WCS 3-Sentence Science

Taking Stock of Indonesia’s Reef Fishes

June 6, 2019

Credit: Fakhrizal Setiawan

Each year, Wildlife Conservation Society scientists publish more than 300 peer-reviewed studies and papers. “WCS 3-Sentence Science” is a regular tip-sheet — in bite sized helpings — of some of this published work.

Here we present the work of the WCS Indonesia marine program on reef fish abundance in the less Sunda-Banda Seascape:

1. A research team estimated the natural stock of reef fishes from three regencies in the lesser Sunda-Banda Seascape in Indonesia to fill gaps in knowledge of species composition and biodiversity.
2. Using an underwater visual census method, the team recorded a total of 176 species belonging to 19 families of economically important reef fishes.
3. Community structure of target fish in the three regencies is still in a relatively good condition, and there is not much difference in terms of target fish community structure between the three regencies.

Study and Journal: “Stock estimation, species composition and biodiversity of target reef fishes in the lesser Sunda-Banda Seascape (East Flores, Alor and South West Maluku regencies), Indonesia” from IOP Conf. Series: Earth and Environmental Science
WCS Co-Author(s): Fakhrizal Setiawan (Lead) , WCS Indonesia Program ; M. Muhidin, I. Agustina, J. Pingkan, N. Tarigan, A. Muttaqin , WCS Indonesia Program

For more information, contact: Stephen Sautner, 718–220–3682, ssautner@wcs.org.