The First Use of Baited Remote Underwater Systems (BRUVS) in the Turkish Seas to Assess Fish Assemblages

The potential of non-destructive sampling methods such as a baited remote underwater video system (BRUVS) for fish monitoring is immense. This potential is demonstrated in our study, which examined three sites with different habitats (rocky, wreck, seagrass) in the Karaburun- Ildır Bay Special Environmental Protection Area (SEPA) in the Aegean Sea. From 60 hours of video recordings, we identified 3771 individuals from 24 fish species belonging to 10 families. The rocky habitat had the highest total abundance (44.9%), with a statistical difference. The result of Shannon-Wiener`s index specified the highest value in the wreck (H`WR=1.73), although the rocky had greater fish diversity (H`RR=1.54). It is clear that there is a lack of studies, especially in the Eastern Mediterranean, and the benefits of long-term periodic monitoring studies using BRUVS should not be ignored.