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Parks Victoria Research Partners Panel Project Summary Report The conservation status of reef fish communities in Victorian waters Background Within natural environments there are many naturally rare species, yet most research tends to focus on species which are common. Naturally rare species are likely to differ in fundamental ways from their more common relatives and may therefore require different management protocols. Understanding how rare species differ from common species and how naturally rare species persist despite their low densities may offer information that can be used to reverse population declines of threatened species or assist the development of strategies to prevent decline of rare species into a threatened species status. Aims • To investigate correlations in fish between abundance and body size, geographical range size and degree of habitat specialisation across multiple sites. Results • Fish-habitat associations were strongly dependant on scale, with large bodied fish only displaying strong correlations when measured over large areas. • At larger scales, currents, temperatures and habitat discontinuities explained faunal breaks near Ninety Mile Beach and between Cape Conran and Cape Howe. • At the largest scale investigated, body size placed a constraint on abundance and geographic range size. • No effect on fish assemblage composition or individual species abundance was found between protected and non-protected areas. Implications • This research provides Parks Victoria with a better understanding of factors which affect marine fish community structure. • Adding Baited Remote Underwater Video (BRUV) to Underwater Visual Census (UVC) methods improves the sampling of fish populations. Relevant parks and ecosystems Marengo Reefs Marine Sanctuary, Barwon Bluff Marine Sanctuary, Wilsons Promontory Marine National Park, Beware Reef Marine Sanctuary, Cape Howe Marine National Park Subtidal Reef. More information Contact Science and Management Effectiveness Branch, Parks Victoria on 13 1963 Publications Colton, M.A. 2011. Patterns in the Abundance and Distribution of Reef Fishes in South Eastern Australia. PhD Thesis, University of Melbourne. Colton, M.A. and S.E. Swearer. 2012. Locating faunal breaks in the nearshore fish assemblage of Victoria, Australia. Marine and Freshwater Research 63: 218–231. Colton, M.A. and S.E. Swearer. 2010. A comparison of two survey methods: differences between underwater visual census and baited remote underwater video. Marine EcologyProgress Series 400:19-36. Colton, M.A. and S.E. Swearer. 2009. The conservation status of reef fish communities in Victorian waters. Final Project Report, Regional Catchment Investment Plan. Port Phillip and Western Port Catchment. Left: BRUVS unit for monitoring fish populations, photo credit - Madhavi Colton. Right: mado, photo credit - Mark Norman