Abstract

"Bajos Del Norte" is an area located 137 nautical miles northeast of Progreso Port. in the central part of Campeche Bank. This zone is composed by formation, with reef characteristics, which emerge from the marine platform reaching depths between 5 and 20 m, forming a small range of submarine "mountains" (cordilleras). In March and May of 2002 trips to "Bajos de Norte" were made on board a fishery boat with the objective of studying the reproductive behavior of groupers in the zone. In situ, through direct methods (submarine observations) and indirect (commercial catch), we anályzed the distribution of the organisms and its state of sexual development using macrocospic criteria of its gonads. In addition, environmental parameters such as depth, temperature, current, transparency, salinity, dissolved oxygen, and lunar phase were recorded for each site. Eleven species of groupers (genera Cephalopholis, Epinephelus and Mycteroperca) were identified by visual census and/or in the commercial catch. One of these "cordilleras" known by the fishennenas "Bajo Chico" displayed the greater densities andadvanced stages of sexual maturity for M. venenosa, M. bonaci, M. tigris, E. striatus and M. interstitialis. Although the emission of gametes was not observed in situ, the high density observed of organisms and the presence of hyaline oocyteS in its gonads, suggests that this site corresponds to a spawning area. Thus E. guttatus aggregated mainly in the reef crest at an average depthof27 m; E. striatus, M tigris and M. venenosa preferred the reef slope to depths between 35 and 40 m, whereas M. interstitialis and M. bonaci occupied the marinebed at a depth of 55 m.

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