Habitat Specific Reef Fish Community Structure and Demographics in Florida's Big Bend Using Stationary Video Cameras and Side Scan Sonar

From 2005-2010, the NMFS Panama City Lab has been conducting a stationary video survey of reef fish on hard bottom habitats in Florida’s Big Bend, where fish communities, densities, and demographics vary, sometimes considerably.  Many sampling sites have been mapped with side scan sonar which provides information on reef type, area, and relief.  We will examine the relationships among habitat variables (type, area, relief, depth) and species composition, relative abundance, and demographics.  Such information will be invaluable for improving survey design and for post-stratification during analyses.