Total Goby Density

See Tablular Data

The total number of gobies in each of the three treatments can be seen graphically in Figure 1. Eighteen quadrates were sampled in the general area before the cages were assembled in Februrary. During the pre-exclusion period gobies in the bay averaged 17.94 +/- 1.55 individuals per quadrate. After one month of exclusion cages, the number of gobies in each of the treatments varied significantly (ANOVA month 1 : F=18.21; P<0.0001). However, after another month of allowing the cages to equilibrate there was no significant difference between the treatments in total numbers of gobies for the rest of the study (2-way ANOVA exculding month 1: F=1.07; P<0.004). After the cages were taken down in August, cages were again sampled in September to look for differences in caged regions and there remained no significant change in total numbers of gobies from the last month of the study (2-way ANOVA exculding month 1: F=1.07; P<0.004; Figure 1).