Abstract

Monitoring commercially important fish populations in marine reserves is crucial. However, efficient standardised methodologies are needed for consistent results. Using passive capture methods like fish pots can be beneficial as this removes the ?diver effect? associated with UVCs and improves coverage in space and time. This study was therefore designed to determine appropriate bait type and soak time for use with fish pots to obtain accurate data for effective monitoring of marine reserves. The study design involved deploying six rectangular traps at two locations: within and outside the Discovery Bay SFCA, Jamaica. At each location, four different baits (commonly used by fishermen) were tested: Mackerel, Cow skin, Bread and Dog-food with Sardine. The traps with each bait type were left to soak for one week and were checked by SCUBA on days 2, 4, and 7. On each occasion, species, abundance, size as well as injury to individual fish were recorded. Preliminary analysis indicated that there was significant difference in diversity and abundance of fish between locations (ANOVA p < 0.001). However, abundance (ANOVA p < 0.522) and diversity (ANOVA p < 0.565) of fish was not significantly different between bait types. The abundance (ANOVA p < 0.762) and diversity (ANOVA p < 0.449) of fish were also not significantly different between the days soaked. However, there was a significant positive correlation between soak time and injuries to fish. Results of this study suggest the possibility of increasing the speed and efficiency of obtaining SFCA monitoring data from fish pots by using short soak times and any available bait type.

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