Abundance Of Reef Fishes Research Articles

DIFFERENCES OF CORAL REEF AND CORAL COMMUNITY FISH ABUNDANCE CONDITION BASED ON ZONING OF BENGKOANG ISLAND, KARIMUNJAWA

<p>Bengkoang Island is an unpopulated island in the northern region of the archipelago. The island is divided into 2 zones, Marine Protection Zone and Marine Tourism Utilization Zone, based on the zoning and management plan of the Karimunjawa National Park, Central Java. This research is aimed to observe the condition of the coral reef and coral community fish abundance in Bengkoang Island based on the zoning. There were 2 stations to represent each of the zones at depths of 5 and 10 meters. Line Intercept Transect (LIT) method was used along 100 meters to data the reef substrate and Visual Census method with Belt Transect was used to data the coral community fish. The result showed that the coral cover was the highest in Station 1 at 5 m which was located in the Marine Protection Zone with 80,31%, while the lowest was found in Station 2 at 10 m which was located in the Marine Tourism Utilization Zone with 18,81%. Meanwhile, the coral community fish abudance was the highest in Station 1 at 10 m with 15.600 individual/ha and lowest in Station 2 at 10 m with 4.280 individual/ha. Based on the result, it can be said that the condition of the coral reef ecosystem in Bengkoang Island varies with a high margin between the data stations. The result indicated that the coral reef ecosystem in the Marine Protection Zone was in a better condition than in the Marine Toursim Utilization Zone.</p><p align="center"><strong>DIFFERENCES OF CORAL REEF AND CORAL COMMUNITY FISH ABUNDANCE CONDITION BASED ON ZONING OF BENGKOANG ISLAND, KARIMUNJAWA</strong></p><p align="center"><strong>ABSTRACT</strong></p><p><em>Bengkoang Island is an unpopulated island in the northern region of the archipelago. The island </em><em>is </em><em>divided into 2 zones, Marine Protection Zone and Marine Tourism Utilization Zone, based on the zoning and management plan of the Karimunjawa National Park</em><em>, Central Java</em><em>. This research is aimed to observe the condition of the coral reef and coral community fish abundance in Bengkoang Island based on the zoning. There were 2 stations to represent each of the zones at depths of 5 and 10 meters. Line Intercept Transect (LIT) method was used along 100 meters to data the reef substrate and Visual Census method with Belt Transect was used to data the coral community fish. The result showed that the coral cover was the highest in Station 1 </em><em>at </em><em>5 m which was located in the Marine Protection Zone with 80,31%, while the lowest was found in Station 2 </em><em>at </em><em>10 m which was located in the Marine Tourism Utilization Zone with 18,81%. Meanwhile</em><em>,</em><em> the coral community fish abudance was the highest in Station 1</em><em> at</em><em> 10 m with 15.600 individual/ha and lowest in Station 2 </em><em>at </em><em>10 m with 4.280 individual/ha. Based on the result, it can be said that the condition of the coral reef ecosystem in Bengkoang Island varies with a high margin between the data stations. The result indicated that the coral reef ecosystem in the Marine Protection Zone was in a better condition than in the Marine Toursim Utilization Zone. </em></p><p><strong>Key Word</strong><strong>s</strong><strong>:</strong> <em>Karimunjawa, Bengkoang Island, Zoning, Coral Reef, Coral Fish</em></p>

Keanekaragaman dan Biomassa Ikan Karang serta Keterkaitannya dengan Tutupan Karang Hidup di Perairan Manggis, Kabupaten Karangasem, Bali

The existence of coral reef fish is closely related to the availability of coral reef resource as a habitat. Coral reef fish is a biota that has a fascination with a variety of color patterns and fascinating. Differences in coral cover conditions will affect the abundance of coral reef fish, especially those with strong linkages to living corals. This research was conducted in June - August 2017 by using line intercept transect (LIT) method for coral cover percentage and visual census method for biodiversity and biomass of coral reef fish with 3 research stations in Manggis waters, Karangasem. From the research results, it shows that the diversity index ranged between 2.54 - 2.70 which means the diversity of coral reef fish in the medium category and the stability of the community is in the medium. Furthermore, total biomass of coral reef fish ranged between 186,17 - 1692,08 kg / ha. The results stated that the percentage of live coral cover in Manggis waters ranged from 3.83% to 12.44% which means that live coral cover is categorized as bad. A very strong positive correlation between living coral conditions and coral reef fish biomass was 92.42%. Meanwhile, the relationship between living coral conditions and the diversity of coral reef fish had a strong positive correlation of 65.4%. The diversity of coral reef fish in waters is not only caused by live coral cover; however, it is caused by coral reef ecosystems that are associated in the bottom of the waters.

