A comparison of three methods for visually assessing reef fish communities: time and area compensated

Abstract

Reef fish assemblage survey results using Transect, Point, and Random in situ visual assessment techniques were evaluated and compared on a coral reef biotope off SW Puerto Rico. Parameters compared were: number of species, number of individuals, and species diversity. Divers using the Random technique recorded the highest number of species per survey; assemblage parameters recorded using Transect and Point methods were statistically similar for most dependent variables. Point surveys, however, had a higher and less variable species diversity. Divers were more efficient in sampling numbers of individuals when using the Transect method. -from Authors