Abstract
The first quantitative estimates of fish abundance on the high latitude (27 degree S) coral reefs in the St Lucia Marine Reserve on the South African coast are presented. Selected species were monitored annually by underwater visual census at fixed transect sites at Two Mile Reef and Leadsman Shoal during the period 1987-1992. The wrasse Thalassoma hebraicum was the only monitored species to be recorded on all 22 transects and had a mean abundance of 24,2 per 1000 m super(2) at Two Mile Reef and 40,1 per 1000 m super(2) at Leadsman Shoal. Other species which had high frequencies of occurrence were Acanthurus leucosternon, Chaetodon madagaskariensis, C. unimaculatus, Forcipiger flavissimus, Lutjanus kasmira, L. russelli, L. bohar, Bodianus diana, B. bilunulatus and Amphiprion allardi