Abstract
This study analyses the spatial and temporal distribution of the dominant Sciaenids in the Caeté estuary on the northern coast of Brazil. Samples were taken by otter trawls in four areas of the Caeté estuary between October 1996 and August 1997 six bimonthly. Stellifer rastrifer, Stellifer naso and Macrododon ancylodon presented the highest biomass out of eleven species of Sciaenidae caught. Minimum and mean length at first maturity were calculated and the main spawning periods determined. Changes in the spatio-temporal distribution of the three species were related to seasonal changes in estuarine salinity and spawning pulses. Larvae and juveniles of S. rastrifer, S. naso and M. ancylodon were found in the inner estuary while larger specimens were more abundant in the outer estuary with higher salinities. M. ancylodon spawned from October to February and rested from April to August whereas S. rastrifer and S. naso spawned throughout the year, though with two peaks, in October-December and June.
Highlights
IntroductionDespite the economic importance of the fishery resources in northern Brazil, few studies have been undertaken on their biology, e.g. Barthem (1985)and Sanyo (1998) in the Marajó Bay (Pará) and Fernandes (1982) and Martins-Juras et al (1987) on São Luís Island (Maranhão).There is a considerable amount of information available on coastal Sciaenid fish populations of southern Brazilian states (e.g. VazzolerBRAZILIAN JOURNAL OF OCEANOGRAPHY, 53(1/2), 20051963, 1965, Yamaguti, 1967, 1968, Martins-Juras 1980, Juras & Yamaguti, 1985, Haimovici 1988, Kotas 1994, Castro & Castr,o 1995, Giannini & Paiva Filho, 1990 and Chaves & Vende 1997)
This study deals with the patterns of spatial and temporal distribution and morphometric parameters of both the juvenile and the adult stages of the Sciaenidae Stellifer rastrifer, Stellifer naso and Macrodon ancylodon in a tropical mangrove estuary in northern Brazil
An inshore movement of adults of all three species in a spawning condition observed during the months of high salinity showed this to be a breeding area
Summary
Despite the economic importance of the fishery resources in northern Brazil, few studies have been undertaken on their biology, e.g. Barthem (1985)and Sanyo (1998) in the Marajó Bay (Pará) and Fernandes (1982) and Martins-Juras et al (1987) on São Luís Island (Maranhão).There is a considerable amount of information available on coastal Sciaenid fish populations of southern Brazilian states (e.g. VazzolerBRAZILIAN JOURNAL OF OCEANOGRAPHY, 53(1/2), 20051963, 1965, Yamaguti, 1967, 1968, Martins-Juras 1980, Juras & Yamaguti, 1985, Haimovici 1988, Kotas 1994, Castro & Castr,o 1995, Giannini & Paiva Filho, 1990 and Chaves & Vende 1997). It is still unclear as to whether the knowledge from higher latitudes, i.e., from the subtropical Brazilian coast, on the ecology of widely distributed fish species may be transferred willy-nilly to fish populations inhabiting the tropical, mangrove-dominated northern coast of Brazil, especially in the complex Amazon River estuary. The length at first sexual maturity, spawning ground and spawning seasonal frequency are parameters essential to the understand of the causes of the adults’ spatial distributions and the survival rates of the larval fish stages. This study deals with the patterns of spatial and temporal distribution and morphometric parameters of both the juvenile and the adult stages of the Sciaenidae Stellifer rastrifer, Stellifer naso and Macrodon ancylodon in a tropical mangrove estuary in northern Brazil. The comparison of key parameters such as length at first sexual maturity or reproduction dynamics is important to determine similarities between populations along a latitudinal gradient in order to contribute to the preparation of fishery management regulations
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