UC San Diego

Baited remote underwater video systems (BRUVs) have become a valuable method for observing large bodied marine organisms such as sharks. These systems provide several advantages over traditional methods for obtaining species distribution information, which is needed for effective management and conservation of coastal marine habitats. BRUVs are mainly utilized for assessing the distribution and abundance patterns of single species and the effects of environmental factors on these patterns (Bond et al. 2012; De Vos et al. 2015), however opportunities exist for expanded analysis from these rich collections of data. I used data from BRUV surveys within four regions of the Florida Keys to assess the co-occurrence patterns of sharks and rays, employing a method that expands on the utility of BRUVs to explore questions at the community level. I found no evidence to suggest that groups of species were gathering or avoiding each other more than expected. In species pairwise analysis, I found the pairing of specific species consistently co-occurring for common prey or habitat preference. The findings of this study will contribute additional knowledge to the work of MacNeil et al. (2020) in their effort to assess the conservation status of reef associated sharks and rays worldwide.