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The goal of the exploration dives is to improve the knowledge of the biodiversity in the surroundings of the stations. This knowledge will help to better define the specificities of the transects ecosystem. In addition, the photos and videos taken during these dives will complete the image bank and enrich the conferences and training.
Exploration dives will begin in 2021. They will take place once or twice a year. The diving area will be located around the stations, in a deeper area, and defined in advance by the divers after studying the nautical charts.
During the dive, one diver concentrates on observing the fish while the other studies the benthic zone.
The scientific protocol followed will be as follows:
– Ichthyology:
Fixed point fish count. The diver remains motionless and notes species, numbers, and sizes within a radius of 7 meters for 5 minutes.
– Benthic:
1/ Visual estimate in absolute percentage: coral cover + soft coral cover + algae and estimation of hard substrate, debris and sand.
2/ Relative percentage form corals + algae
3/ Note the 4 to 5 dominant hard coral genus
4/ 10 vertical photos of approximately 1-4m2 and 4 landscapes photos.
