Charles E. Bartels and Kent S. Price Myrna I. López and William A
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Rev. Biol. Trop., 31(1): 75-101, 1983 Occurrence, distribution , abundan ce and diversity of fIS hes in the Gulf of Nicoya, Costa Rica Charles E. Bartels and Kent S. Price University of De1aware, College of Marine Studies, Lewes , Delaware 1995 8, U.S.A. Myrna I. López and William A. Bussing Universidad de Costa Rica, San Pedro, Costa Rica (Received for publication December 13, 1982) Trawl samples of demersal fish populations within the Gulf of Nicoya, Costa Rica were Abstract:conducted during February and July, 1979 and April, 1980 in an attempt to define basic abundance, diversity and distributional patterns. Seventeen day and three night samples produced 6,441 fishes of 107 species during the February cruise. Twenty day and two night samples produced 9,220 individuals of 131 species during the July cruise. Twenty day samples produced 14,151 individuals representing 125 species taken during the April cruise. A total of 214 species were collected during this study. The Gulf of Nicoya may be divided into three zones on the basis of the physical characteristicsof the stations (water temperature, dissolved oxygen, salinity, depth and distan ce from the mouth of the Gulf). Few changes in the position of these zones occurred during the study period, indicating a relatively stablees tuarine configuration from a biological perspective, under the influence of a wet and a dry season. No signifi cant seasonal changes in the number, biomass, percent occurrence, diversity of partitioning by size class of fishes were observed. Two major types of fish distributional patterns were observed. Several species we re ubiquitous and were found throughout the Gulf in varying abundances. Other species w-ere restricted to either the upper or lower Gulf. Dominant groups in the upper Gulf include the sciaenids, sea catfishes (Ariidae) and fla tfishes (Soleidae, Cynoglossidae and Syacium ovale). These fishes tend to inhabit the warmer, shallower, less saline waters of the upper Gulf. Flounders (Bothidae), gobies (Bollmannia spp .), morays and congers (Hildeb randia nitens, Priodonophus equatorialis and Muraenesox coniceps) and several other species dominated the deeper, cooler, more saline lower Gulf. While there have been severa! studies of biomass, number of species and number of various fishes or small groups of fish in the individuals captured. Stevenson (1978) Gulf of Nicoya, these studies have not, for attempted to predict the maximum sus the most part, dea!t with the overall distri tainable yield of selected fish species in the butiona! pattern of demersal fishes through Gulf using the Beverton-Holt yield mode!. out the entire Gulf. Peterson (1956) studied The reader is referred to Voorhis et al., the biology, taxonomy and ecology of an (1982), Epifanio et al., (1982), Maurer et chovies and sardines in the Gulf. Brittan al., (1982) and Bartels (1981) fo r recent (1966) described a small colJection of shore companion studies of the physical ocean zone fishes, while Bussing (1969) listed the ography, chemical oceanography, faroilies of the marine fishes of Costa Rica. megabenthic invertebrates, and fishes of the Erdman (1971) provided tife history infor Gulf of Nicoya. The thesis bv Bartels mation for 55 species of marine fishes with (1981) contíiins much of the raw data special emphasis on sharks, rays and jacks. analyzed in this study. Leon (1973) studied the oc curren . and The purpose of this study is to describe distribution of marine fishes in thece upper the occurrence, distribution, abundance and and middle Gulf. He reported dominance of diversity of demersal fishes in the Gulf of the upper Gulf by s ciaenids in terms of Nicoya and to attempt to defme sorne of 75 76 REVISTA DE BIOLOGIA TROPICAL the factors responsible for these findings. season gene rally occurs from May through This research was approached with four ma November (Leon, 1973). Due to the sea jor objectives in mind. The first was to sonality of precipitation in this area, there classify the Gulf in to biologically functional are significant variations in the discharges of zones on the basis of physical character the rivers and streams (Peterson, 1960) istics (water temperature, dissolved oxvgen, which contribute to changes in salinity and depth, salinity, and the distance to the density distribution patterns (Voorhis et al., mouth of the GulO and the correlation of 1982). The increased rainfall and subsequent fish species occurrence with these physical runoff appear to contribute to increased parameters. The second objective was the nutrient and turbidity levels during the iden tification of seasonal and zonal differ rainy season, particularly in the upper Gulf ences in dominance, diversity and oc (Epifanio et al. , 1982). currence. A