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Habitat utilisation by juveniles of commercially important fish species in a marine embayment in Zanzibar, Tanzania

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  15 July 2005

Blandina R. Lugendo ,
Annelies Pronker ,
Ilse Cornelissen ,
Arjan de Groene ,
Ivan Nagelkerken ,
Martijn Dorenbosch ,
Gerard van der Velde  and
Yunus D. Mgaya
Blandina R. Lugendo
Affiliation:
Faculty of Aquatic Sciences and Technology, University of Dar es Salaam, PO Box 35064, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania Department of Animal Ecology and Ecophysiology, Institute for Water and Wetland Research, Radboud University Nijmegen, Toernooiveld 1, 6525 ED Nijmegen, The Netherlands
Annelies Pronker
Affiliation:
Department of Animal Ecology and Ecophysiology, Institute for Water and Wetland Research, Radboud University Nijmegen, Toernooiveld 1, 6525 ED Nijmegen, The Netherlands
Ilse Cornelissen
Affiliation:
Department of Animal Ecology and Ecophysiology, Institute for Water and Wetland Research, Radboud University Nijmegen, Toernooiveld 1, 6525 ED Nijmegen, The Netherlands
Arjan de Groene
Affiliation:
Department of Animal Ecology and Ecophysiology, Institute for Water and Wetland Research, Radboud University Nijmegen, Toernooiveld 1, 6525 ED Nijmegen, The Netherlands
Ivan Nagelkerken
Affiliation:
Department of Animal Ecology and Ecophysiology, Institute for Water and Wetland Research, Radboud University Nijmegen, Toernooiveld 1, 6525 ED Nijmegen, The Netherlands
Martijn Dorenbosch
Affiliation:
Department of Animal Ecology and Ecophysiology, Institute for Water and Wetland Research, Radboud University Nijmegen, Toernooiveld 1, 6525 ED Nijmegen, The Netherlands
Gerard van der Velde
Affiliation:
Department of Animal Ecology and Ecophysiology, Institute for Water and Wetland Research, Radboud University Nijmegen, Toernooiveld 1, 6525 ED Nijmegen, The Netherlands
Yunus D. Mgaya
Affiliation:
Faculty of Aquatic Sciences and Technology, University of Dar es Salaam, PO Box 35064, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
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Abstract

Habitat utilisation by juveniles of 13 commercially important fish species was studied in five habitats located in Chwaka Bay, Zanzibar: mangrove creeks, mangrove channel, sand/mud flats, a seagrass area close to mangroves, and a seagrass area far from mangroves. Fish samples were collected from each habitat using a seine net, and fish abundance and size were measured to determine habitat utilisation. The seagrass beds near to mangroves showed the most diverse fish assemblage of all habitats, possibly because it functions as a corridor between the mangroves and deeper parts of the embayment. Juveniles of Cheilio inermis, Hipposcarus harid,Leptoscarus vaigiensis, and Scolopsis ghanam inhabited seagrass beds only. Juveniles of Gerres filamentosus and Monodactylus argenteus were mainly found in the mangrove habitats. Lethrinus variegatus, Pelates quadrilineatus and Siganus sutor were found in more than two habitats, with highest abundances in seagrass beds. Juveniles of Gerres oyena, Lethrinus lentjan, Lutjanus fulviflamma and Sphyraena barracuda were the most generalist species and were found in all studied embayment habitats. Visual census surveys supported the seine net data showing that most fishes in the embayment habitats were juveniles or sub-adults. In terms of habitat utilisation by different size classes, five of the 13 species (Lethrinus lentjan, L. variegatus, P. quadrilineatus, Siganus sutor and Sphyraena barracuda) were found as small-sized individuals in shallow and turbid mangrove areas, whereas large-sized individuals were observed in deeper and less turbid seagrass beds. A possible explanation for this pattern could be an ontogenetic shift in habitat utilisation, although this could not be proven. The patterns observed in the present study show a high similarity to those observed in marine embayments in the Caribbean, indicating that similar mechanisms are at work which make these systems attractive juvenile habitats.

Keywords

Tropical fishJuvenile fishMangroveSeagrass bedHabitat utilizationIndian Ocean
Type
Research Article
Information
Aquatic Living Resources , Volume 18 , Issue 2 , April 2005 , pp. 149 - 158
Copyright
© EDP Sciences, IFREMER, IRD, 2005

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