Biophysical Survey of Mafia Island Marine Reserves

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2. Coral Reef Habitat a) Benthic Composition Benthic composition data was collected on coral reef habitats identified through spot checks of sites and broad-scale benthic composition assessments. A total of 41 transects were completed over four sites. The reef is primarily dominated by soft corals with significant scleractinian coral areas (Figure 14). SIMR features all scleratinian coral growth forms, but the majority consists of massive Porities and branching Acropora species (Figure 15). As half of the data was collected at the lowest margin of the reef slope, and two of the sites were situated towards the end of the reef, a high level of sand substrates was recorded. This reflects the patchy nature of the coral reef at both its deepest margins and its edges. Average percent cover (+/- SE) 35 30 25 20 15 10 5 0 All hard coral Dead Coral Bleached Coral Soft Coral Sponge Other Benthic Organisms Seagrass Macroalgae Turf algae on coral rock Turf algae on rubble Crustose Coralline Algae Nutrient Indicator Algae Rock Rubble Sand Silt Other Figure 14. Average percent cover by benthic type for all transects completed on coral reef habitats at SIMR.
Average percent cover (+/- SE) 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0 Massive Branching Columnar Submassive Foliaceous Encrusting Solitary Tabular Figure 15. Average percent cover by scleractinian coral growth morphology across all transects completed on coral reef habitats at SIMR. b) Invertebrate Abundance Abundance of invertebrates was collected alongside benthic composition and reef fish data on the identified coral reef habitats. Overall, invertebrate presence was high, with particularly large numbers of starfish recorded (Figure 16). In addition 1.83 (SE+/- 0.34) sea cucumbers, which are targeted for the bêche de mer trade, were found per 25m transect (Figure 16). Numbers of diadema and other urchin species recorded were low in comparison to other nearby reefs. No squid, cuttlefish or octopus were recorded on any of the transects. However, a single small cuttlefish was observed on one occasion on the reef whilst snorkelling.
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Page 4 and 5: Suggested Technical Report citation
Page 6 and 7: Executive Summary Major Findings
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Page 10 and 11: IV. RESULTS A. Nyororo Island Marin
Page 12 and 13: I. INTRODUCTION Project Aim To cond
Page 14 and 15: The reserves were established under
Page 16 and 17: III. METHODS A. Field Methods 1. Re
Page 18 and 19: Ground Proofing Methodology (Low Re
Page 20 and 21: Invertebrate Abundance Invertebrate
Page 22 and 23: Commercially Targeted Fish The meth
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Page 26 and 27: Several areas of coral reef habitat
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Page 52 and 53: c) Invertebrate abundance Invertebr
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Page 58 and 59: transects. Commercial fish species
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Biophysical Survey of Mafia Island Marine Reserves

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