Abstract

Exploratory surveys using Antillean fish traps set at various depths off the south and west coasts of Barbados were conducted between September and December, 1989. A total of 88 sets were completed and 681 ‘fish caught. representing 5 1 taxa. The five most common taxa included in the catches were. in descending order. silk snapper (Luzjanus vivanus. 23%). squirrelfish (Holocentridae, 9%), blackfin snapper (L. buccanella, 9%). striped grunt (Haemulon striatum, 7%). and French grunt (H. flavolineatum. 7%). A negative relationship between increasing depth fished and number of species caught was found. The average size of blackfin snapper increased with depth fished, but such a relationship was not present for other species in general. The greatest catch biomass per trap was noted in sets made at intermediate depths of 60 to 120 m. In many cases, congeners had distinctly different depth distributions. For example, silk snapper were usually found in deeper water than blackfin snapper. The information on depth distributions presented here represent some of the first such data for many reef-dwelling species in the Eastern Caribbean

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