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A comparison of methods for estimating fish assemblages associated with estuarine artificial reefs

Abstracts

Monitoring strategies which adequately represent the entire community associated with artificial structures will enable more informed decisions regarding the broader effects of artificial structures and their role in the management of fisheries resources. Despite the widespread application of a range of in situ visual monitoring methodologies used in the assessment of artificial structures, the relative biases associated with each method have not been critically examined and remain poorly understood. Estimates of fish abundance on six estuarine artificial reefs carried out by divers using underwater visual census techniques (UVC) were compared with estimates of relative abundance determined by baited remote underwater video (BRUV). It was found that when combined, both methods provided a more comprehensive description of the species associated with estuarine artificial reefs. However, the difference in the number of species detected and the frequency of detection varied between methods. Results indicated that the differences in rates of detection between UVC and BRUV methodologies were primarily related to the ecological niche and behaviour of the species in question. UVC provided better estimates of the rare or cryptic reef associated species. BRUV sampled a smaller proportion of species overall but did identify key recreational species such as Acanthopagrus australis, Pagrus auratus and Rhabdosargus sarba with increased frequency. Correlation of abundance indices for species classified as "permanent" identified interspecific interactions that may act as a source of bias associated with BRUV observations.

Artificial reef; Baited underwater video; Visual census; Survey bias


O monitoramento biológico da comunidade associada a substratos artificiais permite a tomada de decisões corretas em relação ao uso e o papel dos novos habitats no manejo de recursos pesqueiros. Apesar da enorme aplicação das técnicas de censo visual no estudo da ictiofauna em recifes artificiais, os erros relativos de cada metodologia ainda não foram analisados. Estimativas de abundância de peixes obtidas através de censos visuais subaquáticos (CVS) em seis recifes artificias assentados em ambientes estuarinos, foram comparadas com a abundância relativa estimada através de técnicas de monitoramento remoto com vídeo subaquático (MRVS) e isca para atração dos animais. Os resultados combinados de ambas as técnicas descreveram melhor as espécies associadas aos recifes artificiais de regiões estuarinas. Entretanto, a diferença no número de espécies identificadas e a freqüência de detecção entre ambas as técnicas foram devidas principalmente aos nichos ocupados e ao comportamento específico de cada espécie. A técnica de CVS estimou melhores as espécies raras e crípticas associadas aos recifes. A técnica de MRVS estimou uma proporção menor de espécies, mas foi capaz de identificar mais frequentemente e com mais precisão as espécies recreacionais tais como Acanthopagrus australis, Pagrus auratus e Rhabdosargus sarba. Índices de correlação de abundância de espécies "permanentes" revelaram interações específicas que podem representar uma fonte de erro associada às observações com vídeo remoto.

Recifes artificiais; Vídeo submarino; Censo visual; Vício amostral


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Publication Dates

  • Publication in this collection
    11 Oct 2011
  • Date of issue
    2011

History

  • Received
    24 May 2010
  • Accepted
    15 June 2011
  • Reviewed
    12 Apr 2011
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