Minimum soak times of Baited Remote Underwater Video needed to assess the status of a coral reef fish community in the northern Gulf of Aqaba

A study assessing the coral reef fish community in the Aqaba Marine Reserve, Jordan, prior to its redesignation as a protected area in 2020, reveals significant overfishing. Using baited remote underwater video (BRUV), researchers found that the reserve lacked large predators and commercially valuable species like Carcharhinidae, Haemulidae, Lutjanidae, or Scombridae, indicating severe depletion before protection measures were implemented. The study determined optimal soak times for BRUV—150 minutes for overall species richness and 60 minutes for commercially valuable families—to ensure accurate assessments. This research provides a baseline to evaluate potential recovery of the fish community under enhanced management and reduced fishing pressure.

Attum, O., Al Tawaha, M., Sieg, L., & Eid, E. (2023). Minimum soak times of Baited Remote Underwater Video needed to assess the status of a coral reef fish community in the northern Gulf of Aqaba. Zoology in the Middle East, 69(2), 112–122. https://doi.org/10.1080/09397140.2023.2203977