Files and links (1)
Journal of Fish Biology - 2024 - Dennis - One fish two fish three fish more novel resighting method produces precise1.62 MB
Published VersionCC BY-NC-ND V4.0, Open Access
Journal article
One fish, two fish, three fish, more: novel resighting method produces precise and cost-effective estimates of abundance
Journal of Fish Biology, Vol.105(6), pp.1603-1613
2024
Abstract
Estimates of abundance are essential to manage and conserve marine species. Numerous methods are available to determine population size, but the suitability of methods for schooling fishes and the associated precision can vary depending on the species and system. Here, we developed and compared three mark-recapture/resight methods to assess the most robust method to estimate the abundance of silver trevally (Pseudocaranx georgianus). While the recapture rate was similar across the methods, the swim pass method (resighting) recorded the largest number of individuals (mean ± standard error 211 ± 14.9) and had the lowest coefficient of variation (CV; 4.5%-12%) compared to 360-video (resighting, 45 ± 2.1 individuals surveyed, 14.8%-22.2% CV) and large-scale capture methods (recapture, 30 ± 3.8 individuals surveyed, 17.3%-26.5% CV). The inclusion of individual identification into the abundance estimator models for large-scale capture did not change the abundance estimates and showed similar resolution between the models (CV 18.2%-26.7%). We showed that the swim pass method is logistically easy to implement and generates precise estimates of silver trevally abundance. This new method provides a low-cost, time-efficient resighting method that can be adapted to suit similar aggregating pelagic species interacting with wildlife tourism operations, enabling researchers to rapidly estimate the abundance of species that have been previously difficult to count.Estimates of abundance are essential to manage and conserve marine species. Numerous methods are available to determine population size, but the suitability of methods for schooling fishes and the associated precision can vary depending on the species and system. Here, we developed and compared three mark-recapture/resight methods to assess the most robust method to estimate the abundance of silver trevally (Pseudocaranx georgianus). While the recapture rate was similar across the methods, the swim pass method (resighting) recorded the largest number of individuals (mean ± standard error 211 ± 14.9) and had the lowest coefficient of variation (CV; 4.5%-12%) compared to 360-video (resighting, 45 ± 2.1 individuals surveyed, 14.8%-22.2% CV) and large-scale capture methods (recapture, 30 ± 3.8 individuals surveyed, 17.3%-26.5% CV). The inclusion of individual identification into the abundance estimator models for large-scale capture did not change the abundance estimates and showed similar resolution between the models (CV 18.2%-26.7%). We showed that the swim pass method is logistically easy to implement and generates precise estimates of silver trevally abundance. This new method provides a low-cost, time-efficient resighting method that can be adapted to suit similar aggregating pelagic species interacting with wildlife tourism operations, enabling researchers to rapidly estimate the abundance of species that have been previously difficult to count.
Details
- Title
- One fish, two fish, three fish, more: novel resighting method produces precise and cost-effective estimates of abundance
- Authors
- Joshua D Dennis (Corresponding Author) - Flinders UniversityLauren Meyer - Flinders UniversityChristine L Dudgeon - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, School of Science, Technology and EngineeringCharlie Huveneers - Flinders University
- Publication details
- Journal of Fish Biology, Vol.105(6), pp.1603-1613
- Publisher
- Wiley-Blackwell Publishing Ltd.
- Date published
- 2024
- DOI
- 10.1111/jfb.15902
- ISSN
- 1095-8649; 0022-1112
- Copyright note
- © 2024 The Author(s). Journal of Fish Biology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Fisheries Society of the British Isles. This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs License, which permits use and distribution in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited, the use is non-commercial and no modifications or adaptations are made.
- Grant note
- Holsworth Wildlife Research Endowment
- Organisation Unit
- School of Science, Technology and Engineering
- Language
- English
- Record Identifier
- 991054268502621
- Output Type
- Journal article
Metrics
27 Record Views
InCites Highlights
These are selected metrics from InCites Benchmarking & Analytics tool, related to this output
- Collaboration types
- Domestic collaboration
- International collaboration
- Web Of Science research areas
- Fisheries
- Marine & Freshwater Biology
UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
This output has contributed to the advancement of the following goals:
Source: InCites