Abstract

The bonefish Albula spp. lives in coastal waters and shallow aquifer systems. It has great economic value by supporting economically important recreational fisheries in various regions of the Caribbean. Las Salinas de Brito (Zapata Swamp) is one of the main destinations for recreational catch and release fishing in Cuba, due to the presence of this and other species of interest. This work aims to evaluate how the bonefish is distributed in Las Salinas de Brito and which characteristics modulate that distribution. The abiotic characteristics found in the study area coincided with previous records in the same zones. Most of the sampled bonefish seem to be juvenile individuals, although there are larger individuals in the area that could not be sampled with the used method. In the deepest lagoons there were greater abundance of bonefish and greater variation in their sizes than in the shallower lagoons. Significant correlations were found between bonefish abundance and fish species richness (R= 0.47), between bonefish abundance and depth (R= 0.64), and between fish species richness and depth (R= 0.38). The correlation between bonefish size and depth (R= 0.03) was not significant. These results provide useful information on the habitat use of Albula spp. in the area, which will allow optimization of management plans. Future studies are required to deepen these aspects.