Study areas
For management purposes the coast of Curaçao has been separated into a set of coastal areas: Klein Curaçao (1), Oostpunt (2), Caracasbaai (3), Willemstad (4), Bullenbaai (5), Valentijnsbaai (6), Westpunt (7), North Shore (8). We compared the fish composition between two environmentally contrasted areas along the southern protected coast, Willemstad (4, area from Jan Thiel to Boka Sami) and Valentijnsbaai (6, area from Kaap Sint Marie to Santa Cruz). The area adjacent to Willemstad includes a port, an oil refinery and is associated with high industrial and touristic activities. This area is generally more polluted, where various pollutants can reach the sea including runoff from agriculture, industry or sewage pollution, but the high amount of resources leads to a large fish biomass (Waitt institute 2017). In contrast, Valentijnsbaai is further away from the city and contains among the highest reef quality of the entire island, receives lower visits from recreational diving and a moderate amount of fishing activities, but is also associated with lower fish biomass (Waitt institute 2017).