Butterflyfish and Target Marine Invertebrates Survey

Our coral reefs are home to thousands of fish and various other marine creatures that come in all sorts of colors, shapes, and sizes. Luckily, citizen scientists don't need to recognize and count every single species. There is a fish group and some marine animals that can help us assess the conditions of our reefs—butterflyfishes and a few target marine invertebrates. Let’s go over them below.

Butterflyfish

The abundance and diversity of butterflyfish in a reef are good signs of reef health as many are dependent on corals as food. Citizen scientists will be taught how to recognize and count these fish for the survey.

The following target marine invertebrates can help us find out why certain changes are happening in a reef:

Blue (Linckia) starfish

These starfish are easy to recognize underwater. They are often found where there is an abundance of coralline algae, which are pink algae where baby corals like to attach.

Chocolate starfish

The chocolate chip starfish is easy to recognize because of the brown spikes on its body. They are often found in sandy areas. If you see many of them in an area, it might mean you are no longer in the coral reef or that sand is already replacing the reef.

Crown-of-thorns starfish (COTS)

These starfish prey on corals. If you notice an increase in their number, it might mean a decline in the amount of live corals in a reef. Outbreaks of this type of starfish are frequently happening and threaten the corals of the reefs.

Feather star or crinoid

These marine invertebrates serve as an indicator of good water quality and flow.

Giant clams

Giant clams are counted to find out if they are being taken or collected from the reef. As they are prohibited by law to be gathered and sold, a decrease in numbers can indicate compliance to local ordinances.

To determine the abundance and diversity of butterflyfish and abundance of marine invertebrates in a reef, you need to conduct a snorkeling census.

Survey preparation

Each citizen scientist should have their own:

• Mask
• Snorkel
• Fins
• Booties
• Alwan Survey Guide (laminated ID guide) with a pencil
• Sandpaper

Before conducting the survey, make sure that you are comfortable swimming and using snorkeling equipment. Ensure that water can’t enter your mask and that your mask doesn’t fog up so that you can see clearly underwater. Also remember to rub sandpaper on the spaces of the Alwan Survey Guide where you need to write things down.

The Butterflyfish and Target Marine Invertebrates Surveys

Of the three surveys to be completed in the survey station, the butterflyfish survey should always be conducted first, followed by the target marine invertebrates survey. These two surveys share the same swimming pattern.

The survey flow goes as follows:

Once you arrive at the survey station, write down the basic details needed on both sides of the Alwan Survey Guide. Wear your snorkeling gear and bring the Alwan Survey Guide to the starting corner of the survey station.

The survey will begin at the starting corner. Position yourselves with a distance of 4-5 meters between each other. If there are more than three of you, you can swim a little closer together. Remember that the team leader is responsible for maintaining the correct distance between the citizen scientists.

Swim slowly to the other end of the station. While swimming, find and count all the butterflyfish you see. Put a tick mark on the Alwan Survey Guide under the appropriate photo for every butterflyfish found. It’s fine if more than one citizen scientist records the same butterflyfish.

You can skin dive to see the butterflyfish better. Don’t hesitate to ask your fellow citizen scientists to check if you’re noting down the butterflyfish species correctly.

Upon reaching the other end of the station, move to the shallow side of the survey station and repeat the process.

After the butterflyfish survey, return to the starting corner and repeat the swimming pattern to take note of all the target marine invertebrates you can find in the survey station.

After the surveys

When you arrive at the boat, the team leader should immediately take pictures of the Alwan Survey Guides before proceeding with the coral survey. You can use a cellphone or any available camera.

If you need to reuse the Alwan Survey Guides for surveys in other survey stations, you can erase what is written on them only after having taken pictures of the accomplished survey guides.