226
Table 6.S. Stocks (S, kgha- 1 ) of reef fish in their most
common families found on reefs of the GBR in central part
of the lagoon (Zone A and on the outer slope (Zone B)
(after Munro and Williams 1985)
Zone A
Zone B
Family
S
Family
S
Caesionidae
1203
Caesionidae
323
Pomacentridae
438
Acanthuridae
247
Scaridae
130
Pomacentridae
215
Serranidae
87
Holocentridae
133
Labridae
71
Hemiramphidae
131
Acanthuridae
61
Chaetodontidae
53
Holocentridae
57
Lutjanidae
41
Chaetodontidae
57
Serranidae
32
Haemulidae
40
Lethrinidae
30
Lethrinidae
28
Haemulidae
30
Rest
202
Rest
220
Total
2374
Total
1561
Coral Reef Fish
Table 6.9. Density of communities of reef fish of patch-reef zones in different regions.
(Data by Sale 1980)
Region
Reef
Density of fish
community
sp. m- 3
sp. m- 2
Bahamas
Near underwater lab "Bimini I"
27
53
Near underwater lab "Bimini 2"
8
119
Virgin I.
Near underwater lab "Tektite A"
16
23
Bay of California
Average for 9 natural reefs
2
8
Average for 9 artificial reefs
69
600
One Tree Reef, GBR
Average for 9 natural reefs
72
434
Average for 8 artificial reefs
40
238
Red Sea
Reef "A"
36
50
Reef"B"
145
302
reefs 1-2 years after their colonization by reef fauna, the density of fish
populations was found to be even higher than on nearby .natural reefs
(Table 6.9).
The zonal distribution of fish biomass was investigated at One Tree Island
ring reef. The highest values were recorded in biotopes of the outer reef
slope (Fig. 6.2), also as to the total number of species (Goldman and Talbot
1976). A high biomass in this zome was created by the abundance of small
planktonovorous fish and of predators feeding on them. An intensive growth
of corals and coralline algae provides here food sources for corallovorous