Optimal soak times for Baited Remote Underwater Video Station surveys of reef-associated elasmobranchs.

ABSTRACT: Effective sampling of marine communities is essential to provide robust estimates of species richness and abundance. Baited Remote Underwater Video Stations (BRUVS) are a useful tool in assessment of fish assemblages, but research on the optimal sampling period required to record common and rare elasmobranch species is limited. An appropriate 'soak time' (time elapsed between settlement of the BRUVS on the seabed and when it is hauled off the seabed) requires consideration, since longer soak times may be required to record species rare in occurrence, or sightings in areas of generally low elasmobranch abundance. We analysed 5352 BRUVS deployments with a range of soak times across 21 countries in the Coral Triangle and Pacific Ocean, to determine the optimal soak time required for sampling

SUBMITTER: Currey-Randall LM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7209308 | biostudies-literature | 2020

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature