Abstract
Changes in the qualitative and quantitative composition of ichthyoplankton off the coast of the Moroccan Sahara (21–28° N) in different seasons of 1994–2007 are analyzed. In this region, the pelagic eggs and larvae of over 100 fish species belonging to 62 families have been recorded. In cold periods, off the coast of the Moroccan Sahara there is peak in the spawning of fish of the subtropical fauna. The majority of them are European pilchard Sardina pilchardus, common scad Trachurus trachurus, and Atlantic mackerel Scomber japonicus. In warm periods there is intensive spawning of fish of the tropical fauna. Among them, dominants are round sardinella Sardinella aurita, West-African scad Trachurus trecae, and Atlantic bonito Sarda sarda. The spawning biomass of principal commercial fish is calculated by the quantity of eggs laid by females. The environmental factors are indicated that influence the fluctuation of abundance and distribution of ichthyoplankton in the region under consideration.
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Original Russian Text © A.G. Arkhipov, 2009, published in Voprosy Ikhtiologii, 2009, Vol. 49, No. 2, pp. 225–232.
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Arkhipov, A.G. Seasonal and interannual variation of ichthyoplankton off the coast of the Moroccan Sahara. J. Ichthyol. 49, 228–235 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1134/S0032945209030035
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1134/S0032945209030035