Abstract

This research was carried out to determine the spatial distribution of density (catch per unit area) – CPUA and size structure of Eucinostomus argenteus and their relationship with environmental variables in the north zone of the Colombian Caribbean sea. The data comes from a survey of fisheries research during the dry season (February of 2006) between Puerto Estrella (La Guajira) and Santa Marta (Magdalena). Biological samples were taken with a bottom trawl net (< 50 m and 50-100 m stratum of depth) following a systematic design survey. The male were found mainly inmature and female mature. The fishes mature with higher sizes were mainly located in the sector between Manaure and Punta Gallinas, where the continental shelf is very wide and the local oceanography is modulated by the seasonal upwelling. The juvenile fishes were found toward the south of the study area between Boca Camarones and the Rio Buritaca, close to the coast. In this sector the continental shelf is very narrow with high biological productivity for the presence of rivers, mangroves and sea grasses, which serve as feeding grounds and nursery habitat for E. argenteus. In general, our results suggest that environmental conditions were important determinants of spatial distribution of abundance and sizes of E. argenteus in the north zone of the Colombian Caribbean Sea, with temperature and depth as variables that better predict the spatial distribution of this specie.

PDF Preview