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The development of sampling strategies for population studies of coral reef fishes. A case study

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Abstract

Fish ecologists need to do pilot studies to develop accurate, precise and efficient sampling strategies. This paper presents a case study of the pilot investigations carried out to achieve this for three species of butterflyfish Chaetodon rainfordi, C. plebeius and Chelmon rostratus, at One Tree Reef. The effects of different transect sizes and methods on density estimates and their precision for each species were assessed. Varying transect dimensions (25, 50, 75 and 100 m lengthx1,2 and 3 m width) did not significantly affect the density estimates. However for C. rainfordi the precision of estimates was variable with the smallest transect length and width producing the least precise results. Higher density estimates were obtained for juvenile fish over a 1 m strip width than a 2 m width. A significant effect of disturbance on the densities of C. rainfordi and Chelmon rostratus was caused by the laying out of the transect tape. Consequently a technique of simultaneously censusing and delimiting transect boundaries was tested and found to give consistently higher density estimates. The potential effect of censusing at different times of the tide was examined and found to be insignificant for two species but quite complex for the other. Finally, a pilot sampling program was done at seven localities across One Tree Reef to determine the most efficient way of allocating sampling effort, for future census work.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Zoology, School of Biological Sciences, University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia

    A. J. Fowler

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  1. A. J. Fowler
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Fowler, A.J. The development of sampling strategies for population studies of coral reef fishes. A case study. Coral Reefs 6, 49–58 (1987). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00302212

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