Kristen M. Hart Zachery W. Fehr Michael S. Cherkiss Nicole M. Bonine Douglas N. Piatkowski 20250529 spreadsheet Davie, Florida U.S. Geological Survey - Wetlands Aquatic Research Center https://doi.org/10.5066/P13GVCAM The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Wetland and Aquatic Research Center worked alongside the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) and Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) to amalgamate over three decades of relocation trawling records. It is USACE's mission to provide safe, reliable, efficient, and environmentally sustainable waterborne transportation systems (channels, harbors, and waterways) for movement of commerce, national security needs, and recreation. Coastal waterways and harbors are often maintained by using hopper dredging to remove sediment from the channels. USACE also provides coastal storm resiliency through efforts including nourishing beaches. A portion of those beaches are nourished using sand acquired from borrow sites under BOEM's jurisdiction. Since the 1980's, relocation trawling has been used as a minimization measure to reduce the likelihood of lethal take of sea turtles from hopper dredging. Protected Species Observers (PSOs) onboard both hopper dredges and relocation trawlers monitor and handle the capture of protected species, including sea turtles and fish, under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). The protected species captured during relocation trawling efforts include Kemp's ridley sea turtles (Lepidochelys kempii), loggerhead sea turtles (Caretta caretta), green sea turtles (Chelonia mydas), leatherback sea turtles (Dermochelys coriacea), hawksbill sea turtles (Eretmochelys imbricata), Atlantic sturgeon (Acipenser oxyrinchus), Gulf sturgeon (Acipenser oxyrinchus desotoi), shortnose sturgeon (Acipenser brevirostrum), and smalltooth sawfish (Pristis pectinata). These species are identified in the data by their respective species initial abbreviations: lk, cc, cm, dc, ei, ao, aod, ab, and pp. These PSOs are approved by the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) and funded under USACE contracts for dredging or required for specific USACE permitted dredging projects. PSO reports are then required to be submitted to USACE to document details about the trawling and captures. USGS oversaw the digitization of available paper PSO reports and incorporated them with other available digital records provided by USACE. The thirty years of records covering multiple Divisions within USACE resulted in missing records that were thankfully provided by PSO companies including Coastwise Consulting, Inc. and East Coast Observers, Inc. The Archie Carr Center for Sea Turtle Research at the University of Florida hosts the sea turtle tagging database and also provided records of USACE projects completed by PSO companies including Coastwise Consulting, East Coast Observers, and Research, Environmental, and Management Support (REMSA). This multi-year effort required an extensive data carpentry effort by the USGS that standardized and homogenized data contents, amended human error during the data digitization process, and bound many individual datasets together into a single, organized dataset. These data will be used by agencies to make policy decisions based on an evaluation of the relocation trawling efforts. Other stakeholders and researchers will also have access to these data when asking future research questions and generating queries. These data were compiled to assess relocation trawling efforts and allow for more efficient investigative research to be completed at local and regional extents. This effort also allows for full consideration of currently available data as a single source, rather than dozens of disjointed datasets. These data were generated through significant data carpentry efforts that evaluated and compiled data from over thirty years during which data quality, documentation, and methodology varied greatly. As such, there may be issues that were not addressed during the data carpentry process, and users of these data should be critical about its contents. Further questions on specific efforts and data should be forwarded to the documented contact. Author ORCIDs: Hart, K.M.(0000-0002-5257-7974);Fehr, Z.W.(0000-0001-7885-2885);Cherkiss, M.S.