The aim of this work was to study the spatial partition dynamics of fish at artificial structures. Holed structured concrete blocks were used to construct eight identical artificial structures and disposed between 3m-6m depths. Installation was made in two steps during 1996 (May/June and November/December) and daily observations were carried out during 30 consecutive days SCUBA diving. The artificial reef areas were used in discriminated ways by the fish community and was most probably influenced by several factor, mainly biotic. The results of the Krustal-Wallis test led to the refutation of the hypothesis that the artificial structure spaces were shared and randomly used by fish.
Fish community; artificial reefs; space partition; coastal area; Brazil; conservation unit
