title: The influence of pearl oyster farming on reef fish abundance and diversity in Ahe, French Polynesia.
abstract: Many cultured pearl farms are located in areas of the Pacific that have thriving, highly diverse fish communities but the impacts of farming on these communities are poorly understood. We studied the effects of pearl oyster farming on shore fish abundance and diversity in the lagoon of Ahe, French Polynesia by adapting roving diver census methods to the coral reef bommies of the lagoon and compared 16 sites with high pearl farming impact to others with no direct impact. Pearl farming has a slightly positive effect on reef fish abundance (N) and no significant impact on fish diversity (H) or community composition. This is important when considering the ecological sustainability of pearl farming in French Polynesia and suggests that a potential synergy between pearl farms and marine conservation should be further explored.
authors.affiliation: Department of Environmental Sciences, University of Basel, Bernoullistrasse 30, 4056 Basel, Switzerland. Electronic address: laurent.cartier@unibas.ch.
authors.forename: Laurent E
authors.initials: LE
authors.lastname: Cartier
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological Sciences, Old Dominion University, Norfolk, VA 23529-0266, USA. Electronic address: kcarpent@odu.edu.
authors.forename: Kent E
authors.initials: KE
authors.lastname: Carpenter
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D017756:Aquaculture; D044822:Biodiversity; D057894:Coral Reefs; D004784:Environmental Monitoring; D005399:Fishes / Q000145:classification* / Q000254:growth & development; D049911:Pinctada; D011114:Polynesia
keywords: Aquaculture; Biodiversity; Conservation; Pearl farming; Polynesia; Reef fish