Influence of coral cover and structural complexity on the accuracy of visual surveys of coral-reef fish communities

Using manipulated patch reefs with combinations of varying live-coral cover (low, medium and high) and structural complexity (low and high), common community metrics (abundance, diversity, richness and community composition) collected through standard underwater visual census techniques were compared with exhaustive collections using a fish anaesthetic (clove oil). This study showed that reef condition did not influence underwater visual census estimates at a community level, but reef condition can influence the detectability of some small and cryptic species and thismay be exacerbated if surveys are conducted on a larger scale. (C) 2017 The Fisheries Society of the British Isles