{"key":"77ca040d-d440-4536-a38b-2e936cf22841","installationKey":"f66ca88d-1f6a-49dc-b33b-32960faee57e","publishingOrganizationKey":"038a1133-81e2-42e8-a4dd-b5ac246eb082","doi":"10.15468/6nz4x9","external":false,"numConstituents":0,"type":"OCCURRENCE","subtype":"OBSERVATION","shortName":"ncf-ocp-fish-long_term","title":"Reef fish occurrence from long-term underwater visual census at three atolls of the Lakshadweep Archipelago, India (2011-2026)","description":"<p>The data contain reef fish occurrence records from a long-term underwater visual census programme at three atolls of the Lakshadweep Archipelago (Arabian Sea, India): Agatti, Kadmat, and Kavaratti. Fish were censused along 50-m belt transects at two depth strata (shallow: 6–10 m; deep: 14–17 m) at two reef sites per atoll: Japanese Garden and The Groove (Agatti); Cave and Potato Patch (Kadmat); Black Tangs and Lighthouse (Kavaratti). Surveys were conducted across eleven years spanning 2011–2026, with 415 transects conducted in total by six observers. A total of 281 fish species (Classes Teleostei and Elasmobranchii) were recorded. Each record in this dataset represents the occurrence of a species at a site in a given year, collated across replicate transects; the occurrenceRemarks field records the number of transects on which the species was detected out of the total transects conducted at that site. Species were identified using standard coral reef fish field guides (Lieske and Myers 2001; Allen et al. 2005) and verified against iNaturalist research-grade observations.</p>","language":"eng","homepage":"https://www.ncf-india.org/oceans-and-coasts","citation":{"text":"Arthur R, Pinto W, Nair R, Karkarey R, Patankar V, D’Souza E (2026). Reef fish occurrence from long-term underwater visual census at three atolls of the Lakshadweep Archipelago, India (2011-2026). Nature Conservation Foundation. Occurrence dataset https://doi.org/10.15468/6nz4x9 accessed via GBIF.org on 2026-10-15.","citationProvidedBySource":false},"contactsCitation":[{"key":7080113,"abbreviatedName":"Arthur R","firstName":"Rohan","lastName":"Arthur","roles":["ORIGINATOR"],"userId":["https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4267-9720"]},{"key":7080114,"abbreviatedName":"Pinto W","firstName":"Wenzel","lastName":"Pinto","roles":["ORIGINATOR"],"userId":["https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0902-7659"]},{"key":7080115,"abbreviatedName":"Nair R","firstName":"Radhika","lastName":"Nair","roles":["ORIGINATOR"],"userId":["https://orcid.org/0009-0003-9095-355X"]},{"key":7080116,"abbreviatedName":"Karkarey R","firstName":"Rucha","lastName":"Karkarey","roles":["ORIGINATOR"],"userId":["https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2017-2075"]},{"key":7080117,"abbreviatedName":"Patankar V","firstName":"Vardhan","lastName":"Patankar","roles":["ORIGINATOR"],"userId":["https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9088-4537"]},{"key":7080118,"abbreviatedName":"D’Souza E","firstName":"Elrika","lastName":"D’Souza","roles":["ORIGINATOR"],"userId":["https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4942-3982"]}],"lockedForAutoUpdate":false,"createdBy":"038a1133-81e2-42e8-a4dd-b5ac246eb082","modifiedBy":"crawler.gbif.org","created":"2026-07-17T12:43:54.591+00:00","modified":"2026-07-17T12:44:55.388+00:00","contacts":[{"key":7080113,"type":"ORIGINATOR","primary":true,"userId":["https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4267-9720"],"firstName":"Rohan","lastName":"Arthur","position":["Senior Scientist"],"email":[],"phone":[],"homepage":[],"organization":"Nature Conservation Foundation","address":["1311, 12th A Main, Vijayanagar 1st Stage"],"city":"Mysuru","province":"Karnataka","country":"IN","postalCode":"570017","createdBy":"crawler.gbif.org","modifiedBy":"crawler.gbif.org","created":"2026-07-17T12:44:55.344+00:00","modified":"2026-07-17T12:44:55.344+00:00"},{"key":7080114,"type":"ORIGINATOR","primary":false,"userId":["https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0902-7659"],"firstName":"Wenzel","lastName":"Pinto","position":[],"email":[],"phone":[],"homepage":[],"organization":"Nature Conservation Foundation","address":["1311, 12th A Main, Vijayanagar 1st Stage"],"city":"Mysuru","province":"Karnataka","country":"IN","postalCode":"570017","createdBy":"crawler.gbif.org","modifiedBy":"crawler.gbif.org","created":"2026-07-17T12:44:55.347+00:00","modified":"2026-07-17T12:44:55.347+00:00"},{"key":7080115,"type":"ORIGINATOR","primary":false,"userId":["https://orcid.org/0009-0003-9095-355X"],"firstName":"Radhika","lastName":"Nair","position":[],"email":[],"phone":[],"homepage":[],"organization":"Nature Conservation