Abstrakt

Fish fishery resources of the Ostion lagoon, Mexico: An ecological approach.

Arturo Aguirre-Le?n1*, Silvia D?az-Ruiz2, Mariela Gazca-Castro1

The Ostion lagoon is the southernmost coastal system in the State of Veracruz. Its fish community has been little studied in the last three decades, however, its species are the object of important artisanal fishing. The spatial and temporal variation of its community structure was analyzed considering the diversity, richness, evenness, density, biomass and average weight and its relationship with the physicochemical parameters of the system. Likewise, the fish associations and their correlation with the environmental factors of the system were defined. In this study, 34 species were collected and identified, 12 of which were new records for the lagoon. Four species were dominant in the system, Citharichthys spilopterus , Opsanus beta , Diapterus rhombeus and Cathorops aguadulce . Community parameters showed a relationship with environmental gradients and climatic seasons. The diversity was highest in May (H´=2.36) and January (H´=2.48) and the density in July (0.018 ind./m2). The relationship of the composition and spatio-temporal distribution of the fish community was conditioned by salinity, temperature, dissolved oxygen, and depth. The knowledge of the community structure and biological functions of the fish and their interaction with the environmental factors of this lagoon is relevant since continuous studies have not been developed in this system and it has been affected by urban and industrial development due to the proximity of the Coatzacoalcos industrial city.