To what extents are species richness and abundance of reef fishes along a tropical coast related to latitude and other factors?

This study has employed an integrated statistical approach to determine the extents to which species richness and abundance (catch rate) of fishes over reefs along an extensive coastline were related to various factors. Fish were thus sampled by trapping over deep (~ 22 m) and shallow (~ 12 m) reefs along the ~ 1500 km tropical coast of north-western Australia (NWA). Fish were caught during day and night in both dry and wet seasons at two well-spaced locations in each of the Kimberley (13–16°S), Canning (16–19°S) and Pilbara (20–22°S) bioregions. Species richness and abundance were both typically less at the two locations at the lowest latitude than at the two at the highest latitudes. This trend, which contrasts with the paradigm regarding latitudinal trends for these biotic variables, is attributable to the far more extreme hydrological conditions in the Kimberley than Pilbara. Indeed, both biotic variables peaked in the Canning, presumably reflecting, inter alia, the better development of reef and suspension feeder habitats in that bioregion. The peak in abundance was attributable to particularly high numbers of the NWA endemic Lethrinus punctulatus. A greater species richness and abundance of fishes in deeper than shallow water during the wet season, and particularly in areas of greater cyclonic activity, reflect the movement of species such as Lethrinus laticaudis and Lutjanus carponotatus from shallow to calmer, deeper waters. These two biotic variables were greater during the day than night, with a greater number and abundance of diurnally-active species, e.g. lethrinids, feeding overall in the traps than is the case with nocturnal species, e.g. lutjanids. The results imply that the typical poleward latitudinal gradients in species richness and abundance are over-ridden along the NWA coast by environmental differences among bioregions.

Reef fish stocks assessment around the islands in the Banda Sea for supporting local community livelihood

Located in the Indonesian fisheries management area (WPP) 714, the Banda Sea has a high potential of fisheries resources. However, information about reef fish resources is limited. This study aims to assess the Banda Sea reef fish diversity, abundance, and stocks. The diversity, abundance, and density of three reef fish groups (indicator, target, and major) were assessed using underwater visual census (UVC) from 287 sites. A stock assessment was done by multiplying fish habitat areas and fish density. There were 287, 42, and 301 species of target, indicator, and major groups recorded respectively. High abundances were found in Banda Islands and the Southeast region, while the lowest abundance was in the Kendari waters. The average density of indicator and major groups were 0.251 and 4.519 individuals.m−2, with estimated stocks of 2,883 × 106 and 51,899 × 106 individuals (ind.) respectively. The density of target group fish which has economic values was 1.976 ind.m−2, equivalent to the biomass of 599.6 ton.km−2 with stocks of 4,214,468 tons. Despite huge reef fish resources supporting the local livelihood, the stock tended to decrease in 2009-2012 and 2015-2016 in Flores and Banda Islands. Therefore, conservation and sustainable use of reef fishes of the Banda Sea is required.

Assessing fish community structure at two different coral reef depths around Seribu Islands, Jakarta

ABSTRACT Coral reefs structure play important roles for reef fish assemblages. Coral coverage and reef fish abundance are associated with the positive relationship. However, the relationship between reef fish abundance and composition and depth variation around Pramuka Island is poorly known. This study was carried out to investigate the biodiversity and the trophic level of fish communities between two different depths (3 and 10 m) around Pramuka Island regions (Pramuka Island and Sekati Island). The hard coral at the depth of 10 m within both study sites in Pramuka island held significantly higher percent cover than the depth of 3 m except in Dock 2 A total of 2620 individual fishes were counted, belonging to 58 species and 13 families. The fish community in 3 and 10 depth was dominated by omnivorous fishes. The multivariate analysis of fish abundance using the Bray Curtis similarity index and non-metric multidimensional scaling (NMDS) clearly showed the clustering of two different depths. The NMDS results showed that at the depth of 10 m are more clustered than 3 m depth. The present study results showed that the biodiversity of reef fishes around Pramuka Island seemed to be linked to the hard coral condition and depth. Keywords: Coral, Depth, Reef fishes, Trophic level

Reef fish communities are spooked by scuba surveys and may take hours to recover.

