NCCOS scientists conducted an independent assessment within the US Virgin Islands from January 30 to February 13, 2017 to evaluate the thematic accuracy of a draft benthic habitat map of the South Eastern Puerto Rican Shelf. Sites in the area ranged between 30?100 m in depth along the shelf, which stretches off the East Coast of Vieques, PR along the south edge of St. Thomas to the Eastern Edge of St. John (Figure 1). This new benthic habitat map will provide baseline information to help guide the monitoring and management of important coral reef habitats, fisheries species spawning aggregation sites and MPAs in the USVI and broader jurisdiction.