Principal Investigator(s): (Include full contact information here or in CVs, including email address)

including the sub items of habitat mapping and substrate classification, including documentation of the presence of corals and other sensitive substrates (sponges), studies of factors affecting habitat, and impacts of fisheries. In this case, the impact is the disturbance of corals and sponges caused by bottom contact gear. Finally, the predictive model to be constructed will address the sub item of fishery management tools to facilitate fish habitat protection. Identify up to three priorities from list in RFP (a-g): c Summary of Proposed Work (250 words or less): This project will provide the first detailed mapping of coral and sponge habitats for the Aleutian Islands, where species diversity appears to be unusually high and where incidental mortality of corals and sponges is a challenging problem in the area’s fisheries that use bottom contact gear. A statistical model will be made to predict coral and sponge distribution as a function of measurable environmental characteristics, and if successful, this predictive model can be used to inform management decisions for protecting corals and sponges in areas lacking detailed mapping and dive-supported observations. Further, this work will provide estimates of the relative abundance of corals and sponges, their importance to commercially valuable fish and invertebrates, and the degree to which thes