Ecological monitoring programs typically aim to detect changes in the abundance of species of conservation concern or which reflect system status. Coral reef fish assemblages are functionally important for reef health and these are most commonly monitored using underwater visual surveys (UVS) by divers. In addition to estimating numbers, most programs also collect estimates of fish lengths to allow calculation of biomass, an important determinant of a fish’s functional impact. However, diver surveys may be biased because fishes may either avoid or are attracted to divers and the process of estimating fish length could result in fish counts that differ from those made without length estimations. Here we investigated whether (1) general diver disturbance and (2) the additional task of estimating fish lengths affected estimates of reef fish abundance and species richness during UVS, and for how long. Initial estimates of abundance and species richness were significantly higher than those made on the same section of reef after diver disturbance. However, there was no evidence that estimating fish lengths at the same time as abundance resulted in counts different from those made when estimating abundance alone. Similarly, there was little consistent bias among observers. Estimates of the time for fish taxa that avoided divers after initial contact to return to initial levels of abundance varied from three to 17 h, with one group of exploited fishes showing initial attraction to divers that declined over the study period. Our finding that many reef fishes may disperse for such long periods after initial contact with divers suggests that monitoring programs should take great care to minimise diver disturbance prior to surveys.

Identifying management challenges and implementation shortcomings of a new fishing refuge: Akumal reef, Mexico

No-take marine reserves (fish refuges -FR-in Mexico) eliminate fishing pressure for long periods in delimited areas, promoting fish reproduction and recruitment, recovery of fish community abundance and biomass, augment resistance and resilience in coral reef-associated marine ecosystems, and support local fishing-based economies. A FR was implemented on Akumal reef in 2015 limiting fishing for six years with the specific aim of increasing the biomass of commercial and sport-recreational interest fish species. However, no previous reference data were considered to establish an ecological baseline to quantify progress towards this aim, or to implement any other policy necessary to ensure compliance with this objective. To fill this gap, Akumal FR's current level of potential success was assessed (relating reef fish community characteristics and habitat components characteristics). FR's potential success was quantified as low due to the absence of 50% of listed commercial-sport fish species, critical biomass values for recorded species on the list, and generally low reef fish abundance and biomass values. In addition, current habitat condition is critical because of coral-algal phase shift, changes in coral community structure, and loss of reef structure and the associated reef's refuge function for fish species. Considering the performance of existing no-take marine reserves, Akumal low FR's potential success implies that a much longer no-take period (than the established six years), will be necessary to allow reef fish populations to recover biomass and attain functional levels within the ecosystem that could support on-going fishing impact. Based on this, a number of recommendations were established in order to strengthen the management provisions to allow the reef to attain a better condition, including an extension of the no-take period, enforcement of non-extractive uses, and simultaneous implementation of coastal management strategies.

OBIA AND BTM INTEGRATION FOR MAPPING HABITAT COMPLEXITY OF CORAL REEFS ON HARAPAN-KELAPA ISLANDS, KEPULAUAN SERIBU

The habitat complexity is indirectly closely related to reef fish abundance. This study aims to map reefs habitat complexity by integrating object-based image analysis (OBIA) and habitat complexity analysis using benthic terrain modeler (BTM). The datasets used were SPOT-7 imagery and water depth derived from satellite imagery. The ground check was conducted to collect field data used as reference for classification and accuracy assessment of classification results. Classification of SPOT-7 imagery was performed using support vector machines (SVM) algorithm, by grouping shallow waters habitats into 4 classes on level 2 and 3 classes on level 3. Accuracy assessment was done by confusion matrix and resulting overall accuracy (OA) 83.55% for level 2 and 79.66% for level 3. The habitat complexity was analyzed using rugosity analysis method (Arc-Chord Ratio) from benthic terrain modeler (BTM) to obtain rugosity index in reefs area. The substrate covers were obtained from OBIA and complexity of habitats were obtained from BTM, then the overlay result shows varying rugosity index on the reef area in Harapan-Kelapa Islands.
 Keywords: 
 coral reefs, OBIA, habitat complexity, rugosity

