrat will be located at the 0 mark of the transect, along the vertical/sub-vertical face of <br /> the landward edge of the mitigation reef. A second quadrat will be located at the top of <br /> the reef at the horizontal face, and the third quadrat shall be placed at the 20-meter mark <br /> along the transect. Additional quadrat sampling shall occur along each transect to capture <br /> changes in benthic landscape (species dominance/abundance and areas of stony coral <br /> and/or octocoral recruitment along or immediate adjacent to the transect). <br /> 3 <br />