Abstract
Increased connectivity between coastal lagoons and the sea is expected to entail a greater proportion of marine species in the former. Chetumal Bay, estuary of the Hondo river into the Caribbean, had a limited access to the sea until the opening of the Zaragoza Canal. We sought changes in the fish community from 1999–2001 (just after an expansion of the canal) to 2015–2018. The same fishing gear was used, in the same localities, during all seasons. Total fish abundance and mean local richness decreased, although total abundance increased in the polyhaline zone. Diversity was greater in the oligohaline zone in 1999–2001, and in the mesohaline zone in 2015–2018. Three guilds were absent in 2015–2018: Medium-sized herbivores, large piscivores, and medium-sized planktivores. Abundance of small benthivores decreased by decade; medium-sized piscivores and small planktivores became more abundant in 2015–2018 in the polyhaline zone. These changes may be due to the opening of the channel, but illegal fishing outside the bay may explain the decrease in juveniles of large piscivores, and erosion in the innermost part may be destroying important habitats. Our findings can be a reference for similar situations, as coastal development and climate change interact and affect tropical estuaries.
Highlights
IntroductionChetumal Bay (known as Corozal Bay in Belize) is the estuary of the Hondo River and minor affluents, connecting them to the Caribbean Sea, at the border between Mexico and Belize
Chetumal Bay is the estuary of the Hondo River and minor affluents, connecting them to the Caribbean Sea, at the border between Mexico and Belize
The narrow and winding natural passage of Bacalar Chico was the connection of the Mexican part of the bay to the Caribbean Sea; a much wider opening exists near the Belize–Guatemala border, about 300 km south
Summary
Chetumal Bay (known as Corozal Bay in Belize) is the estuary of the Hondo River and minor affluents, connecting them to the Caribbean Sea, at the border between Mexico and Belize. This large water body (about 3500 km in area) is protected by both countries [1]. Between 1999 and 2004 an artificial channel was dredged and expanded for navigation, the Zaragoza Canal, opened initially in 1901, but never made deep enough for larger vessels This direct communication started having a strong influence on the abiotic and biotic conditions of the system, including the intrusion of corals and other reef organisms to formerly brackish areas of the bay [2]. Other mojarras (Eucinostomus spp.) are abundant, as are needlefishes (Strongylura spp.), pupfishes (Cyprinodontidae), flatfishes (several families), sea catfishes (Ariidae), Water 2019, 11, 2582; doi:10.3390/w11122582 www.mdpi.com/journal/water
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