Abstract
The seasonal abundance and reproductive cycle of the flyingfish Hirundichthys affinis was studied near Barbados. H. affinis shows large seasonal variation in abundance. They are common between December and June and scarce from July to November. The population size structure of H. affinis was determined by fishing with four different mesh sizes throughout one year. There appear to be two cohorts of H. affinis present in May and June, one of immature fish with a mean size of 19.8 cm FL, and one of mature fish with a mean size of 21.7 cm FL. From September to April there is only a single cohort of maturing fish with a mean size that increases from 20.4 cm FL in September to 22.0 cm FL in April. H. affinis spawns throughout the fishing-season (December–June) and shows a peak in spawning activity from March to June. Immature fish are present in Barbados waters from July to November but in very low abundance. Surface water temperature, wind speed and swell height are the only environmental factors with which catch rate of H. affinis showed significant correlation. Catch rate appears to be negatively correlated with temperature, whereas for wind speed and swell height there are optima. Three hypotheses for the seasonal variation in abundance of H. affinis were examined. The hypothesis that this species remains dispersed near Barbados during the off-season was rejected. The other hypotheses were refined. Both post-spawning mortality, resulting in an interval of low abundance between cohorts (non-overlapping generations), and migration of fish away from Barbados at the end of the fishing season, remain possible explanations for the observed seasonal variation in abundance of this species.
Similar content being viewed by others
References cited
Andersen, K.P. & E. Ursin. 1977. A multispecies extension to the Beverton and Holt theory of fishing, with accounts of phosphorus circulation and primary production. Medd. Danm., Fish. Havunder. (Ny Ser) 7: 319–435.
Barroso, L.M. 1967. Biologia e pesca do peixe-voador (Hirundichthys affinis Gunther) no estado Rio Grande do Norte. Bull Est. Pesca 7: 9–37.
Borstad, G. 1979. ASTP at Barbados: mesoscale pools of Amazon River water in the western tropical Atlantic. pp. 18–32. In: F. El Baz & D.M. Warner (ed.) Appollo-Soyuz Test Project Summary Science Report Vol. II, NASA SP 412, Washington, D.C.
Breder, C.M. 1938. A contribution to the life histories of Atlantic Ocean flyingfish. Bull. Bingham Oceannogr. Coll. 6: 1–126.
Brown, H.H. 1942. The sea fisheries of Barbados. Bull. Develop. Welf. W.I. 1: 1–42.
Campana, S.E., H.A. Oxenford & J.N. Smith. 1993. Radiochemical determination of longevity in flyingfish Hirundichthys affinis using Th-228/Ra-228. Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser. 100: 21–219.
Clark, D.R. & P.E. King. 1986. The estimation of gillnet selection curves for Atlantic herring (Clupea harengus L.) using length/girth relations. J. Cons. int. Explor. Mer. 43: 77–82.
Freon, P. 1992. Amethodology for visual estimation of abundance applied to flyingfish stocks. Proc. Gulf. Caribb. Fish. Instit. 41: 11–35.
Gomes, C., R.B. Dales & H.A. Oxenford. 1998. The application of RAPD markers in stock discrimination of the four-wing flyingfish, Hirundichthys affinis in the central western Atlantic. Molecular Ecology 7: 1029–1039.
Gomes, C., H.A. Oxenford & R.B. Dales. 1999. Mitochondrial DNA D-loop variation and implications for stock structure of the four-wing flyingfish, Hirundichthys affinis in the central western Atlantic. Bull. Mar. Sci. 64: 485–500.
Gorelova, T.A. 1980. The feeding of young flyingfishes of the family Exocoetidae and of the smallwing flyingfish, Oxyporhamphus micropterus, of the family Hemirhamphidae. J. Ichthyol. 20(4): 60–71.
Hall, D.N.F. 1955. Recent developments in the Barbadian flying-fish fishery and contributions to the biology of the flyingfish, H. affinis (Günther 1866). Eng. Colonial Office, Fish. Publ. No. 7. 41 pp.