Invasive Lionfish (Pterois volitans/miles) feeding ecology in Biscayne National Park, Florida, USA

Indo-Pacific Lionfish (Pterois volitans and P. miles) are venomous marine fishes in the family Scorpaenidae that invaded the Caribbean Sea, Gulf of Mexico, and western North Atlantic Ocean beginning in the mid-1980s. Lionfish are generalist, opportunistic predators that consume a variety of invertebrates and small reef fishes, such that the presence of Lionfish can significantly reduce reef fish abundance, diversity, and recruitment on invaded reefs. This study focused on the feeding ecology of Lionfish in Biscayne National Park (BNP), located in southeast Florida, USA. BNP consists of multiple marine habitats, including mangroves, seagrass beds, coral reefs, and limestone keys that support a diverse array of species resulting in multi-million dollar fishing and tourism industries. These habitats within BNP are at risk from the predatory impacts of invasive Lionfish. Through morphological prey identification of stomach contents, supplemented with DNA barcoding for identification of highly-digested prey items, Lionfish diet was analyzed and compared among fish sizes (immature, transitional and mature), BNP region (bay, shelf, and edge), and seasons (wet and dry). A total of 513 stomachs, containing more than 2600 prey items, were examined. We report that Lionfish in BNP fed predominantly on small reef fishes and small crustaceans, with a dietary shift from crustaceans to fishes occurring with increasing Lionfish size. Diets differed among BNP regions for medium-sized (100–179 mm) transitional Lionfish but not for large-sized (≥ 180 mm) mature individuals. Furthermore, dietary differences between seasons were observed in mature Lionfish, but no seasonal differences were detected for smaller Lionfish (i.e., immature and transitional Lionfish). Based on the diet habits observed, Lionfish in BNP could have significant ecological and economic consequences for BNP and south Florida coastal habitats.

Effects of Anthropogenic Activity on Coral Reef Fish Assemblages of the Northern Persian Gulf

The present research was performed to investigate the effects of anthropogenic perturbation on spatial variations of coral reef fish distribution and abundance on a coral reef area in the northern Persian Gulf. For this purpose, wintertime and summertime coral reef fish assemblages along with some environmental parameters were assessed at three different sites along a presumed anthropogenic disturbance gradient. Results indicated that the alterations in substrate rugosity and orthophosphate concentration could be responsible for spatial variations in family composition and fish assemblage structure in winter. On the other hand, live coral cover, total zooplankton density, and TDS were identified as the most important variables regulating spatial variability of fish assemblages in summer.

The importance of sponges and mangroves in supporting fish communities on degraded coral reefs in Caribbean Panama.

Fish communities associated with coral reefs worldwide are threatened by habitat degradation and overexploitation. We assessed coral reefs, mangrove fringes, and seagrass meadows on the Caribbean coast of Panama to explore the influences of their proximity to one another, habitat cover, and environmental characteristics in sustaining biomass, species richness and trophic structure of fish communities in a degraded tropical ecosystem. We found 94% of all fish across all habitat types were of small body size (≤10 cm), with communities dominated by fishes that usually live in habitats of low complexity, such as Pomacentridae (damselfishes) and Gobiidae (gobies). Total fish biomass was very low, with the trend of small fishes from low trophic levels over-represented, and top predators under-represented, relative to coral reefs elsewhere in the Caribbean. For example, herbivorous fishes comprised 27% of total fish biomass in Panama relative to 10% in the wider Caribbean, and the small parrotfish Scarus iseri comprised 72% of the parrotfish biomass. We found evidence that non-coral biogenic habitats support reef-associated fish communities. In particular, the abundance of sponges on a given reef and proximity of mangroves were found to be important positive correlates of reef fish species richness, biomass, abundance and trophic structure. Our study indicates that a diverse fish community can persist on degraded coral reefs, and that the availability and arrangement within the seascape of other habitat-forming organisms, including sponges and mangroves, is critical to the maintenance of functional processes in such ecosystems.