(0000-0002-7802-6791) 19910312 20240331 ground condition Planned As needed Coastal Southeast United States, including Chesapeake Bay and nearby area. -97.1980 -75.3655 37.2858 26.0032 ISO 19115 Topic Category biota None relocation trawling ecological impact mitigation Marine Realms Information Bank (MRIB) keywords sea turtles USGS Metadata Identifier USGS:680fb043d4be022940539f63 Common geographic areas Mid Atlantic South Atlantic South Atlantic-Gulf Gulf Texas-Gulf None Caretta caretta Chelonia mydas Dermochelys coriacea Pristis pristis Eretmochelys imbricata Lepidochelys kempi Acipenser oxyrhynchus desotoi Acipenser oxyrynchus Acipenser brevirostrum Kingdom Animalia Subkingdom Bilateria Infrakingdom Deuterostomia Phylum Chordata Subphylum Vertebrata Infraphylum Gnathostomata Superclass Tetrapoda Class Reptilia Order Testudines Suborder Cryptodira Superfamily Chelonioidea Family Cheloniidae Subfamily Carettinae Genus Caretta Species Caretta caretta TSN: 173830 Genus Eretmochelys Species Eretmochelys imbricata TSN: 173836 Genus Lepidochelys Species Lepidochelys kempii Subfamily Cheloniinae Genus Chelonia Species Chelonia mydas TSN: 173833 Family Dermochelyidae Genus Dermochelys Species Dermochelys coriacea TSN: 173843 Superclass Chondrichthyes Class Chondrichthyes Subclass Elasmobranchii Superorder Euselachii Order Pristiformes Family Pristidae Genus Pristis Species Pristis pristis TSN: 160810 Superclass Actinopterygii Class Chondrostei Order Acipenseriformes Suborder Acipenseroidei Family Acipenseridae Subfamily Acipenserinae Genus Acipenser Species Acipenser oxyrinchus Subspecies Acipenser oxyrinchus desotoi Species Acipenser brevirostrum TSN: 161069 No access constraints. Please see 'Distribution Information' for details. These data are marked with a Creative Common CC0 1.0 Universal License. These data are in the public domain and do not have any use constraints. Users are advised to read the dataset's metadata thoroughly to understand appropriate use and data limitations. Public domain data from the U.S. Government are freely distributable with proper metadata and source attribution. The U.S. Geological Survey requests to be acknowledged as originator of these data in future products or derivative research. Kristen M Hart USGS - SOUTHEAST REGION Research Ecologist mailing and physical

Caribbean - Florida WSC Lauderdale Davie, NSU Center For Collaborative Research

Davie FL 33314 954-377-5922 kristen_hart@usgs.gov In addition to those cited, staff at USGS, USACE, and BOEM including Victoria Brady, Joseph Alday, Gordon Anderson, Megan Arias, Andrew Crowder, Rassa Dale, Denise Gregoire-Lucente, Kayla Kleinbaurer, Michael Palandri, Kyler Plouffe, Domenick Symanski, Haley Turner, David Roche, and Samantha Wayandt provided needed support with data entry and validation. Chris Slay and Gibb Fry of Coastwise Consulting, Inc., provided data and expertise throughout the process. Cathi Campbell of Archie Carr Center for Sea Turtle Research (ACCSTR) provided missing data and additional insight into historical efforts. Trish Bargo of East Coast Observers provided additional paper records for digitization. These data were compiled into a single comma separated values file (.CSV) from many individual CSV files in R 4.4.0. Verification and validation of data were confirmed in ArcGIS Pro 3.4.0. Coordinate information was plotted and checked for errors. Corrections were made when possible and reasonable, otherwise these data were evaluated in their native digitized form. Some data could be verified and checked against scanned physical records. Duplicated data were identified and removed from the dataset. Geospatial data were plotted and checked for errors. Dataset is considered complete for the information presented, as described in the abstract. Users are advised to carefully read the rest of the metadata record for additional details. These data were generated from physical records that may be incomplete, users are advised to investigate data within each project_name group for completeness and to check comments for any documented caveats. Further inquiry on any data should be directed towards the contact information in the data release. Due to the varied nature of the input datasets, a singular workflow for each dataset was not possible. For that reason, an extensive data carpentry effort took place that evaluated each input dataset and applied the relevant conversions, standardizations, and corrections to homogenize the data and allow for them to be stitched together into a single dataset. The following steps will outline the efforts taken to achieve that outcome. 2025 Each input dataset was evaluated and converted to a single CSV. Numerous reports were received in the form of excel sheets with multiple tabs. Only the tab containing the relocation captures were relevant for this effort. Each input dataset's date field was then manually reviewed and set to a specific format, due to the challenges in dealing with this data type in R. This step simplifies the data binding process. 2025 The individual datasets were then ingested into an R session, and a few ancillary fields were generated and populated when possible. The project_name, total_tows, and source fields were populated for all entries in a given input dataset. A slightly different strategy was applied to older efforts that were part of an earlier data carpentry effort that evaluated the date and channel fields to populate project_name. 2025 Each object in R was then manipulated using the select() function from the dplyr package to standardize the order of the desired fields and their nomenclature. Missing fields were populated with NA values. 2025 The reorganized data objects were then bound together into a single object using the rbind() function. At this point, the data are stitched together but their contents need to be standardized. 