Thirty-one new records of reef fish species for Hong Kong waters

Chung, Arthur C.K.; See, Gomen C.L.; Lam, S.Y.; Yiu, W.H.; Shea, Stan K.H.

doi:10.1017/s0025315423000036

Cited by 2 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 32 publications

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“…Hong Kong's corals are not forming the reefal environment, yet it sustains high marine biodiversity. Indeed, Hong Kong was continuously discovering new coral species [25] and coral-associated species such as fishes [26], nudibranchs [27,28], and crabs [29].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Underwater Impact and Intention–Behaviour Gap of Scuba Divers on Coral Communities in Hong Kong SAR, China

So¹,

Kwok

Lai

et al. 2023

IJERPH

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Recreational diving, under the continual growth of the scuba diving industry, may escalate coral reef damage as one of the substantial anthropogenic impacts and is of pressing concern. Besides unregulated and excessive diving activities, accidental contact with corals by inexperienced divers can cause recurring physical damage and heighten the pressure on coral communities. Understanding the ecological impacts of underwater contact with marine biota will thus be crucial to develop more sustainable scuba diving practices in Hong Kong. To probe the scuba diving impacts of divers’ contact with coral communities, WWF-Hong Kong started a citizen science monitoring programme and invited 52 advanced divers to conduct direct underwater observations. Questionnaires were also developed to examine and address the research gap between the associated attitudes and the perceived contact rate of divers. Results from analysing the underwater behaviours of 102 recreational divers showed inconsistent perceived and actual contact rates. It was revealed that recreational divers might often overlook the ecological effects of their activities underwater on coral communities. The questionnaire findings will be utilised to improve the framework of the dive-training programmes and enhance divers’ awareness to minimise their influence on the marine environment.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Underwater Impact and Intention–Behaviour Gap of Scuba Divers on Coral Communities in Hong Kong SAR, China

So¹,

Kwok

Lai

et al. 2023

IJERPH

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Characterisation of coastal reef fish assemblages across an estuarine-urbanisation gradient using underwater visual survey and environmental DNA metabarcoding

Pei,

Heard,

et al. 2024

Preprint

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The ongoing urbanisation of coastlines around the globe jeopardises biodiversity, including coastal marine fishes. In many places, baseline data on fish communities are inadequate for understanding the ecological and conservation impacts of this urbanisation. Here, we document spatiotemporal patterns in fish diversity (at genus level) across an estuarine gradient around Hong Kong, a highly urbanised coastal megacity bordering the estuary of the Pearl River, the second largest river in the People’s Republic of China. We combined underwater visual census (UVC) with eDNA metabarcoding (eDNA) to overcome challenges associated with the high turbidity of Hong Kong’s aquatic environment that limits the capacity for visual observations. Similar to previous studies, UVC and eDNA captured different components of the fish community, sharing only 36.5 % fish genera in common. Nevertheless, we recorded 17 % of the known fish diversity and provided a comprehensive picture of patterns in fish diversity across the gradient, despite limited sampling effort. Fish richness was reduced by 1.6-to 3-fold under the highly turbid estuarine conditions found around Lantau compared to other regions. However, overall, there were only moderate changes in the fish community regionally. Seasonal variations in fish richness and assemblage structure were observed using both approaches, taken to reflect changes in fish behaviour, physiology, and naturally occurring events (i.e., spawning and recruitment) between seasons. A notable, consistent reduction in eDNA richness in the semi-enclosed Port Shelter might reflect limited exchange of water and genetic materials. A total of eleven species that had not been previously reported from Hong Kong were detected. These potentially novel species, as well as other ecologically and economically important species in Hong Kong, might be insufficiently protected from unregulated fishing activities due to the limited spatial coverage of marine protected areas.

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Thirty-one new records of reef fish species for Hong Kong waters

Cited by 2 publications

References 32 publications

Underwater Impact and Intention–Behaviour Gap of Scuba Divers on Coral Communities in Hong Kong SAR, China

Underwater Impact and Intention–Behaviour Gap of Scuba Divers on Coral Communities in Hong Kong SAR, China

Characterisation of coastal reef fish assemblages across an estuarine-urbanisation gradient using underwater visual survey and environmental DNA metabarcoding

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