Under contract to NOAA, RPI worked with the NOAA Abandoned Vessel Program to assess potential threats to corals, sea grass, and mangroves caused by derelict vessels in the Caribbean (Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico) and the Pacific (Guam and CNMI). In 2002 and 2003, RPI conducted field surveys of 103 abandoned vessels in the Virgin Islands and 73 vessels in the Pacific, co-authored two reports and a peer-reviewed journal article on the survey findings, and generated underwater video and still photography deliverables. The field surveys consisted of RPI biologists conducting full site assessments by locating each vessel, and surveying entire site, vessel footprint, and adjacent habitats using a customized field data collection protocol.