Fish–Seascape Associations Within an Offshore Protected Area in the Arabian Gulf

Abstract

Coral reef ecosystems support high fish biodiversity through ecological interactions with structural complexity across multiple spatial scales including coral colony architecture and the surrounding seascape structure. In an era where the complexity of coral reef ecosystems is being diminished, understanding the importance of structural characteristics beyond single focal patches has the potential to better inform actions for protecting, restoring or creating habitat for reef-associated species. A seascape ecology approach was applied to explore the associations between multiple scales of seascape structure and fish assemblage response variables within a small (49.6 km²) offshore no-take MPA, Sir Bu Nair Island Protected Area, in Sharjah, United Arab Emirates. Fish–seascape associations were modelled with single regression trees. Both in situ and remote sensing–derived variables produced the best models with highest contributions from coral cover, amount of hard-bottom habitat type and structural complexity of the seafloor terrain. Fish species richness was significantly higher where coral cover exceeded 35%. The hard-bottom areas with coral supported diverse assemblages dominated by carnivorous and omnivorous fishes. The Sir Bu Nair Island Protected Area provides a critical refuge for threatened and regionally overexploited species including those with low resilience to fishing. The ecological success of this protected area is key to safeguarding regional marine biodiversity and recovering fish populations to enhance food security.