2025 Various standardization workflows were applied to the bound dataset. The date field was queried to produce the year, month, and day of year (doy) fields. A nested ifelse() test was applied to the species field to convert all unique species values to lowercase scientific names (lk, cc, cm, dc, ei, ao, aod, and pp) that were then queried by a custom built function that evaluates that information and populates the fields with a 0 or 1. Water temperature values were then standardized to Fahrenheit via another custom built function that converts values with 'C' present to degrees Fahrenheit. 2025 Coordinate data were then evaluated. Symbols were removed from the data contents (degree, minute, and second symbols), and a custom-built function was used to convert data in decimal minute format (DD MM.MMMM) to decimal degree format while not converting data already in decimal degree format. The data object was then written out as a CSV and the coordinate information was plotted in ArcGIS and spatially reviewed for errant information. Outliers were identified, and original records were reviewed to check for errors in the digitization process. Specific edits were then made to the data object and documented in the R script. 2025 A series of data format modifications were made for compatibility with ArcGIS and Power BI. Newly generated fields such as the individual species and decimal degree fields were relocated to more relevant positions in the data object. A simple nested ifelse() statement was used to standardize trawler names for proper grouping in other software. Sturgeon events in the Gulf were given their proper 'aod' distinction. 2025 The data object was then arranged by project_name and tow_no, and a preliminary dataset was written out and reviewed for duplicates and other issues. Detected duplicate events were then removed from the code by querying the relevant sources. Ancillary data (biological opinion, contract permit numbers, and PSO companies) were joined with the data object via an ancillary dataset using the project_name as a key. Following QAQC, the processed data were then written out as a CSV in the desired order and format. 2025 0.0197824174 0.0231196317 Decimal degrees WGS_1984 WGS 84 6378137.0 298.257223563 RelocationTrawlingRecords_1991_2024.csv Comma Separated Value (CSV) file containing data. Producer Defined Project Name Values describing the group that the entry belongs to. The value has a spatial and temporal component to aid in describing the entry. Refer to other columns for more detailed information. Producer Defined Categorical data to aid in grouping entries. Each value has a spatial and temporal component. For example, entries with bogue_2021 are affiliated with the efforts near Bogue Banks in 2021. Specific Dredge/ Trawl Area Defining characteristic of the dredging operations that the relocation trawling preceded. Producer Defined NA No Data Producer defined borrow_site Sand resource for beach nourishment or some other coastal engineering effort. Producer defined entrance_channel Relocation effort occurred at or near a channel near a harbor or bay entrance. Producer defined channel Relocation effort occurred at or near a channel. Producer defined island_harbor Relocation effort occurred at or near an island that affects harbor operations. Producer defined outer_entrance_channel Relocation effort occurred at or near the outer section of a channel for a harbor or bay entrance. Producer defined bar_channel Relocation effort occurred at or near maintenance dredging for bars near a channel leading to a harbor or bay entrance. Producer defined Biological Opinion USACE biological opinion associated with a given capture. Producer Defined NA No Data Producer defined The USACE biological opinion associated with a given capture. Contract/ Permit # USACE contracts are issued per project or set of projects. A permit is issued by USACE for a Regulatory project and covers the initial action plus any future actions at the project location. USACE NA No Data Producer defined USACE contract or permit number associated with the capture event. PSO Company Protected Species Observers Company. The company associated and present during the capture event that documented the event. Producer Defined NA No Data Producer defined coastwise Coastwise Consulting, Inc. Producer defined remsa Research, Environmental, & Management Support Producer defined east_coast East Coast Observers, Inc. Producer defined USACE United States Army Corps of Engineers Producer defined NMFS/SEFC National Marine Fisheries Service - Southeast Fisheries Center Producer defined WHOTAGGED_AC Cooperative marine turtle tagging process (CMTTP) coded values ingested from data provided by the Archie Carr Center for Sea Turtle Research (ACCSTR). Producer Defined NA No Data Producer Defined COCO Coastwise Consulting, Inc. ACCSTR CMTTP ACEN U.S. Army Corps of Engineers ACCSTR CMTTP ECOI East Coast Observers, Inc. ACCSTR CMTTP REMS Research, Environmental & Management Support, VA ACCSTR CMTTP Trawl