With the multitude of pressures impacting our coastal marine ecosystems it’s important that we are aware of the changes that are occurring so we can respond appropriately. Our Reef Savers timed swim fish surveys provide a quick and simple method to measure the diversity and abundance of fish communities on shallow reef ecosystems. The results of these surveys can give us an idea as to how fish diversity and abundance change over time, and can also be used to compare fish communities between different locations (e.g. fished areas vs. protected areas).
This resource outlines a series of activities building from fish identification skills through to full in water timed swim fish surveys. The resource is standalone and can be adapted to your particular context. For example, it could be used as an educational tool to teach marine ecology principles and techniques, or as a tool to monitor your own local marine environment.
Check out the instructions here
Take a look at our school introduction to timed swims here
You can also upload your data to the Reef Savers database, which enables you to share your data and compare your results with previous surveys. Add your data to the google form below.