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Essential to any model, conservation or management plan are measures of the distribution and abundance of a species. Countless methods for estimating these parameters exist, making it essential to assess the limitations and biases associated with a particular sampling protocol. Here, we compare between 2 methods commonly used to survey nearshore fish assemblages. Although most commonly employed, underwater visual census (UVC) may yield biased estimates of abundance depending on the strength of a fish’s behavioural response (ie avoidance, attraction) to the presence of divers. Baited remote underwater video (BRUV) techniques have shown promise in overcoming some of the limitations of UVC, but are unable to provide an absolute measure of density in turbulent environments. We compare the abilities of these 2 methods to survey the nearshore rocky reef ichthyofauna of Southeast Australia …