Assessment of fish community structure along the Jakarta Bay–Pulau Seribu reef complex

Coastal ecosystems have been increasingly subjected to poor water quality. Remote sensing has been used to monitor water quality, but few studies have integrated remotely sensed data with compositional and/or abundance data of coral reef taxa. In the present study, fish biomass was assessed along the Jakarta Bay Thousand Island reef system and variation in the biomass of selected fish families related to substrate cover and remotely sensed data. Overall, fish biomass and the biomass of each of the families Acanthuridae, Apogonidae, Caesionidae, Chaetodontidae, Ephippidae, Pomacentridae, Labridae and the subfamily Scaridae were much higher mid- and offshore than inshore. Substrate cover and chlorophyll-a concentrations proved to be significant predictors of spatial variation in fish biomass, suggesting an important impact of reef degradation and eutrophication on reef fish abundance.

Dampak Pemutihan Karang Tahun 2016 Terhadap Ekosistem Terumbu Karang: Studi Kasus Di TWP Gili Matra (Gili Air, Gili Meno dan Gili Trawangan) Provinsi NTB Coral Bleaching Impact in 2016 Towards Coral Reef Ecosystem: Case Studies TWP Gili Matra (Gili Air,

Increased sea surface temperatures due to global warming that occurred from the early to mid 2016 caused of coral bleaching in several locations in TWP Gili Matra. Observations of coral bleaching obtained from coral colonies compotition affected by bleaching (50%), white (18%), death (1%) and was not affected (31%). These implications resulting decline in coral cover but not significant (F (1,013) = 0.333, p > 0.05) from 23,43% ± 2,61 SE in 2012 to 18,48% ± 4,14 SE in 2016 and a significant decrease (P (58,06) = 3,8e -06 ) recruitment of coral (coral Juvenil) from 6,66 ind.m -1 ± 1,04 SE in 2012 to 1,41 ind.m -1 ± 0,16 SE in 2016. the other impact is a significant reduction (P (20.84) = 0,00053, p <0,001) the abundance of reef fish from 28.733,26 ind.ha -1 ± 3.757,89 SE in 2012 to 11.431,18 ind.ha -1 ± 702,53 SE in 2016 and a decline in the biomass of reef fish but not significant (F (0,58) = 0,46, P> 0.05) from 506,56 kg.ha -1 ± 99,05 SE in 2012 to 438,41 kg.ha -1 ± 45,69 SE in 2016. The decline of coral recruitment resulted in the recovery of the affected areas bleaching becomes slow because of the juvenile new coral mostly dead. The second impact of bleaching is an abundance of fish decrease, indicating that is available only fish big size (adult) and very less of small fishes, including juvenile. Keywords: global warming, coral bleaching, coral cover, reef fishes

The "Tracked Roaming Transect" and distance sampling methods increase the efficiency of underwater visual censuses.

Underwater visual census (UVC) is the most common approach for estimating diversity, abundance and size of reef fishes in shallow and clear waters. Abundance estimation through UVC is particularly problematic in species occurring at low densities and/or highly aggregated because of their high variability at both spatial and temporal scales. The statistical power of experiments involving UVC techniques may be increased by augmenting the number of replicates or the area surveyed. In this work we present and test the efficiency of an UVC method based on diver towed GPS, the Tracked Roaming Transect (TRT), designed to maximize transect length (and thus the surveyed area) with respect to diving time invested in monitoring, as compared to Conventional Strip Transects (CST). Additionally, we analyze the effect of increasing transect width and length on the precision of density estimates by comparing TRT vs. CST methods using different fixed widths of 6 and 20 m (FW3 and FW10, respectively) and the Distance Sampling (DS) method, in which perpendicular distance of each fish or group of fishes to the transect line is estimated by divers up to 20 m from the transect line. The TRT was 74% more time and cost efficient than the CST (all transect widths considered together) and, for a given time, the use of TRT and/or increasing the transect width increased the precision of density estimates. In addition, since with the DS method distances of fishes to the transect line have to be estimated, and not measured directly as in terrestrial environments, errors in estimations of perpendicular distances can seriously affect DS density estimations. To assess the occurrence of distance estimation errors and their dependence on the observer’s experience, a field experiment using wooden fish models was performed. We tested the precision and accuracy of density estimators based on fixed widths and the DS method. The accuracy of the estimates was measured comparing the actual total abundance with those estimated by divers using FW3, FW10, and DS estimators. Density estimates differed by 13% (range 0.1–31%) from the actual values (average = 13.09%; median = 14.16%). Based on our results we encourage the use of the Tracked Roaming Transect with Distance Sampling (TRT+DS) method for improving density estimates of species occurring at low densities and/or highly aggregated, as well as for exploratory rapid-assessment surveys in which divers could gather spatial ecological and ecosystem information on large areas during UVC.

