Fish assemblages of Red Sea backreef biotopes

Abstract

1. Fish assemblages of shallow-lagoonal biotopes (seagrass beds, coral patches, reef flat and sand) were examined within the Nabq Managed Resource Protected Area (MRPA), South Sinai, Egypt. This protected area supports a small-scale artisanal Bedouin fishery, managed by gear restrictions and a network of no-take zones (NTZs). 2. Coral patches showed highest species richness and diversity of fish, followed in order by the reef flat, shallow seagrass beds and sandy bottoms. 3. There were clear differences in fish assemblages between the biotopes surveyed, little differences between sampling areas and no significant differences in fish assemblages between no-take and take zones, suggesting species characteristic of these shallow-water biotopes are dispersed along the coast irrespective of fishing pressure. 4. Nine species (Acanthurus nigrofuscus, Asterropteryx semipunctatus, Cryptocentrus caeruleopunctatus, Cheilio inermis, Thalassoma rueppellii, Lethrinus mahsena, Lethrinus nebulosus, Parupeneus forsskali and Pomacentrus trilineatus) had a 95% correlation to the pattern of assemblage distribution, indicating these species are the most important determinants of the fish community. 5. Approximately one-third of fishes recorded appeared to be juveniles, with seagrass beds having a particularly high proportion of juvenile fish, including several commercial species. 6. The structure of the fish assemblage and fish size suggests that shallow-water biotopes in Nabq MRPA may be acting as nursery areas of commercial fish for the Bedouin fishery. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.