One fish, two fish, three fish, more: novel resighting method produces precise and cost-effective estimates of abundance

Joshua D Dennis; Lauren Meyer; Christine L Dudgeon; Charlie Huveneers

doi:10.1111/jfb.15902

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One fish, two fish, three fish, more: novel resighting method produces precise and cost-effective estimates of abundance

Journal article

Open access

Peer reviewed

One fish, two fish, three fish, more: novel resighting method produces precise and cost-effective estimates of abundance

Joshua D Dennis, Lauren Meyer, Christine L Dudgeon and Charlie Huveneers

Journal of Fish Biology, Vol.105(6), pp.1603-1613

2024

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/jfb.15902

PMCID: PMC11650942

PMID: 39126270

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Abstract

mark-recapture

mark-resight

pelagic fish

population estimate

Pseudocaranx

trevally

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 University
Lauren Meyer - Flinders University
Christine L Dudgeon - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, School of Science, Technology and Engineering
Charlie 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
PMID: 39126270; PMC11650942
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

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