Artículos de revistas
Occurrence of Juvenile Nassau Grouper, Epinephelus striatus (Teleostei: Serranidae), off Mona Island, Puerto Rico: Considerations of Recruitment Potential
Registro en:
0008-6452
Autor
Aguilar-Perera, Alfonso
Schärer, Michelle
Nemeth, Michael
Institución
Resumen
Notes In the wider Caribbean, the Nassau
grouper (Epinephelus striatus) is considered a commercially important fish. However, its former abundance has declined precipitously in many areas due to overfishing. In Mona Island, Puerto Rico, its spawning aggregations have apparently disappeared;
but while visual surveys were undertaken in
shallow back reef habitats of the southern coast of Mona, at least 7 Nassau grouper juveniles were recorded.During 2000 and 2005, early stage juveniles
were observed in seagrass dominated habitats
within a 100 m radius. Despite the apparent disappearance of spawning aggregations, the presence of early stage juveniles implies that this grouper is reproducing
in Mona Island either at unknown aggregation
sites or during seasons other than winter (i.e.,the common reproductive season). Alternatively, larvae may derive from either the western coast of Puerto Rico or eastern coast of the Dominican Republic and thereby replenish this species in waters of Mona Island. More research is needed to determine
the location of spawning aggregation sites, the extent of its reproductive season, and the potential for grouper larval connectivity among nearby islands. College of Arts and Sciences
University of Puerto Rico, Mayagüez