Underwater cameras were used to record the abundance and richness of species. One camera was placed in front of The Arch (on the south side) and left to record fish movement and behaviour while my dive buddy and I swam around the structure recording fish species using hand-held cameras. During six dives in May 2022, nearly four hours of footage was recorded. I learnt how to coordinate data capture with a dive buddy, the importance of having a consistent route for data capture and the importance of checking that equipment works before getting into the water.
To analyse the camera footage and determine abundance and richness of species, I used Excel spreadsheets and revisited my knowledge of SPSS for the data analysis. I learnt how to use BIIGLE© software for the species identification process. More than 30 fish species were identified and the numbers of individuals counted through the footage.