Abstract
The aim of the present study was to evaluate the potential use of otolith microchemistry (Sr:Ca and Ba:Ca ratios) to identify silver mullet, Mugil curema, populations in Southeastern Caribbean Sea. Fish samples were collected in 7 areas of Nueva Esparta State (Venezuela). The otolith Sr:Ca and Ba:Ca ratios and water Sr:Ca were determined (by ICP-OES and EDTA volumetric method). Otoliths Sr:Ca and Ba:Ca ratios and Sr:Ca partition coefficient of mullets in Cubagua island (south of the State) were significantly different from ratios in La Guardia (north of the State). A discriminant analysis of otolith Sr:Ca and Ba:Ca ratios separated Cubagua Island from La Guardia values. These results suggest the existence of different mullet groups in the Southeastern Caribbean Sea. For this, the simultaneous use of Sr:Ca and Ba:Ca ratios could be a potential tool to identify populations in the study area.
Highlights
In the last decade, the analysis of otolith chemical composition has been increasingly used to study fish movements and identify fish stocks (Zlokovitz et al, 2003; Kraus and Secor, 2004; Schuchert et al, 2010; Tabouret et al, 2010; Avigliano and Volpedo, 2013)
The otolith Sr:Ca ratio ranged from 2.65 to 3.64 mmol/mol, with the lowest value corresponding to mullets from La Guardia and the highest to those collected near Cubagua Island (Table 2)
The incorporation of Sr:Ca and Ba:Ca in the otolith depends on several factors, elemental water chemistry, salinity and temperature (Kraus and Secor, 2004; Miller, 2011; Sturrock et al, 2012)
Summary
The analysis of otolith chemical composition has been increasingly used to study fish movements and identify fish stocks (Zlokovitz et al, 2003; Kraus and Secor, 2004; Schuchert et al, 2010; Tabouret et al, 2010; Avigliano and Volpedo, 2013).
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