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Fish biomass estimates from the littoral zone of an estuarine coastal lake

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Abstract

The fish community of Swartvlei, a southern African coastal lake, was sampled using gill and lift nets. A primary aim of the research was to determine the fish biomass of the lake shelf region as well as the distribution patterns of marine species which utilize this estuarine system as a nursery and/or foraging area. The catch per unit effort of fishes was more than three times higher in the littoral zone when compared to the pelagic, slope, or profundal zones. Both habitat diversity and available food resources were maximal in the shelf region. The biomass of the littoral fish community during 1980 was estimated at 12.4 g m2 wet weight, with detritivorous species contributing 3.2 g m−2, zoobenthos consumers 2.8 gm2, piscivorous species 2.3 g m2, herbivorous/epifaunal consumers 2.7 g m−2, and zooplanktivorous species 1.4 g m2. Published information on fish atanding stock estimates from various estuaries and coastal habitats around the world is collated and compared. It is concluded that estuarine fish biomasses do not excced those of productive freshwater or marine environments and that further research is necessary to determine the size and variability of estuarine fish stocks in relation to other ecosystems.

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  1. J. I. B. Smith Institute of Ichthyology, Private Bag 1015, 6140, Grahamstown, South Africa

    Alan K. Whitefield

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Whitefield, A.K. Fish biomass estimates from the littoral zone of an estuarine coastal lake. Estuaries 16, 280–289 (1993). https://doi.org/10.2307/1352501

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