SONGS Mitigation Monitoring: Experimental Reef Survey – Fish Size and Abundance

These data describe annual estimates of the size and abundance of reef fish at an artificial reef (Wheeler North Reef in Orange County, CA) and two natural reference reefs (San Mateo Kelp in Orange County, CA and Barn Kelp in San Diego County, CA). Data were collected from 2000 to 2004 as part of the experimental phase of the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station (SONGS) kelp reef mitigation program. In the summer of each year, divers identified, sized, and counted species of fish along fixed transects and in quadrats uniformly distributed at each reef.