Name The name of the vessel associated with each capture. Producer Defined NA No Data Producer defined The vessel name associated with each capture. Date (Start of Tow) The date associated with the starting tow time. Producer Defined Date of start of tow. Tow # The tow number associated with a given project_name that the capture is associated with Producer Defined NA No Data Producer defined 1 8889 Tow Start Time 24-hour timestamp for the start time of the tow that is associated with the given capture Producer Defined NA No Data Producer defined 0 2359 Tow End Time 24-hour timestamp for the end time of the tow that is associated with the given capture Producer Defined NA No Data Producer defined 0 2359 Start Tow Latitude Latitude position for start tow coordinate pair. Producer Defined NA No Data Producer defined 26.0492166666667 35.3622 decimal degrees Start Tow Longitude Longitude position for start tow coordinate pair. Producer Defined NA No Data Producer defined -97.19515 -75.4410333333333 decimal degrees End Tow Latitude Latitude position for end tow coordinate pair. Producer Defined NA No Data Producer defined 26.0394 37.285767 decimal degrees End Tow Longitude Longitude position for start tow coordinate pair. Producer Defined NA No Data Producer defined -97.198 -75.4410333333333 decimal degrees total_tows total tow number associated with the project that produced the given capture. Producer Defined NA No Data Producer defined 21 12507 Species Captured Two letter coded value that represent the scientific name associated with the individual in a given capture record. Producer Defined cc Caretta caretta, loggerhead sea turtle. Producer defined lk Lepidochelys kempii, Kemp's ridley sea turtle. Producer defined ao Acipenser oxyrinchus, Atlantic sturgeon. Producer defined cm Chelonia mydas, green sea turtle. Producer defined dc Dermochelys coriacea, leatherback sea turtle. Producer defined aod Acipenser oxyrinchus desotoi, Gulf sturgeon. Producer defined ab Acipenser brevirostrum, shortnose sturgeon. Producer defined ei Eretmochelys imbricata, hawksbill sea turtle. Producer defined pp Pristis pectinata, smalltooth sawtooth. Producer defined Sex Gender associated with a given capture event, when documented. Producer Defined NA No Data Producer defined male male. Producer defined female female. Producer defined cc Boolean value for loggerhead sea turtle captures that was generated in R for data analysis. Producer Defined 0 1 lk Boolean value for Kemp's ridley sea turtle captures that was generated in R for data analysis. Producer Defined 0 1 dc Boolean value for leatherback sea turtle captures that was generated in R for data analysis. Producer Defined 0 1 cm Boolean value for green sea turtle captures that was generated in R for data analysis. Producer Defined 0 1 ei Boolean value for hawksbill sea turtle captures that was generated in R for data analysis. Producer Defined 0 1 ao Boolean value for Atlantic sturgeon captures that was generated in R for data analysis. Producer Defined 0 1 aod Boolean value for Gulf sturgeon captures that was generated in R for data analysis. Producer Defined 0 1 pp Boolean value for sawfish captures that was generated in R for data analysis. Producer Defined 0 1 unkn Boolean value for unknown captures that was generated in R for data analysis. Producer Defined 0 1 Species Release Time Placeholder column for release time data to be collected during future relocation efforts. Producer Defined NA No Data Producer defined nan nan Species Release Latitude Latitude position for release coordinate pair. Producer Defined NA No Data Producer defined 26.0032166666667 37.25543 decimal degrees Species Release Longitude Longitude position for release coordinate pair. Producer Defined NA No Data Producer defined -97.1454333 -75.3655166666667 Capture/Release Status Placeholder column for capture and release status data to be collected during future relocation efforts. Will document if individual was released alive or if remains were recovered. Producer Defined NA No Data Producer defined nan nan Turtle Curved Length (cm) Curved carapace length, in centimeters. Producer Defined NA No Data Producer defined 19.6 173.5 centimeters Turtle Straight Length Placeholder column for straight length measurement data, in centimeters, to potentially be collected during future relocation efforts. Producer Defined NA No Data Producer defined nan nan Sturgeon Fork Length (cm) Placeholder column for fork length measurement data, in centimeters, to be collected during future relocation efforts. Producer Defined NA No Data Producer defined nan nan Total Length (cm) Total length, in centimeters, as measured for sturgeon and sawfish individuals. Producer Defined NA No Data Producer defined 46.5 305.0 Previously Tagged Placeholder column for recapture status data to be collected during future relocation efforts. Producer Defined NA No Data Producer defined nan nan Species Pit Tag # Passive integrated transponder (PIT) number if detected by scanner or applied by observer. Producer Defined NA No Data Producer