The correlation of coral cover and reef fish density in the biggest archipelagos located in centre of Indonesia

Live coral cover is a measure of the proportion of reef surface covered by live stony materials instead of sponges, algae, or other organisms. These stony corals are the main contributors to a reef s three-dimensional framework structure that provides critical habitat for many organisms. Therefore, this research aims to determine the relationship between the number of live coral cover and the presence of reef fish in one of the biggest archipelagos located in centre of Indonesia. The research method used for the determination of live coral cover was the point intercept transect, while the reef fish population were measured using the census technique. The results showed, that the average percentage of live coral cover in all stations including Sarappo, Lumulumu, and Langkai Island were 43.17, 52, 45.67%, respectively, and were classified into moderate and good. There were 149 reef fish species in 27 families found in the studied area during this research. The coral cover was negatively correlated with species diversity and the abundance of reef fish in archipelagos of Indonesia.