This study assesses for the first time the relationship between annual cycles of different biological indices with growth patterns of a marine pejerrey Odontesthes argentinensis population near its southern-distribution boundary in North Patagonia. The reproductive period is between September and November evidenced by an increase in the gonado-somatic index with a peak in October corresponding to spawning. The reproductive cycle was also coupled with metabolic processes related to energy allocation as shown by changes in the hepato-somatic index and body condition. Total length (L(T) ) at maturity was 270 for females and 282 mm for males, whereas fecundity was estimated at mean ±s.d. = 9380 ± 1797 mature oocytes. Based on the marginal increment analysis, most of the scales showed a maximum value during summer, with a sharp decline thereafter during autumn and winter, indicating that scale rings are formed during the latter period and only once a year. Growth fitted by the von Bertalanffy model for both males and females did not show significant differences and showed a rapid growth during the first 2 years. The shorter reproductive period compared with that of the northern O. argentinensis populations inhabiting tropical and subtropical areas was interpreted as an adjustment to temperate environmental conditions. The larger maximum L(T) and L(T) at first maturity are in agreement with the counter-gradient hypothesis and could be related to the selective effects of low temperature and a shorter growing season. This latitude dependency argues strongly against the application of the same fishing regulations for different O. argentinensis populations as a whole and reinforces the need to assess basic biological features at a population scale to promote local sustainable fisheries management.

The seasonal variation of the inshore fish assemblage of Anegada Bay, North Patagonia, Argentina is described here. Three areas were seasonally sampled from 2007 to 2009 by means of a gang of bottom gill-nets. We found 21 coastal fish species, but species richness and fish number and weight changed throughout the year. The six species classified as dominant have national and regional value for artisanal and recreational fishing and were responsible for the seasonal variation in the fish assemblage. Both cluster and non-metric multidimensional scaling analyses based on fish number and fish weight indicated two major sample groups encompassing spring and summer (the warmer seasons) and autumn and winter (the colder seasons). The fish assemblage had higher species richness, dominance and abundance during the warmer seasons than during the colder seasons in the same years and at the same sites. Water temperature was the main environmental factor structuring the fish assemblage in Anegada Bay. We suggest that partial breeding migration toward the bay during warmer months could explain the seasonal pattern observed. Nevertheless, variation in temperature conditions agreed well with the pattern of seasonal changes, leading to an interaction between abiotic and biotic influences in determining the variability in this seasonal fish assemblage. We conclude that an understanding of species temporal and spatial patterns in areas of high ecological and economic value, as exemplified by Anegada Bay, are essential for the implementation of a management approach oriented toward ecosystem sustainability.

During the research programme conducted on the OV Puerto Deseado in the summers of 2011 and 2013, 36 stations were sampled using a demersal net at depths between 53-590 m in the Antarctic Peninsula and South Shetland Islands. A total 3378 fish specimens belonging to 36 species were recorded. Notothenidae was the best-represented family in species number, with Lepidonotothen nudifrons, L. larseni and Trematomus scotti being the most numerous species. Of the fish assemblages, 20% of the species were considered as dominant, 10% as common, 13% as occasional and 57% as rare. Six groups (and two sub-groups) were obtained by the ordination diagram based on geographical location: group 1 = Gerlache Strait, group 2 = Deception Islands, group 3 = Biscoe Island, group 4 = between Elephant and King George islands, group 5 = northern Antarctic Peninsula, and group 6 = South Shetland Islands, with sub-groups 6a shallower South Shetland Islands and 6b deeper South Shetland Islands. Sampling depth and water temperature significantly explained the spatial pattern. A latitudinal pattern of decreasing abundance from north-east to south-west was found in L. larseni and the opposite in T. scotti. The predictability of fish composition in the assemblages' areas could be a useful tool for ecosystem-based management.

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