The rocky reef habitat of Israeli coastline is rich and diverse, and abundant in marine resources. It functions as a stable habitat to algae, invertebrates, and Fish.

We initiated a long-term ecological research (LTER) program on the Mediterranean rocky reefs in 2014 and established a methodical working method since 2015. We started the reefs of Achziv, Naharia, and Sdot Yam at three different depth levels (10, 25 and 45 meters), and later on in 2016 we stopped collecting data on Naharia 10 &25 meters however we started collecting data on Ashdod and Ashkelon at 30 meters depth. We collect community and coverage data on invertebrates and algae. We intend to follow changes in space and time at our coastline. We hope that this data, collected intensivly, will encourage researchers to study this habitat and serve as a good baseline for further research, later reflected with enhanced knowledge of the marine ecosystem and effective marine policy in Israel.

Our data

We collect community data on fish using 25m line transects. Data is collected using GoPro camera which records the CCR (Closed Circuit Rebreather) diver voice. Each visual observation is recorded for species, size and distance from the line. We are conducting 4 transects at each site. The videos are analyzed in the lab.