SBC LTER: Reef: Long-term experiment: Kelp removal: Fish abundance

These data describe the abundance and size of reef-associated fish
within permanent plots of a long-term experiment designed to
examine trajectories of change in the structure and productivity
of kelp forest communities in response to changes in the frequency
and severity of disturbance to giant kelp. The number, size and
species identity of reef fish were recorded within a 2 m wide
swath centered along a 40 m long transect extending up to 2 m off
the bottom. Fish size was measured as total length estimated to
the nearest cm. The experiment was initiated in 2008 at five reef
sites along the mainland coast of the Santa Barbara Channel and
included an annual kelp removal treatment designed to simulate
increases in the frequency and severity of winter wave disturbance
and a continual kelp removal treatment that allowed the effects of
giant kelp on the community to be evaluated. The last experimental
removals of giant kelp occurred in winter 2016 or winter 2017,
depending on the site. Data collection continued in all plots
until spring 2023 to document the recovery trajectory of the reef
fish community following the cessation of experimental kelp
removal.