Abstract
The demersal fish fauna of the Gulf of Carpentaria was surveyed during November and December 1990. Over 300 species from 85 families were caught by trawling a systematic grid of 107 stations. The absolute mean biomass was 124.8 kg ha-1 (s.e. =44.1) for day trawls and 53.7 kg ha-1 (s.e. =6.0) for night trawls. The overall mean catch rates were 421.3 kg h-1 (s.e. = 128.5) for day trawls and 198.6 kg h-1 (s.e. =21.5) for night trawls. Biomasses were twice as high in the prawn-trawling grounds of Albatross Bay, the south-eastern gulf and Groote Eylandt as they were elsewhere in the gulf. Twenty-five species made up 75% of the biomass; the dominant families were Haemulidae, Carangidae, Leiognathidae and Nemipteridae. Community-structure and distribution patterns were analysed by numerical classification techniques and principal-coordinates analysis. These indicated six main site groups and 15 fish community groups, based on fish species occurrences and biomasses. There was a relationship between fish distribution patterns and depth of water but not other abiotic factors recorded (sediment type, salinity, temperature and turbidity).
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