Abstract

Reef fish communities of Saint-Barthelemy Island were monitored during ten years inside the Marine Reserve of Saint-Barthelemy and inside a reference zone without protection. Quantitative visual surveys of fish assemblages were conducted along 5 belt-transects (30 m x 2 m) in each study zone, between 10 to 15 m deep. A total of 111 species in both sites were observed since 2002. Fish biodiversity showed a significant increasing tendency in the marine reserve for the studied period, as well as for abundances in number and biomass of fishes. No tendency was noticed in the reference zone. The trophic structure of the fish communities appeared similar in the two studied sites. This long-term study highlights the reserve effect and the efficiency of marine reserves, even of small size, for the protection of coral reef fish communities.