[Coral-List] A Brief Survey on Methodologies for Fish Assemblages

Zachary R Caldwell zcaldwel at ucsd.edu
Mon Apr 11 15:50:46 EDT 2011


If possible, I would appreciate a few minutes of your time in my effort to
survey and synthesize the perspectives of the marine ecological community
regarding fish survey protocols.

 Quantitative surveys that assess and monitor reef fish assemblages have
been identified as a critical element in understanding over all reef
health. Despite the pervasive use of this approach, lack of continuity
and standardization of survey methodology has limited the ability of the
data to be widely applicable or transferable between studies.  Numerous
academic, governmental, and non-governmental institutions conduct these
surveying programs, and their methods may vary depending on multiple
factors, such as: the research question, species’ ecology, spatial
distribution, environment, and institutional capacity. As such, the
results obtained from each method are oftentimes incomparable due largely
to variation in spatial and temporal scales chosen.  The development of a
standardized census method could provide lasting benefits to the research
and conservation community.

 The attached survey is designed to gather information toward the
development of a standardized census method for reef fish assemblages, and
should take approximately 10 minutes to complete.  The first section
gathers input on how reef fish population data are being collected and
where particular methods are being used.  The second section is focused on
better understanding the research community’s thoughts on the development
of a standardized reef fish survey method.  You have been chosen as a
participant in this survey because of your involvement in the field of
reef fish assessments. To ensure that as much information is collected as
possible, please feel free to forward this email to any colleagues
conducting reef fish surveys.

 The results of this survey will be presented at a symposium at Scripps
Institution of Oceanography in June 2011, and will be posted online on
the Center for Marine Conservation and Biodiversity website.

 Thank you so much for your time, your contribution to this project is
invaluable and will serve as a critical element in global reef surveying
efforts.


 To access the survey click on the link:
https://qtrial.qualtrics.com/SE/?SID=SV_0kYyT0h4omX3SSg


Zach Caldwell

Masters Candidate

Marine Biodiversity and Conservation

Scripps Institution of Oceanography

University of California, San Diego (UCSD)






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