Juvenile Fish Habitat Research Articles

The effects of seaweed harvesting on fishes: a critique

Black & Miller (1991) concluded that there was no large impact of an experimental harvest of rockweed,Ascophyllum nodosum, on fishes. A critique of their study demonstrates that this conclusion cannot be substantiated by their data because of sampling biases, errors in experimental design and low statistical power. Further, evidence is presented which supports the hypothesis that rockweed may provide an important nursery habitat for juvenile fishes.

The Fish Community of a Shallow Tropical Lagoon in Belize, Central America

Trawl collections indicate that the fish community of the Belize barrier reef lagoon is dominated numerically and in biomass by grunts (Haemulidae), especiallyHaemulon sciurus andHaemulon flavolineatum. Although the gear selected for small sizes, length frequency analysis indicated seasonality in recruitment of the dominant species of grunts. Apogonids and tetraodontiform fishes were also dominant components of the community. Most fishes collected were juveniles of species that occur as adults on the main reef, or were small species that are resident in the lagoon. Of three habitats sampled, the mangrove creek had the greatest relative abundance and biomass of fishes, followed by the seagrass bed and the sand-rubble zone. There were no significant seasonal differences in fish relative abundance or biomass. Community structure analysis indicated a uniqueness in the mangrove fish community. Diversity (H′) was high, and was due to high species richness and evenness of distribution of individuals among species. The Belize barrier reef lagoon serves as an important nursery habitat for juvenile fishes.

Mangrove fish-communities in tropical Queensland, Australia: Spatial and temporal patterns in densities, biomass and community structure

Regular daylight sampling over 13 mo (February 1985February 1986) in and adjacent to intertidal forested areas, in small creeks and over accreting mudbanks in the mainstream of a small mangrove-lined estuary in tropical northeastern Queensland, Australia, yielded 112 481 fish from 128 species and 43 families. Species of the families Engraulidae, Ambassidae, Leiognathidae, Clupeidae and Atherinidae were numerically dominant in the community. The same species, with the addition of Lates calcarifer (Latidae). Aeanthopagrus berda (Sparidae) and Lutjanus agentimaculatus (Lutjanidae) dominated total community biomass. During high-tide periods, intertidal forested areas were important habitats for juvenile and adult fish, with grand mean (+1 SE) density and biomass of 3.5_+2.4 fish m-3 and 10.9 _+ 4.5 g m-3, respectively. There was evidence of lower densities and less fish species using intertidal forests in the dry season (August, October), but high variances in catches masked any significant seasonality in mean fish biomass in this habitat. On ebb tides, most fish species (major families; Ambassidae, Leiognathidae, Atherinidae, Melanotaeniidae) moved to small shallow creeks, where mean (-+1 SE) low-tide density and biomass were 31.3_+12.4 fish m -2 and 29.0_+12.1 g m -z, respectively. Large variances in catch data masked any seasonality in densities and biomasses, but the mean number of species captured per netting in small creeks was lowest in the dry season (July, August). Species of Engraulidae and Clupeidae, which dominated high-tide catches in the forested areas during the wet season, appeared to move into the mainstream of the estuary on ebbing tides and were captured over accreting banks at low tide. Accreting banks supported a mean ( -+ 1 SE) density and biomass of 0.4 _+ 0.1 fish m- z and 1.7 + 0.3 g m- 2, respectively, at low tide. There were marked seasonal shifts in fish community composition in the estu

The fish community of a moderately exposed beach on the southwestern Cape coast of South Africa and an assessment of this habitat as a nursery for juvenile fish

The ichthyofauna of a moderately exposed surf-zone habitat on the southwestern Cape coast of South Africa was sampled by seine netting monthly for 13 months. Twenty species of fish, 40 306 individuals weighing a total of 211 kg were captured. The number of species and standing crop varied seasonally with higher values occurring during the summer (January–March). The average summer standing stock of 38·6 g m −2 was considerably higher than any previously recorded from a surf-zone habitat and the annual average (10·1 g m −2 was comparable with that in estuaries. Eighteen of the species sampled occurred almost exclusively as juveniles and only two as adults. Four species were present throughout the year, 11 of them seasonally and the remaining five sporadically. Small juveniles (20–35 mm) typically appeared in the surf-zone 2–4 months after they were spawned. These 0+ juveniles remained there for between three months and one year depending on species, before vacating the surf-zone for their adult habitats. A comparison of the abundance of juveniles in the surf-zone with other inshore marine habitats suggested that five species ( Amblyrhynchotes honckenii, Cheilodonichthys capensis, Diplodus sargus, Lithognathus mormyrus and Pomadasys olivaceum) may be entirely, and three species ( Lichia amia, Liza richardsoni and Rhabdosargus globiceps) largely, dependent on the surf-zone as a nursery area. It was concluded that the surf-zone of sandy beaches may be as important as estuaries as a nursery habitat for juvenile fish.