defined A unique numeric or alphanumeric ID to identify individuals via a subdermal microchip. Turtle LFF Tag Left front flipper tag if present or applied by observer. Producer Defined NA No Data Producer defined Tag is an alphanumeric ID managed by the ACCSTR. Turtle RFF Tag Right front flipper tag if present or applied by observer. Producer Defined NA No Data Producer defined Tag is an alphanumeric ID managed by the ACCSTR. TAG_DISP_AC CMTTP coded value for tag disposition, ingested from the ACCSTR dataset. Either 3 (left intact) or 4 (applied). Producer Defined NA No Data Producer defined 4 Tag applied. ACCSTR CMTTP 3 Tag left intact. ACCSTR CMTTP TURT_COND_AC CMTTP coded value for turtle condition, as ingested from the ACCSTR dataset. Either 0 (alive) or 1 (fresh dead). Producer Defined NA No Data Producer defined 0 Turtle alive. ACCSTR CMTTP 1 Turtle freshly deceased. ACCSTR CMTTP TURT_DISP_AC CMTTP coded value for turtle disposition, as ingested from the ACCSTR dataset. Either 1 (painted, left on beach), 6 (alive, released), or 7 (alive, taken to holding facility). Producer Defined NA No Data Producer defined 6 Turtle recovered alive, released. ACCSTR CMTTP 7 Turtle recovered alive, taken to holding facility. ACCSTR CMTTP 1 Painted, left on beach. ACCSTR CMTTP Genetic Sample Taken Placeholder column for tracking if a genetic sample was taken, and of what type, to be collected during future relocation efforts. Producer Defined NA No Data Producer defined Type of genetic sample taken during capture event. Genetic Sample ID Placeholder column for tracking identification values for genetic samples to be collected during future relocation efforts. Producer Defined NA No Data Producer defined nan nan Beaufort Scale Placeholder column for the Beaufort Scale, an early scale used to estimate wind speeds and their effects based on visual observations. To be collected in future relocation efforts. NOAA/NWS NA No Data Producer defined nan nan Wind Speed Wind speed, in knots, if present. Producer Defined NA No Data Producer defined Wind speed, in knots. Wind Direction Wind direction as cardinal direction. Producer Defined NA No Data Producer defined E East Producer defined NE Northeast Producer defined N North Producer defined S/SW South-Southwest Producer defined SE Southeast Producer defined S South Producer defined SW Southwest Producer defined NW Northwest Producer defined W West Producer defined E/SE East-Southeast Producer defined S/SE South-Southeast Producer defined W/NW West-Northwest Producer defined W/SW West-Southwest Producer defined N/NE North-Northeast Producer defined E/NE East-Northeast Producer defined N/NW North-Northwest Producer defined Wave Height Estimated wave height, in feet. Producer Defined NA No Data Producer defined Estimated wave height during relocation operations, in feet. Tide Stage Tide stage, either ebb, flood, or slack. Producer Defined NA No Data Producer defined ebb Outgoing tide. Producer defined slack ebb Outgoing to neutral tide. Producer defined flood Incoming tide. Producer defined slack Neutral tide. Producer defined Water Temp Water temperature, in degrees Fahrenheit. Producer Defined NA No Data Producer defined 50 93 Fahrenheit Air Temp Placeholder column for air temperature to be collected during future relocation efforts. Producer Defined NA No Data Producer defined nan nan Environmental Anomalies Placeholder column for observer's notes on conditions not documented elsewhere, to be collected during future relocation efforts. Producer Defined NA No Data Producer defined nan nan Comments Observer or data entry notes. Producer Defined NA No Data Producer defined Observer or data entry notes. Included in this data release is the USACE "New Trawling Form," excel file which will be provided to PSO companies for future data collection. The spreadsheet provides guidance on nomenclature and data fields to aid consistency of data collection. NA U.S. Geological Survey - ScienceBase mailing address

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Denver CO 80225 1-888-275-8747 sciencebase@usgs.gov Unless otherwise stated, all data, metadata and related materials are considered to satisfy the quality standards relative to the purpose for which the data were collected. Although these data and associated metadata have been reviewed for accuracy and completeness and approved for release by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), no warranty expressed or implied is made regarding the display or utility of the data for other purposes, nor on all computer systems, nor shall the act of distribution constitute any such warranty. Digital Data https://doi.org/10.5066/P13GVCAM https://www.sciencebase.gov/catalog/item/680fb043d4be022940539f63 None 20250529 Kristen M Hart USGS - SOUTHEAST REGION Research Ecologist mailing and physical

Caribbean - Florida WSC Lauderdale Davie, NSU Center For Collaborative Research

Davie FL 33314 954-377-5922 kristen_hart@usgs.gov FGDC Biological Data Profile of the Content Standard for Digital Geospatial Metadata FGDC-STD-001.1-1999