Structure of reef fish communities of seven islands of Andaman and Nicobar Islands, India

Abstract

This study was carried out in seven islands of Andaman and Nicobar Islands, namely, North Reef, Henry Lawrence, John Lawrence, Outram, Cinque Island, Little Andaman, and Great Nicobar, and 32 transects were laid. The transects were surveyed with scuba gears and underwater photography. Total of 13,512 fishes belonging to 202 species were estimated during the census. The highest density of fishes was observed in Hendry Lawrence (6.3 fishes/m2). The analysis of different taxonomy groups and their relative importance showed that noncommercial fishes were more abundant than the commercial fishes. The abundance and distribution of coral-feeding butterfly fishes were more on the reefs with high live coral cover. The detailed distribution of reef fishes and conservation aspects has been discussed in this chapter.