A towed-diver survey method for mesoscale fishery-independent assessment of large-bodied reef fishes
A towed-diver survey method for mesoscale fishery-independent assessment of large-bodied reef fishes
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一种拖曳潜水员调查方法，用于大型珊瑚礁鱼类的中尺度渔业独立评估
DOI：
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发表时间：
2011
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通讯作者：
B. Zgliczynski
中科院分区：
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作者：
Benjamin L. Richards;I. Williams;M. Nadon;B. Zgliczynski
珊瑚礁鱼类在生态和经济上都很重要，特别是最大的物种和个体，它们通常包括顶级捕食者，因为它们表现出不成比例的繁殖力，通常构成近岸渔业的基础。使用传统的调查方法很难对大型珊瑚礁鱼类进行采样，因为它们通常相对稀有，具有相对较大的活动范围，并且可能表现出影响其“可见度”的行为。我们描述了一项拖曳潜水员调查，可用于评估这些鱼类的种群，其中两名水肺潜水员操纵“拖板”潜水飞机，记录大型（> 50 cm TL）珊瑚礁鱼类的丰度和大小，同时在小船后面低速拖曳 50 分钟。生成的生物数据经过地理参考，可以与栖息地和环境数据进行基于位置的比较。与相同珊瑚礁和栖息地内的传统带样线调查的比较揭示了相似的群岛模式，但显示出一些关键差异。使用拖曳潜水员方法的遭遇率和统计功效通常较高，并且对水肺潜水员表现出行为反应的分类群在每种方法中表现出不同的丰度和分布模式。拖曳潜水员调查的规模可以更完整、更有代表性地覆盖浅水珊瑚礁环境，从而改进对大型珊瑚礁鱼类密度和空间分布的大规模估计。因此，拖曳潜水员方法为管理人员和科学家提供了评估大型珊瑚礁鱼类分布和状况的额外工具。
Coral reef fishes are ecologically and economically important, particularly the largest species and individuals, which often include top predators, as they show disproportionate fecundity and generally make up the basis of nearshore fisheries. Large-bodied coral reef fishes can be difficult to sample using conventional survey methods, because they are often relatively rare, have comparatively large home ranges, and can exhibit behaviors that influence their "sightability." We describe a towed-diver survey that can be used to assess populations of these fishes in which a pair of SCUBA divers maneuver "towboard" dive planes and record the abundance and size of large-bodied (> 50 cm TL) reef fishes while being towed at slow speed behind a small boat for 50 min. The resulting biological data are georeferenced, allowing for location-based comparison with habitat and environmental data. Comparisons with conventional belt transect surveys within the same reef and habitats reveal similar archipelagic patterns, but show some key differences. Encounter rates and statistical power are generally higher using the towed-diver method, and taxa that show behavioral responses to SCUBA divers exhibit different abundance and distribution patterns with each method. The scale of the towed-diver survey allows for more complete and representative coverage of the shallow-water reef environment, resulting in improved large-scale estimates of the density and spatial distribution of large-bodied reef fishes. As a result, the towed-diver method provides managers and scientists with an additional tool for assessing the distribution and status of large-bodied reef fish stocks.