third objective was to identify The data used in this study were taken any day-night differences in species oc during three cruises in the Gulf of Nicoya. curren ce, diversity and dominance and the The first , February, 1979 consisted of 20 final objective was to identify anv juvenile collections from 17 stations (3 stations adult partitioning within the estuary. were duplicated as night stations). The sec ond cruise took place during July, 1979 The study was undertaken as part of a and consisted of 22 collections at 20 larger Sea Grant sponsored project designed stations (2 stations were duplicated as night to promote training, technological exchange stations). During April, 1980, a third cruise and preliminary research between the Uni consisted of 20 day stations. The location of Delaware and the University of versity of these stations (Fig. 1) was chosen to Costa Rica. Hopefullv, these effo rts will provide coverage of the majority of the help identify additional potential fisheries Gulf. The addition of Stations 19, 20 and for the people of Costa Rica and provide a 21, in the J uly and April cruises, was made stronger basis for fu ture management of to enhance the coverage of the upper gulf. fisheries resources. In particular, this study Collections were made at each of the will provide basic information conceming stations using a semi-balloon shrimp trawl the distribu tion of important fish species (30 ft head rope and 37 ft fo ot rope at and possible key factors which lead to the the mouth with 1 1/2 inch stretched mesh observed patterns of their distribution. #9 thread body and 1 3/8 inch stretched mesh #1 8 thread bag). The net was towed MATERIAL AND METHODS at 1-2 knots with the prevailing current for a period of 30 minutes. A cable length of The Gulf of Nicoya is located on the 5 or 6 to 1 (length to depth) was used to west coast of Costa Rica between the ensure that the trawl was fishing the Peninsula of Nicoya and the mainland bottom. If the net became fouled or faiÍed (longitude 850W and latitude 10�; Fig. to function properly the haul was repeated. 1). The gulf is approximately 80 kilometers All fish captured were sorted to species in length and 45 kilometers wide at its whenever possible. Identifications were the greatest width (near mouth). Mangrove responsability of López and Bussing, swamps fringe most of the upper Gulf whereas Bartels and Price accounted fo r the while steep, forested hills bound the lower ecological aspects of the study. Gulf. Fresh-water input -is dependent on Identifications were completed using three main rivers. The Río Tempisque flows voucher specimens for the fl ISt cruise and into the upper end (Fig. 1). This is the were done on board ship during the second largest river entering the gulf and drains and third cruises. These fish we re then mostly agricultural land (Blutstein et al. , measured (total length) to the nearest centi 1970). Two smaller rivers, the Río Barranca meter. Disk width was used instead of total and Río Grande de Tárcoles, enter the length fo r all skates and rays. If there were middle to lower gulf along its east coast. greater than 50 individual s per species, a 50 The west coast of Costa Rica is under individual subsample was measure d. the influence of seasonal rains. The wet Subsample and total samples were weighed BA R TEL S et al, ,' Fishes of the Gulf of Nieoya, Costa Rica 77 NlCARAGUA"� �' Ca""." COSTA RICA COSTA RICA ?oc.t i c Ocean �AM-;_ � RIO 8::vronco 10 5 O ¡•• •• KILOMETERS " " .: ;. :.:.� : 5 6 .,::: I'i�:': alieno , ,,' 10 Il 9 .i�,a Leooa 8 : ZONE /// : ... .. a Cobo Blanco Golfo Cobo 8[00<;0 Golfo de Nicoya b de Nicoya 10 5 O 10 ,..... KILOMETERS ..: . , .�.. ZONE /// ZONE /11 e Cabo Blanco Golfo Cobo Blanco Golfo de Nicoyo de Nicoya Fig. la. Gulf of Nicoya, Central America : Location of stations for flsh survey, February and July 1979 and April 1980. fig. lb, Gulf of Nieoya, Central America : Separation of the Gulf into zones by mean s of Ward's Euelidean Distanee Cluster Analysis (February, 1979). fig. le, Gulf of Nieoya, Central Ameriea : Separation of the Gulf into zones by means of Ward's Euelidean Distance Cluster Analysis (July, 1979), Fig. Id, Gulf of Nieoya, Central America : Separation of the Gulf into zones by mean s of Ward's Euelidean Distanee Cluster Analysis (April, 1980), to the nearest 0.1 kilogram using a grocery depth and distan ce to the mouth of the scale. For those species with greater than Gulf) were recorded during the cruise by 50 individuals, the number of individuals other researchers as another part of the In was calculated by extrapolating the number temational Cooperative Sea Grant Program t o w ei ght ratio of the 50 individual (University of Delaware/University of Costa subsample. Rica) and are reported elsewhere (Voorhis The physical oceanographic data (water et al. , 1982 and Epifanio et al.