Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Oldendorf/Luhe
Résumé : International audience
Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) are being increasingly used in studies of marinefauna. Here, we tested the use of a UAV (DJI Phantom II®) to assess fine-scale variation in densitiesof 2 elasmobranchs (blacktip reef sharks Carcharhinus melanopterus and pink whiprays Himanturafai) on reef systems off Moorea (French Polynesia). We flew parallel transects designed to samplereef habitats (fringing, channel and sandflat habitats) across 2 survey blocks. Block 1 included ashark and ray provisioning site with potentially higher elasmobranch densities, whereas Block 2most likely had lower densities with no provisioning activities. Across 10 survey days in July 2014,we flew 3 transects (400 m) within each survey block (n = 60 total transect passes). As expected,densities (animals ha−1) were significantly higher in Block 1 than in Block 2, particularly where provisioningactivities occur. Differences between habitats surveyed were also found. Our study providesthe first direct estimates of shark and ray densities in coral-reef ecosystems and demonstratesthat UAVs can produce important fishery-independent data for elasmobranchs, particularly inshallow-water habitats.
ISSN: 0171-8630

hal-01416757
https://hal-univ-perp.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01416757
DOI : 10.3354/meps11945