ANNOTATED LIST OF FISHES CAUGHT BY THE R/V ARQUIPÉLAGO OFF THE CAPE VERDE ARCHIPELAGO GUI M. MENEZES, OKSANA TARICHE, MÁRIO R. PINHO, PEDRO N. DUARTE, ANA FERNANDES & MARIA A. ABOIM MENEZES, G.M., O. TARICHE, M.R. PINHO, P.N. DUARTE, A. FERNANDES & M.A. ABOIM 2004. Annotated list of fishes caught by the R/V ARQUIPÉLAGO off the Cape Verde archipelago. Arquipélago. Life and Marine Sciences 21A: 57-71. A prospective survey was carried out in October - November of 2000, in the Cape Verde archipelago, by the R/V ARQUIPÉLAGO. The main objective was to determine the species composition and relative abundance of the demersal fish resources living in the waters of the Cape Verde archipelago. A list of fishes caught with bottom longline during the survey is presented in this document, along with information about the area, depth limits and the relative abundance of the species in the catches. Ninety-seven different species from 49 families were identified from 20 long-line sets. To our knowledge, the following 12 species were recorded for the first time from the waters of Cape Verde islands: Etmopterus princeps, Etmopterus pusillus, Gymnothorax maderensis, Myroconger compressus, Laemonema robustum, Beryx splendens, Scorpaena elongata, Serranus atricauda, Taractes rubescens, Taracthichthys longipinnis, Pagrus africanus and Cathidermis sufflamen. The species Laemonema robustum, were new to the CLOFETA area. Gui M. Menezes (e-mail: [email protected]), Mário R. Pinho, Pedro N. Duarte, Ana Fernandes & Maria A. Aboim, Departamento de Oceanografia e Pescas, Universidade dos Açores PT - 9901-862 Horta, Açores, Portugal; Oksana Tariche, INDP - Instituto Nacional de Desenvolvimento das Pescas, Mindelo, S. Vicente, Cabo Verde. INTRODUCTION of 128 species was compiled along with the locality of the catches and the fishing method The Democratic Republic of Cape Verde, used. covering 4033 km2 and composed of 10 islands REINER (1996) summarized oceanographic and five islets, is located in the Eastern Atlantic expeditions which have contributed to the (36° - 40° N, 22° - 26° W), 750 km from the west knowledge of the biodiversity of marine fishes in of African continent. Despite of the relatively Cape Verde from 1832 (HMS BEAGLE) to 1981 vastness of the Cape Verde Exclusive Economic (R/V DR. FRIDTJOF NANSEN). The islandic Zone (734 265 km2), the area with depths less research ships FENGUR did surveys in 1984, than 200 metres near the island shelf is only 5934 1985 and 1988, and ISLANDIA in 1994, 1995, 2 km (BRAVO DE LAGUNA 1985). Due to the 1996 and 1997. The R/V CAPRICÓRNIO limited extension of the island shelf and the conducted a survey of oceanography and small relatively low primary production around the pelagic fish (IPIMAR and INDP, 1997). islands, the biodiversity is apparently lower than REINER (1996) cited and described 528 on the adjacent continental coast of Africa. species of marine fishes recorded and likely to Fish diversity has been the target of several occur in Cape Verdean waters. The marine fishes studies and surveys. The first list of fishes from Cape Verde are included in the Check-list of inhabiting the Cape Verdean waters was the fishes of the eastern tropical Atlantic - published by FRANÇA & VASCONCELOS (1962), CLOFETA (QUÉRO et al. 1990), a basic reference based on surveys in 1957, 1958 and 1959, by the work for the West African waters. Recently, new Portuguese R/V BALDAQUE DA SILVA. A list fish species for Cape Verde were added by BRITO 57 & MILLER (2001) with the description of Gobius MATERIAL AND METHODS ateriformis and Gobius tetrophthalmus. The main purpose of this work is to report on The R/V ARQUIPÉLAGO survey was carried out the fishes caught during the longline survey in October and November of 2000 (MENEZES cruise of the R/V ARQUIPÉLAGO (MENEZES 2003) by researchers from DOP and INDP (the 2003), operated by the Department of National Institute for Fisheries Development, Oceanography and Fisheries (DOP) of the Cape Verde Islands). The survey covered the University of the Azores (UAç). This survey was entire archipelago, which was divided into five implemented under the CABOFISH project areas according to island proximity and assumed (Research cruise on the demersal and deep-water biological similarity (Fig. 1). Areas were fishing resources of Cape Verde), which was a identified as follows: 1 - Santo Antão, São joint initiative between the governments of Cape Nicolau, São Vicente and Santa Luzia, islands Verde and the Azores, the University of the and Branco islet; 2 - Sal and Boavista islands; 3 - Azores and the Instituto Nacional de Maio and São Tiago islands; 4 - Brava and Fogo Desenvolvimento das Pescas (INDP) of Cape islands, and Grande islet; 5 - Nova Holanda and Verde. The main aims of the project were to Noroeste banks. The number of stations per area identify the demersal and deep-water was proportional to the size of each area. Fishing ichthyofauna and their main distribution patterns stations were semi-randomly distributed in order down to 1200 m depth, and prospect for fish to repeat some hand-line stations from earlier species potentially interesting for the surveys (ODDSSON & MONTEIRO 1998). The development of a bottom longline fishery in the depths studied on this expedition ranged from a archipelago of Cape Verde. few metres to 1200 m. Fig. 1. The Cape Verde archipelago. Location of the fishing stations (black circles) sampled during the bottom longline survey by the R/V ARQUIPÉLAGO (adapted from MENEZES 2003). 