ABUNDANCE AND DIVERSITY OF REEF FISH IN THE WATERS OF PERLANG VILLAGE, CENTRAL BANGKA REGENCY

Abstract

Coral reefs are an important part of tropical seas because they are home to many marine life, including reef fish. Reef fish are organisms associated with coral reefs from juvenile to adult periods. The waters of Perlang Village located in Central Bangka Regency are a conservation area with coastal ecosystems and are used as marine tourism. The purpose of this study was to determine the abundance and diversity of reef fish in the waters of Perlang Village, Central Bangka Regency. Data will be collected in May 2023, using the Underwater Visual Census (UVC) method to determine the abundance and diversity of reef fish, and the Underwater Photo Transect (UPT) method to obtain the percentage of coral cover. There are 58 species of reef fish found in 17 families and 4,910 individuals found in the waters of Perlang Village. The abundance of reef fish is less abundant (4,910 ind) with a range of 0,42-5,46 ind/m². The average diversity index (H') of reef fish is classified as medium (1,42), the average uniformity index (E) is medium (0,45), and the average dominance index (C) is medium (0,43). The average percentage of live coral cover is 56.38% in the good category. The results of linear regression analysis showed a strong positive correlation between the abundance of reef fish and the percentage of live coral, with a correlation coefficient of 0,68. This shows that the higher the percentage of live coral, the higher the abundance of reef fish.

Keywords: Live Coral Cover, Perlang Village Waters, Reef Fish.