Use of Mangrove Prop Root Habitats by Fish in the Northern U.S. Virgin Islands
Boulon RH. 1992. Use of Mangrove Prop Root Habitats by Fish in the Northern U.S. Virgin Islands. Proceedings of the Gulf and Caribbean Fisheries Institute. 41:189-204
Mangrove lagoon areas at St. Thomas and St. John U.S. Virgin Islands were sampled monthly to assess habitat use and nursery importance for fish and important invertebrates. Three study sites of varying degrees of degradation were chosen for study. Visual censuses and standardized trapping were conducted along tl1e mangrove shoreline. AU individuals of each species observed or trapped were counted and total and standard lengths of trapped fishes were recorded. Results demonstrated differences in species diversity, species composition and abundance of fishes between degraded and natural sites. Principal differences between sites seemed to be related more to water quality than to structural complexity of the habitat. Both visual censuses and trapping provided indications of annual recruitment cycles into the nursery habitat by Sphyraena barracuda and Ocyurus chrysurus.
- Type
- Journal Article
- Authors
- Boulon, Ralf
- Units
- VIIS
- Keywords
- Abundance, Diversity, Habitat Use, nursery importance, recruitment cycles, Trapping