REEF FISH BIODIVERSITY on KANGAROO ISLAND Oceans of Blue Coast, Estuarine and Marine Monitoring Program
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2006-2007 Kangaroo Island Natural Resources ManagementDate2007 Board Kangaroo Island Natural Resources Management Board REEF FISH BIODIVERSITYKangaroo Island Natural ON Resources KANGAROO Management ISLAND Board SEAGRASS FAUNAL BIODIVERSITYREPORT TITLE ON KI Reef Fish Biodiversity on Kangaroo Island 1 REEF FISH BIODIVERSITY ON KANGAROO ISLAND Oceans of Blue Coast, Estuarine and Marine Monitoring Program A report prepared for the Kangaroo Island Natural Resources Management Board by Daniel Brock Martine Kinloch December 2007 Reef Fish Biodiversity on Kangaroo Island 2 Oceans of Blue The views expressed and the conclusions reached in this report are those of the author and not necessarily those of persons consulted. The Kangaroo Island Natural Resources Management Board shall not be responsible in any way whatsoever to any person who relies in whole or in part on the contents of this report. Project Officer Contact Details Martine Kinloch Coast and Marine Program Manager Kangaroo Island Natural Resources Management Board PO Box 665 Kingscote SA 5223 Phone: (08) 8553 4312 Fax: (08) 8553 4399 Email: [email protected] Kangaroo Island Natural Resources Management Board Contact Details Jeanette Gellard General Manager PO Box 665 Kingscote SA 5223 Phone: (08) 8553 4340 Fax: (08) 8553 4399 Email: [email protected] © Kangaroo Island Natural Resources Management Board This document may be reproduced in whole or part for the purpose of study or training, subject to the inclusion of an acknowledgment of the source and to its not being used for commercial purposes or sale. Reproduction for purposes other than those given above requires the prior written permission of the Kangaroo Island Natural Resources Management Board. For bibliographic purposes this paper should be cited as: Brock D. J. and Kinloch M. A. (2007). Reef Fish Biodiversity on Kangaroo Island. KI NRM Board Coast and Marine Program Report No. CMP07/006. Front cover images: Long Snouted Boarfish (Steve Leske) Western Blue Devil (Steve Leske) Reef Fish Biodiversity on Kangaroo Island 3 Foreword This project is a component of the Kangaroo Island Natural Resources Management Board’s ‘Here to Stay’ Investment Strategy. The following Program Outcomes, Actions, Resource Condition Targets and Management Action Targets from the Strategy are relevant to the project. Program Oceans of Blue: Managing marine, coastal and estuarine biodiversity on Kangaroo Island Program outcome A scientifically rigorous and integrated system of measuring and reporting on the state of marine, coastal and estuarine environments of Kangaroo Island that relates trends in the condition of biodiversity assets to changes in human uses of land and seascapes, provides advice on targeting management action to mitigate anthropogenic impacts where required and empowers the public to respond to threats to natural resource condition and values. Relevant Resource Condition Targets 8.5.D An enhancement in the condition of natural biodiversity in marine, coastal and estuarine systems through protection and management of key biodiversity assets and areas. Relevant Management Action Targets 8.5.1 Establish benchmarks and monitoring program for marine and estuarine water quality, terrestrial and marine coastal biodiversity and condition of fisheries stocks. 8.5.2 Establish representative monitoring program for terrestrial and marine coastal biodiversity focusing on areas subject to water contamination and other threatening processes. Reef Fish Biodiversity on Kangaroo Island 4 Acknowledgements We would like to thank (as usual) Tony Geyer for all his help and his invaluable local boating experience. We would also like to thank Ben Florence who assisted with much of the winter diving undertaken during this study and Steve Leske for generously allowing us to use his wonderful photographs for the report. Once again thank you to our sponsors SA Water and to Scoresby Shepherd for reviewing this report. Reef Fish Biodiversity on Kangaroo Island 5 Contents Foreword........................................................................................................................................... 4 Acknowledgements........................................................................................................................... 5 Introduction ....................................................................................................................................... 8 Methods ............................................................................................................................................ 9 Survey Design ............................................................................................................................... 9 Field Sampling............................................................................................................................. 10 Data Analysis .............................................................................................................................. 13 Results ............................................................................................................................................ 14 Species Abundance and Diversity............................................................................................... 14 Community Composition ............................................................................................................. 20 Size Composition ........................................................................................................................ 23 Discussion....................................................................................................................................... 27 Conclusions .................................................................................................................................... 29 Recommendations .......................................................................................................................... 30 References...................................................................................................................................... 32 Appendices ..................................................................................................................................... 37 Reef Fish Biodiversity on Kangaroo Island 6 Tables and Figures Figure 1: Map of reef fish survey sites. ........................................................................................... 10 Table 1: Description of subtidal reef fish survey sites.................................................................... 12 Table 2: Inventory of fish species recorded in summer and winter at eight subtidal reefs on KI. .. 15 Table 3: ANOVA to test for differences in species diversity........................................................... 17 Figure 2: Seasonal patterns in species diversity............................................................................. 17 Table 4: ANOVA to test for differences in fish abundance............................................................. 18 Figure 3: Seasonal patterns in non-schooling fish abundance. ...................................................... 18 Figure 4: Total species richness per site. ....................................................................................... 19 Figure 5: Total species abundance per site. ................................................................................... 19 Figure 6: NMDS ordination of seasonal fish assemblages. ............................................................ 21 Figure 7: Relative densities of the 10 most abundant non-schooling fish species at eight reef sites on KI................................................................................................................................................ 22 Figure 8: Mean size of Blue-throated Wrasse and Sweep1 at each site. ........................................ 23 Figure 9: Size frequency distributions of Blue-throated Wrasse. .................................................... 24 Figure 10: Size frequency distributions of Sweep........................................................................... 25 Figure 11: Mean size of common non-schooling demersal fish at each site. ................................. 26 Table 5: Recommended indicator species for reef monitoring on KI. ............................................ 30 Plate 1: Examples of potential indicator reef fish species.............................................................. 35 Plate 2: Examples of cryptic (a and b), schooling (c and d) and less common (e and f) demersal reef fish species. ............................................................................................................................. 36 Appendix 1: Densities of reef fish recorded at eight sites on Kangaroo Island............................... 37 Reef Fish Biodiversity on Kangaroo Island 7 Introduction Limestone and granite rocky reefs form a significant portion of the inshore marine habitat of southern Australia. These subtidal reefs provide important ecosystem functions such as primary production, nutrient cycling and habitat for a diverse range of plants and animals, as well as economic and social benefits such as commercial fishing and recreational opportunities. In South Australia, low nutrient levels, the mixing of the Leeuwin and Flinders currents, and climatic factors associated with the longest southern facing coastline in the world, all combine