The condition of megabenthos and reef fish in coral reef ecosystems in Aru Islands National Conservation Area, Southeast Maluku, Indonesia

Abstract

The waters of the Aru Islands are part of the National Marine Protected Areas (MNR), and have extensive coral reefs with high biodiversity. The study was conducted in October 2016 at twelve stations to determine the status of coral cover, composition, and density of megabenthos and reef fishes. Coral reef data collection refers to the Underwater Photo Transect (UPT), and data processing uses Coral Point Count for Excel (CPCe). The Benthos Belt Transect (BBT) method was used for megabenthos data, and the Underwater Visual Census (UVC) method was used for reef fish observations.The result of the benthic component analysis showed that the proportion of live corals at each station ranged from 10.60% to 54.27%, with an average cover value of 31.21%, which fell into the “fairly good” category. Megabenthos density analysis revealed that Drupella cornus had the highest density value (0.29 individuals/m2) and Holohuria edulis (0.01 individuals/m2) had the lowest density. Analysis of the reef fish community revealed that the indicator fish were 168 individuals from the family Chaetodontidae. The group of herbivore fish recorded 116 individuals from threee families: Acanthuridae, Scaridae, and Siganidae. Acanthurus auranticavus and Acanthurus pyroferus are common species found in the waters of the Aru Islands.