Effects of COVID-19 lockdown on the observed density of coral reef fish along coastal habitats of Moorea, French Polynesia - Archive ouverte HAL Accéder directement au contenu
Article Dans Une Revue Regional Environmental Change Année : 2022

Effects of COVID-19 lockdown on the observed density of coral reef fish along coastal habitats of Moorea, French Polynesia

Frédéric Bertucci
William E Feeney
  • Fonction : Auteur
Zara-Louise Cowan
  • Fonction : Auteur
Camille Gache
  • Fonction : Auteur
Rakamaly Madi Moussa
  • Fonction : Auteur
Cécile Berthe
  • Fonction : Auteur
Lana Minier
  • Fonction : Auteur
David Lecchini
  • Fonction : Auteur

Résumé

During the first COVID-19 lockdown in 2020, levels of coastal activities such as subsistence fishing and marine tourism declined rapidly throughout French Polynesia. Here, we examined whether the reduction in coastal use led to changes in fish density around the island of Moorea. Two natural coastal marine habitats (bare sand and mangrove) and one type of man-made coastal structure (embankment) were monitored on the west coast of the island before and after the first COVID-19 lockdown. At the end of the lockdown (May 2020), significantly higher apparent densities of juvenile and adult fish, including many harvested species, were recorded compared to levels documented in 2019 at the same period (April 2019). Fish densities subsequently declined as coastal activities recovered; however, 2 months after the end of the lockdown (July 2020), densities were still higher than they were in July 2019 with significant family-specific variation across habitats. This study highlights that short-term reductions in human activity can have a positive impact on coastal fish communities and may encourage future management policy that minimizes human impacts on coastline habitats.
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Dates et versions

hal-04366383 , version 1 (28-12-2023)

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Frédéric Bertucci, William E Feeney, Zara-Louise Cowan, Camille Gache, Rakamaly Madi Moussa, et al.. Effects of COVID-19 lockdown on the observed density of coral reef fish along coastal habitats of Moorea, French Polynesia. Regional Environmental Change, 2022, 23 (1), pp.16. ⟨10.1007/s10113-022-02011-0⟩. ⟨hal-04366383⟩
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