Associated Of Coral Reef With Reef Fish In Northern And Southern Gili Air Island And Gili Trawangan Island Lombok

Damage to coral reef ecosystems is a major problem on the islands of Gili Air and Gili Trawangan. This will have an impact on the presence of reef fish in the area. This study aims to look how much relation caused by associated between live coral cover and reef fish in Gili Air and Gili Trawangan island.. This research method using Line Intersept Transect (LIT), Underwater Visual Census and simple linear regression analysis to know the relation. The percentage of coral cover on Gili Air Island and Gili Trawangan Island on reef flats (1-5 m) is 11.75% and 11.67% respectively, on the reef slopes (6-10 m) the percentage is 50.4% and 48.9%. In addition we observed the existence of 11 families reef fish. The abundance of reef fish on Gili Air and Gili Trawangan islands on reefs flat with an average of 0,406 ind / m2 and 0,137 ind / m2, on the reef slope on average - respectively 0,434 ind / m2 and 0,274 ind / m2. The determinant value in Southern part of both island indicates a value close to +1 and in Northern part of both island indicates a value close to -1.

Spatiotemporal variation in the structure of reef fish and macroalgal assemblages in a north-east Atlantic kelp forest ecosystem: implications for the management of temperate rocky reefs

Temperate rocky reefs and kelp forest ecosystems have been severely affected by overfishing, pollution and habitat destruction, and climate change is a major driver of kelp decline in many regions. Although necessary for management, ecological interactions between kelp and fish remain largely unknown in the north-east Atlantic. In the present study, underwater visual censuses (UVC) and univariate and multivariate multiple regression models were used to analyse the spatiotemporal variations in the abundance and habitat use of the rocky reef fish and macroalgae assemblages of Galicia (north-west Spain). The underwater seascape was dominated by large rocks and kelp forests of Laminaria hyperborea, L. ochroleuca and Saccorhiza polyschides. Fish assemblages were ruled by gadids, labrids and sparids. The most frequent fish species were Labrus bergylta (counted in 90% of UVC) and Pollachius pollachius (in 100% of UVC), whereas the most abundant were Boops boops (mean±s.d., 556.4±39.7 individuals ha–1) and L. bergylta (432.10±440.05 individuals ha–1). Fish and macroalgal assemblages showed different spatial preferences and responded strongly to seasonality, wave exposure and depth. To a lesser degree, fish and macroalgal assemblages showed preferences for habitat structure. Moreover, because the findings of the present study indicate that L. bergylta is a good indicator species of the health of rocky reef and kelp forests ecosystems, monitoring of this fish can be helpful for management and conservation actions.

Effects of EMF emissions from undersea electric cables on coral reef fish.

The objective of this study was to determine if electromagnetic field (EMF) emissions from undersea power cables impacted local marine life, with an emphasis on coral reef fish. The work was done at the South Florida Ocean Measurement Facility of Naval Surface Warfare Center in Broward County, Florida, which has a range of active undersea detection and data transmission cables. EMF emissions from a selected cable were created during non-destructive visual fish surveys on SCUBA. During surveys, the transmission of either alternating current (AC), direct current (DC), or none (OFF) was randomly initiated by the facility at a specified time. Visual surveys were conducted using standardized transect and point-count methods to acquire reef fish abundances and species richness prior to and immediately after a change in transmission frequency. The divers were also tasked to note the reaction of the reef fish to the immediate change in EMF during a power transition. In general, analysis of the data did not find statistical differences among power states and any variables. However, this may be a Type II error as there are strong indications of a potential difference of a higher abundance of reef fish at the sites when the power was off, and further study is warranted. Bioelectromagnetics. 39:35-52, 2018. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