58 A bottom longline, with Steel No. 9 “J” depth strata. The frequency of occurrence was shaped hooks (with a gape of 12 mm) was baited measured as the average percentage of occurrence with salted sardine (Sardina pilchardus) during of each species in all the fishing sets per depth the first part of the operations, and later with strata. Abundance category follows the arbitrary bigeye scad (Selar crumenophthalmus). The groups of MENEZES (2003) based on the allocated fishing effort along depth was combination of the two above indices: I - Rare proportional to the planar area of each depth with a relative abundance smaller than 0.01%; II- stratum. The longline was deployed around Common species with an average relative 06:00h and usually retrieved two hours later. abundance values between 0.01% and 0.1% III- The catches were sorted by depth strata, Frequent species with average relative abundance identified to species, counted, weighed and values between 0.1 and 10% and an average measured. Biological sampling was also carried frequency of occurrence between 1 and 10%; IV- out for future studies of reproduction, growth and Dominant species each accounting with more genetics. Most of the fishes were identified than 10% of the average relative abundance with onboard, but some were frozen for later an average frequency of occurrence of more than identification. At least one specimen of most 25%. species was photographed and copies deposited in Occurrence: indicates fishing areas and the DOP/UAç archives (ImagDOP). Whenever depth range. The sub-areas covered by the survey possible, specimens of each species were were (see also Figure 1): Santo Antão, São preserved and deposited in the DOP/UAç or Vicente, Boavista, Sal, São Nicolau, Maio, INDP fish reference collections. Santiago, Brava, and Fogo islands, Branco and In the following list, fishes are grouped by Grande islets, and Noroeste and Nova Holanda Class, Order and Family following FishBase seamounts. (FROESE & PAULY 2004). Identification of the Size: Refers to the minimum and the species mostly follows WHITEHEAD et al. (1989), maximum of the Total length (TL) or Fork length FishBase (FROESE & PAULY 2004), HUREAU & (FL), according to the species. MONOD (1979), STARNES (1988), EDWARDS Remarks: further notes were added whenever (1991), REINER & MARTINS (1995). The considered relevant. following FAO identification sheets were also consulted: FISHER et al. (1981), COMPAGNO RESULTS (1984), ALLEN (1985), NAKAMURA (1985), COHEN et al. (1990), SCHNEIDER (1990), The following species of fishes were caught and HEEMSTRA & RANDALL (1993), NAKAMURA & identified during the survey expedition off the PARIN (1993), FISHER et al. (1995). Whenever Cape Verde archipelago: possible, the species common names are indicated in English (En), Cape Verde Creole (Cr), and CLASS CHONDRICHTHYES Portuguese (Pt). The sources for the English ROESE AULY names were from FishBase (F & P ORDER HEXANCHIFORMES 2004) and WHITEHEAD et al. (1989). Portuguese names follow SANCHES (1986) or SANTOS et al. Family Hexanchidae (1997), and the Cape Verde Creole names were given by local co-authors, in most cases Heptranchias perlo (Bonnaterre, 1788) corresponding to those REINER (1996). Sharpnose sevengill shark (En). Boca-doce (Pt). In this work, we used the following four fields Frequent, caught at Nova Holanda seamount and for characterising each species: Santo Antão island, between 300-500 m. Size Abundance: reflects both the relative (TL): 81 - 108 cm abundance and the frequency of occurrence of each species. The relative abundance was ORDER SQUALIFORMES measured as the average percentage of catch per unit effort (catch per hook) of each species per Family Dalatiidae 59 Etmopterus princeps Collet, 1904 caught below the deepest limit cited in Greater lanternshark (En). Lixinha da fundura CLOFETA (800 m). (Pt). Frequent, caught at Nova Holanda seamount, Centrophorus lusitanicus Bocage & Capello, Boavista, Maio and, Sal islands, between 600-800 1864 m, but usually from 650-750 m. Size (TL): 24 - 43 Lowfin gulper shark (En). Gata lixa (Cr). Barroso cm. Remarks: First record for Cape Verde islands (Pt). (Fig. 2). Recorded from off Senegal (CLOFETA). Common, caught at Fogo and São Vicente islands, between 600-700 m. Size (TL): 74 - 75 cm. Centrophorus uyato (Rafinesque, 1810) Little gulper shark (En). Gata (Cr). Barroso pequeno (Pt). Fig. 2. New species recorded to Cape Verde - Frequent, caught at Boavista, Maio, Sal Santo Etmopterus princeps (Photo credits: PDuarte - ImagDOP).