Abstract
Approximately 5,500 fishes weighing more than 62 Kg and representing 61 species were captured at four-week intervals at a mangrove and a beach site at Punta Moreles, Gulf of Nicoya, Costa Rica, from May 1980 to April 1981. Day and night samples were taken equelly. Anchoa panamensis comprised 23% of the total number of individuals, whereas Mugil curema acounted for 21% of total biomass.
Capture trends were similar for numbers of species and individuals and total biomass throughout the study. The only significant capture data difference was between mangrove (greater) and beach habitats in terms of numbers. Large numbers of juvenile engraulids, atherinids and gerreids were correlated negatively with lower salinity from August to October. The mullet, Mugil curema, apparently favors higher salinities of the dry season and accounts for the increase in biomass at the beginning and end of the study. In spite of these seasonal differences, H’ diversity varied little, with a mean of 2.72 for numbers and 2.98 for biomass.
Percentage similarity (PS) values between sites, times and sampling periods were generally low but only rarely significantly so. The moderately low seasonal change in PS values coupled with a stable and high annual H’ diversity indicate that the littoral fish populations are not presently adversely stressed by environmental contamination input into the Gulf of Nicoya.
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