A comparative study of fish assemblages near aquaculture, artificial and natural habitats

Habitat plays a critical role in regulating fish community structure. Using the data collected from a monthly trammel net survey in Ma’an archipelago off the east coast of China, we evaluated impacts of five different habitats (artificial reefs, mussel farms, cage aquaculture, rocky reefs and soft bottom) on fish assemblages. This study suggests that artificial reefs (AR) have significantly higher species richness, abundance and diversity than mussel farms (MF) or soft bottom (SB) habitats during most seasons, and that fish taxa in the AR habitats are similar to those in the rocky reef (RR) habitats. Two different fish assemblage patterns were revealed in the study area using non-metric multidimensional scaling ordination: an assemblage dominated by reef fishes (especially by Scorpaenidae species) in AR, RR and cage aquaculture (CA) habitats and an assemblage dominated by Sciaenidae species in MF and SB habitats. We suggest that reef fishes play a key role in differentiating fish community structures in the study area. Although few differences in fish abundance and diversity were found between the CA and SB habitats, a more diverse age structure was observed in the CA habitats. A much more complex fish assemblage and enhanced population of local species were established as a result of the presence of both floating and fixed artificial structures, probably through improved survival rates.