This minimises any diver effect, eliminates any tape effect, and saves time implementing remedial measures such as a waiting time.
This method was initially developed to minimise diver disturbance prior to counting [31].
The diver effects recorded in the present study, therefore, are all relative and represent the increase in disturbance as a result of tape deployment and persistent diver presence.
We therefore examined relative diver effects on a reef fish assemblage on the Great Barrier Reef.
It is also the most likely to be responsive to diver effects (rather than species richness).
Specifically, the aims of the present study were to: (1) quantify the magnitude of relative diver effects in three UVC techniques and (2) measure among-family variation in the relative diver effect.
Although the diver effect appears to be a significant problem, UVCs remain a useful approach for quantifying spatial and temporal variation in relative fish abundances, especially if using methods that minimise the exposure of fishes to divers.
One of these problems is the diver effect (defined as the reaction of fish to a diver).
The tendency of fish to avoid divers is supported by the literature in terms of both the magnitude and nature of the diver effect [9], [17], [34], [35].
One potentially serious but poorly understood problem in UVC sampling is the reaction of the fish to the diver: the diver effect [6], [14], [16].