Foundation","address":[],"city":"Mysuru","province":"Karnataka","country":"IN","postalCode":"570017","createdBy":"crawler.gbif.org","modifiedBy":"crawler.gbif.org","created":"2026-07-17T12:44:55.348+00:00","modified":"2026-07-17T12:44:55.348+00:00"},{"key":7080116,"type":"ORIGINATOR","primary":false,"userId":["https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2017-2075"],"firstName":"Rucha","lastName":"Karkarey","position":[],"email":[],"phone":[],"homepage":[],"organization":"Lancaster Environment Centre, Lancaster University","address":[],"city":"Lancaster","country":"GB","createdBy":"crawler.gbif.org","modifiedBy":"crawler.gbif.org","created":"2026-07-17T12:44:55.350+00:00","modified":"2026-07-17T12:44:55.350+00:00"},{"key":7080117,"type":"ORIGINATOR","primary":false,"userId":["https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9088-4537"],"firstName":"Vardhan","lastName":"Patankar","position":[],"email":[],"phone":[],"homepage":[],"organization":"GVI Programs","address":[],"city":"Exeter","country":"GB","createdBy":"crawler.gbif.org","modifiedBy":"crawler.gbif.org","created":"2026-07-17T12:44:55.351+00:00","modified":"2026-07-17T12:44:55.351+00:00"},{"key":7080118,"type":"ORIGINATOR","primary":false,"userId":["https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4942-3982"],"firstName":"Elrika","lastName":"D’Souza","position":["Scientist"],"email":[],"phone":[],"homepage":[],"organization":"Nature Conservation Foundation","address":["1311, 12th A Main, Vijayanagar 1st Stage"],"city":"Mysuru","province":"Karnataka","country":"IN","postalCode":"570017","createdBy":"crawler.gbif.org","modifiedBy":"crawler.gbif.org","created":"2026-07-17T12:44:55.352+00:00","modified":"2026-07-17T12:44:55.352+00:00"},{"key":7080119,"type":"ADMINISTRATIVE_POINT_OF_CONTACT","primary":true,"userId":["https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4267-9720"],"firstName":"Rohan","lastName":"Arthur","position":["Senior Scientist"],"email":[],"phone":[],"homepage":[],"organization":"Nature Conservation Foundation","address":["1311, 12th A Main, Vijayanagar 1st Stage"],"city":"Mysuru","province":"Karnataka","country":"IN","postalCode":"570017","createdBy":"crawler.gbif.org","modifiedBy":"crawler.gbif.org","created":"2026-07-17T12:44:55.353+00:00","modified":"2026-07-17T12:44:55.353+00:00"},{"key":7080120,"type":"ADMINISTRATIVE_POINT_OF_CONTACT","primary":false,"userId":["https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1347-3953"],"firstName":"T. 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"interpreted":"FAMILY"}},{"scientificName":"Ginglymostomatidae","rank":{"verbatim":"family","interpreted":"FAMILY"}},{"scientificName":"Tetraodontidae","rank":{"verbatim":"family","interpreted":"FAMILY"}},{"scientificName":"Cirrhitidae","rank":{"verbatim":"family","interpreted":"FAMILY"}},{"scientificName":"Myliobatiformes","rank":{"verbatim":"order","interpreted":"ORDER"}},{"scientificName":"Teleostei","rank":{"verbatim":"class","interpreted":"CLASS"}}]}],"geographicCoverages":[{"description":"Study Area: Lakshadweep Archipelago, Arabian Sea, India (Union Territory of Lakshadweep).\nThree atolls were surveyed: Agatti (10.84°–10.88°N, 72.18°–72.19°E), Kadmat (11.19°N, 72.74°–72.77°E), and Kavaratti (10.56°–10.58°N, 72.63°–72.65°E). At each atoll, two reef sites were monitored: Japanese Garden and The Groove (Agatti); Cave and Potato Patch (Kadmat); Black Tangs and Lighthouse (Kavaratti). Transects were conducted at two depth strata: shallow (6–10 m) and deep (14–17 m).","boundingBox":{"minLatitude":10.55823,"maxLatitude":11.1906,"minLongitude":72.18473,"maxLongitude":72.7676,"globalCoverage":false}}],"temporalCoverages":[{"@type":"range","start":"2011-01-01T00:00:00.000+00:00","end":"2026-01-01T00:00:00.000+00:00"}],"keywordCollections":[{"thesaurus":"GBIF Dataset Type Vocabulary: http://rs.gbif.org/vocabulary/gbif/dataset_type_2015-07-10.xml","keywords":["samplingEvent","occurrence"]},{"thesaurus":"n/a","keywords":["Kavaratti","reef fish","Kadmat","belt transect","Indian Ocean","underwater visual census","Lakshadweep","Arabian Sea","Agatti","coral reef","long-term monitoring"]},{"thesaurus":"GBIF Dataset Subtype Vocabulary: http://rs.gbif.org/vocabulary/gbif/dataset_subtype.xml","keywords":["Observation"]}],"project":{"title":"Long-term Reef Fish Monitoring in the Lakshadweep