Hastenrath, S. 1988. Climate and circulation in the tropics. D. Reidel Publishers, Dordrecht. 455 pp.
Hunte, W., H.A. Oxenford & R. Mahon. 1995. Distribution and relative abundance of flyingfish (Exocoetidae) in the eastern Caribbean. II. Spawning substrata, eggs and larvae. Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser. 117: 25–37.
Johannes, R.E. 1978. Reproductive strategies of coastal marine fishes in the tropics. Env. Biol. Fish. 3: 65–84.
Jordan, C.M. 1983. The flyingfish industry (Tobago): a continuing case study. Proc. Gulf Caribb. Fish. Instit. 36: 1–11.
Laevastu, T. & H.A. Larkins. 1981. Marine fisheries ecosystem, its quantitative evaluation and management. Fishing News Books, London. 170 pp.
Lewis, J.B., J.K. Brundritt & A.G. Fish. 1962. The biology of the flyingfish, Hirundichthys affinis (Gunther). Bull. Mar. Sci. Carib. 12: 73–94.
Mahon, R., S. Khokiattiwong & H.A. Oxenford. 2000. Selectivity of experimental gillnets for fourwing flyingfish, Hirundichthys affinis. Env. Biol. Fish. (in press).
Mahon, R., W. Hunte, H. Oxenford, K. Storey & R.E. Hastings. 1982. Seasonality in the commercial marine fisheries of Barbados. Proc. Gulf. Caribb. Fish. Instit. 34: 28–37.
Nesterov, A.A. & M. Ye. Grudtsev. 1981. The quantitative distribution of flyingfish of the family Exocoetidae (Beloniformes) in the tropical Atlantic. J. Ichthyol. 20: 137–140.
Nesterov, A.A. & S.I. Bazanov. 1986. Vertical distribution and behavior of flyingfish (Exocoetidae). J. Ichthyol. 26(5): 159–162.
Oxenford, H.A. 1994. Movements of flyingfish (Hirundichthys affinis) in the eastern Caribbean. Bull. Mar. Sci. 54: 49–62.
Oxenford, H.A., R. Mahon & W. Hunte. 1993. The eastern Caribbean flyingfish project. OECS Fishery Report No. 9. 171 pp.
Oxenford, H. A., R. Mahon & W. Hunte. 1995a. Distribution and relative abundance of flyingfish (Exocoetidae) in the eastern Caribbean. I. Adults. Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser. 117: 11–23.
Oxenford, H.A., R. Mahon & W. Hunte. 1995b. Distribution and relative abundance of flyingfish (Exocoetidae) in the eastern Caribbean. III. Juveniles. Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser. 117: 39–47.
Royce, W.F. 1984. Introduction to the practice of fishery science. Academic Press, New York. 428 pp.
Shiokawa, T. 1969. Study of the swimming habits of flyingfish in the spawning season. Proc. FAO Conf. on Fish Behaviour in Relation to Fishing Technique and Tactics, Bergen, Norway, 19–27 Oct. 1967, Vol. 3, FAO Fish. Rep. 62: 579–589.
Storey, K.W. 1983. Aspects of the biology and fishery of the flyingfish, Hirundichthys affinis, at Barbados. M. Ph. Thesis, University of West Indies, Barbados. 161 pp.
Zaneveld, J.S. 1962. The fishery resources and fisheries industries of the Netherlands Antilles. Proc. Gulf Caribb. Fish. Instit. 14: 137–170.
Zuyev, G.V. & V.N. Nikol'skiy. 1981. Procedure for the quantitative recording of flyingfish (Exocoetidae). J. Ichthyol. 20(6): 147–149.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Khokiattiwong, S., Mahon, R. & Hunte, W. Seasonal Abundance and Reproduction of the Fourwing Flyingfish, Hirundichthys affinis, off Barbados. Environmental Biology of Fishes 59, 43–60 (2000). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1007647918255
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1007647918255