Divers impact on fishes of the marine park Professor Luiz Saldanha

Dissertação de Mestrado realizada sob a orientação do Professor Doutor Emanuel Gonçalves, apresentada no Ispa –Instituto Universitário para obtenção de grau de Mestre na especialidade de Biologia Marinha e Conservação.ABSTRACT: Marine Protected Areas are important places for the conservation of marine environments, increasing the attraction of recreational activities. Moreover, some activities as scuba diving could have an impact on fish behaviour, these alterations could be observed in the long term, as the impacts are cumulative and not immediate. This study aimed to understand the impact that the presence of recreational divers has on the behaviour of fish in the Professor Luiz Saldanha Marine Park by using Baited Remoted Underwater Videos (BRUVs). A higher abundance of fishes was observed in the partial protected area without the presence of divers. There is no difference either in the partial protection zone or in the complementary protection zone when there is the absence and presence of divers. There is a significant difference between the total protection zone of the PMLS with the partial protection zone with the presence of divers and the complementary protection zone also with the presence of divers. As a conclusion fish behaviour could change according to the species. Areas where diving is more regular, it will be possible to observe a greater impact. This study highlights the importance of how recreational activities could impact marine fauna in protected environments that could contribute to a better management