BIODIVERSITY OF REEF FISHES IN MARINE PROTECTED AREA OF KARIMUNJAWA NATIONAL PARK

Karimunjawa National Park (KNP) has a high diversity of coral reef and fish. This study is aimed to analyze the biodiversity of reef fish in KNP. Field survey was conducted in KNP, District of Jepara, Central Java, in April-Juni 2015. Primary data was obtained by using survey and observation method, includes the number of reef fish individuals per family, coral cover, turbidity, total nitrogen (N), and PO4. Secondary data were obtained from KNP authority. Belt transect method was used for counting the number of reef fish individuals, while coral cover was measured using line intercept transect (LIT) method. Abundance and biomass of reef fishes were analyzed descriptively, followed by cluster analysis. The results indicated that the average of coral cover in 2015 was 44.70%. The highest coral cover was in Taka Malang with 65.65% and the lowest was in Nirwana with 35.45%. The reef fish’s abundance in 2015 was dominated by Pomacentridae (60.46%) with an abundance of 14,850 no/ha, the second position was Caesionidae (11.77%) with an abundance of 2,892 no/ha, the third was Scaridae (6.27%) with an abundance of 1,540 no/ha. The highest biomass in 2015 was Scaridae (122.33 kg/ha), the second order was Caesionidae (104.91 kg/ha), and the third was Serranidae (50.80 kg/ha). Reef fish biodiversity in KNP is considering properly maintained, as demonstrated by high abundance and biomass of fish families. Keywords: biodiversity, reef fish, Karimunjawa, marine protected area

The effect of coral restoration on Caribbean reef fish communities

The Caribbean has seen a dramatic loss of coral over the last 30 years due to direct and indirect anthropogenic factors, causing a decrease in reef three-dimensional complexity and fish abundance and diversity. Restoration practices, such as outplanting coral colonies onto degraded reefs, are increasingly used to revive reef ecosystems to preserve fisheries, tourism, and ecosystem functions, which are currently valued at $375 billion globally. However, few studies have examined whether coral restoration and the consequent addition of structural complexity can restore reef ecosystems. Thus, this study aims to better understand early fish community dynamics following restoration using Acropora cervicornis, a major reef building coral and focus species for restoration that has experienced a greater than 80% drop in cover since 1980. To examine fish dynamics after restoration, surveys of fish, environmental conditions, benthic seafloor characteristics, and rugosity were conducted on outplanted plots and control plots without outplants. Surveys were conducted off the north shore of St. Croix, USVI (17°46′15.0″N, 64°49′03.8″W) from May 30, 2016 to August 4, 2016, and on December 28, 2016, and January 4, 2017. Within a week of outplanting, fish abundance was significantly higher in experimental plots compared to controls. After outplanting, there was also an increase in fish species richness and a significant shift in fish community composition over time. These results demonstrate the early stages of fish colonization after outplanting A. cervicornis, providing insight into how restoration can cause rapid change in fish abundance, richness, and community composition.

The Camera-Based Assessment Survey System (C-BASS): A towed camera platform for reef fish abundance surveys and benthic habitat characterization in the Gulf of Mexico

An ongoing challenge for fisheries management is to provide cost-effective and timely estimates of habitat stratified fish densities. Traditional approaches use modified commercial fishing gear (such as trawls and baited hooks) that have biases in species selectivity and may also be inappropriate for deployment in some habitat types. Underwater visual and optical approaches offer the promise of more precise and less biased assessments of relative fish abundance, as well as direct estimates of absolute fish abundance. A number of video-based approaches have been developed and the technology for data acquisition, calibration, and synthesis has been developing rapidly.Beginning in 2012, our group of engineers and researchers at the University of South Florida has been working towards the goal of completing large scale, video-based surveys in the eastern Gulf of Mexico. This paper discusses design considerations and development of a towed camera system for collection of video-based data on commercially and recreationally important reef fishes and benthic habitat on the West Florida Shelf. Factors considered during development included potential habitat types to be assessed, sea-floor bathymetry, vessel support requirements, personnel requirements, and cost-effectiveness of system components. This regional-specific effort has resulted in a towed platform called the Camera-Based Assessment Survey System, or C-BASS, which has proven capable of surveying tens of kilometers of video transects per day and has the ability to cost-effective population estimates of reef fishes and coincident benthic habitat classification.