Snorkeling and SCUBA diving techniques were used to visually assess fish 

 populations at Looe Key. Dives were aimed at covering all 

 four reef zones as thoroughly as possible without creating any 

 disturbance. All species were recorded and their relative abundance 

 noted by direct observation. At the onset of this study, it was 

 decided that fish-collecting techniques in any form would not be used 

 to establish the check list or to confirm the identities of any 

 questionable species. For the scope of this study, the possible 

 deleterious effects of rotenone use (i.e. poisoning the fish in a given 

 area for collection and identification) outweighed the advantages of 

 positive identification of questionable species. Only direct observa- 

 tions or photodocumentation were used to identify the fish. 

 Spawning activity was noted by actual observed spawning or by the 

 presence of demersal egg nests. Coral - fish interactions were 

 photographed and routinely monitored with particular emphasis placed 

 on the damselfishes (family Pomacentridae) and their selected coral 

 species habitat. The different reef zones were analyzed as to the 

 important species present and comparisons made with similar reefs 

 in the Key Largo Marine Sanctuary. Night dives were conducted to 

 account for the cryptic nocturnal species that may not be seen during 

 the day. 



Collecting and laboratory identifying techniques for all species were 

 minimized, thereby curtailing negative impacts on the reef system 

 and allowing the project to proceed within its specific time and 

 funding constraints. Thus, species identifications of some algae, 

 infrequently observed sponges, octocorals difficult to identify in 

 the field (e.g. genus Eunicia), rare scleractinians (e.g. genus 

 Agaricia), a number of small molluscs, as well as some difficult 

 to observe fishes, have to be considered preliminary at the 

 present stage. 



More extensive collecting and laboratory work in the future would 

 be highly desirable from a scientific point of view. However, since 

 all the species in question probably comprise less than one percent 

 of Looe Key Reef in terms of biomass and organic cover, they should 

 not be considered especially important for purposes of resource 

 management. 



B-2 