Archipelago, India","identifier":"ncf-ocp-fish-long_term","contacts":[{"type":"AUTHOR","primary":false,"userId":["https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4267-9720"],"firstName":"Rohan","lastName":"Arthur","position":[],"email":[],"phone":[],"homepage":[],"address":[]},{"type":"AUTHOR","primary":false,"userId":["https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0902-7659"],"firstName":"Wenzel","lastName":"Pinto","position":[],"email":[],"phone":[],"homepage":[],"address":[]},{"type":"AUTHOR","primary":false,"userId":["https://orcid.org/0009-0003-9095-355X"],"firstName":"Radhika","lastName":"Nair","position":[],"email":[],"phone":[],"homepage":[],"address":[]},{"type":"AUTHOR","primary":false,"userId":["https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2017-2075"],"firstName":"Rucha","lastName":"Karkarey","position":[],"email":[],"phone":[],"homepage":[],"address":[]},{"type":"AUTHOR","primary":false,"userId":["https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9088-4537"],"firstName":"Vardhan","lastName":"Patankar","position":[],"email":[],"phone":[],"homepage":[],"address":[]},{"type":"AUTHOR","primary":false,"userId":["https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4942-3982"],"firstName":"Elrika","lastName":"D’Souza","position":[],"email":[],"phone":[],"homepage":[],"address":[]}],"funding":"Various","awards":[],"relatedProjects":[],"abstract":"This project monitors reef fish community composition and abundance at coral reef sites in the Lakshadweep Archipelago (Arabian Sea, India) using standardised underwater visual census belt transects. Surveys have been conducted at six sites across three atolls (Agatti, Kadmat, Kavaratti) since 2011, covering shallow (6–10 m) and deep (14–17 m) reef zones. The dataset documents long-term changes in reef fish communities in response to disturbance, recovery, and climate-related stressors."},"samplingDescription":{"studyExtent":"Six reef sites at three atolls in the Lakshadweep Archipelago (Union Territory of Lakshadweep, India) were monitored across eleven survey years between 2011 and 2026: Japanese Garden and The Groove (Agatti Atoll); Cave and Potato Patch (Kadmat Atoll); Black Tangs and Lighthouse (Kavaratti Atoll). A total of 415 transects were conducted by six observers (Rohan Arthur n=231, Wenzel Pinto n=56, Radhika Nair n=50, Rucha Karkarey n=32, Vardhan Patankar n=6, Elrika D'Souza n=2; 2011 transects attributed to NCF Marine Team where individual observer was not recorded). Years surveyed: 2011, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2020, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025, and 2026.","sampling":"Each 50-m belt transect was laid along a depth contour at either a shallow (6–10 m) or deep (14–17 m) stratum. All fish encountered during the swim were identified to species and counted. Records in this dataset are compiled to the level of site × year × depth stratum, aggregated across replicate transects. The occurrenceRemarks field records the fraction of transects on which each species was detected (e.g. \"detected on 3/5 transects\"). The individualCount field gives the total count across all transects at the site. Species were identified using Lieske and Myers (2001) and Allen et al. (2005), with additional verification using iNaturalist research-grade observations.","qualityControl":"Verbatim field identifications were reconciled with accepted scientific names using the GBIF taxonomic backbone; 23 species names and 52 family assignments differed between field-recorded and GBIF-reconciled versions (e.g. recorded Serranidae reconciled to Epinephelidae). Geographic coordinates are recorded at the site level (all transects at a given site share the same coordinates); coordinate uncertainty is set to 300 m to reflect positional variability across replicate transects within a site. Records where the individual count was not recorded are retained with the individualCount field left blank (5 such records).","methodSteps":["Reef fish were surveyed by underwater visual census along 50-m belt transects at two depth strata per site: shallow (6–10 m) and deep (14–17 m). Each transect was swum at a constant pace by a single observer, who recorded all fish species and their abundances. Multiple replicate transects were conducted per site per depth stratum per year. Species were identified by direct observation using standard coral reef fish field guides (Lieske and Myers 2001; Allen et al. 2005). Identifications were further verified against iNaturalist research-grade observations."]},"countryCoverage":[],"collections":[],"dataDescriptions":[],"dataLanguage":"eng","pubDate":"2026-07-17T00:00:00.000+00:00","maintenanceUpdateFrequency":"AS_NEEDED","maintenanceDescription":"","license":"http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/legalcode","dwca":{"coreType":"http://rs.tdwg.org/dwc/terms/Occurrence","extensions":[],"modified":"2026-07-17T12:44:55.279+00:00"},"approximateCounts":{"occurrenceCount":4761}}