Inshore migration of the tropical eels Anguilla spp. recruiting to the Poigar River estuary on north Sulawesi Island

Abstract

To understand ecological and behavioral aspects of inshore migration of tropical eels, Anguilla spp., we collected 32 836 glass eels in the Poigar River estuary on north Sulawesi Island, Indonesia, in monthly collections from 1997 to 1999. The specimens were identified using morphological characters, and 3 species, A. celebesensis, A. marmorata, and A. bicolor pacifica, were found each year in fluctuating abundances. A. celebesensis was the most abundant species and comprised 73.5, 79.5, and 81.9% of all glass eels recruiting to the estuary of the Poigar River in 1997, 1998, and 1999, respectively. This species was relatively abundant in all 3 years with peaks during June in 1997 and 1998, and during September in 1999. A. marmorata was the second most abundant species and comprised 23.8, 18.8, and 17.7% of the yearly catches, respectively, and reached peaks in abundance during June in 1997 and 1998, and during January in 1999. A. bicolor pacifica comprised only 2.7, 1.7, and 0.3% of the yearly catches, respectively, with peak catches in June in 1997, in January in 1998, and in January and February in 1999. A. celebesensis and A. marmorata were collected almost throughout the year in 1997, 1998, and 1999, suggesting that in contrast to the temperate eels that recruit during half the year from winter to spring, these tropical eel species recruit to some degree throughout the year. Glass eels clearly were more abundant during new moon sampling events, with a total of 3075, 183, 3, and 90 glass eels collected in 10 sampling periods during new moon, waxing moon, full moon, and waning moon, respectively. All glass eels were collected at night (18:00 to 05:00 h) when light intensity ranged from 0 to 1.86 lux, and no glass eels were collected during the day (06:00 to 17:00 h) when light intensity ranged from 500 to 150 000 lux. During new moon, more glass eels were collected during flood tide than during ebb tide. These results suggest that a greater number of glass eels recruited to the Poigar River estuary at night, during new moon and during flood tide.

Ecology of Anguilliform Leptocephali: Remarkable Transparent Fish Larvae of the Ocean Surface Layer

“…Various studies have examined the recruitment patterns of anguillid glass eels in both temperate and tropical regions (e.g. Sugeha et al 2001b;Sullivan et al 2006Sullivan et al , 2009. Less studied are the larvae of mesopelagic eels, which presumably metamorphose at a certain size and move into deeper water to start their juvenile stage, based on studies of the life histories of these eels (e.g.…”

Tropical eels Anguilla spp. recruiting to Réunion Island in the Indian Ocean: taxonomy, patterns of recruitment and early life histories

“…In Indonesia and the Philippines, A. marmorata recruitment peaks in February to March (Tabeta et al 1976, Budimawan 1997, Arai et al 2002, while in French Polynesia 2 annual peaks occur, 1 in January to February and 1 in March to April (Marquet 1992). In North Sulawesi, the Celebes Sea, recruitment peaks in January and May to June, preferentially at new moon (Sugeha et al 2001a). At Réunion Island (this study), fishermen collect glass eels together with goby-fry during the entire traditional fishing period from November to April.…”

Effects of metamorphosis timing and the larval growth rate on the latitudinal distribution of sympatric freshwater eels, Anguilla japonica and A. marmorata, in the western North Pacific

“…Recent studies specifically on A. japonica (Tzeng 2003) indicated that the otolith microstructure and microchemistry can provide some clues to understanding the early life history of fish during their migration from spawning grounds until recruitment, but little is known about the early life history of most tropical species, particularly A. marmorata (Sugeha et al 2001a;Arai et al 2002a, b;Miller et al 2002;Shiao et al 2003). Also, it was found that the age at metamorphosis from the leptocephalus to glass eel can be determined by changes in otolith microstructures and in strontium/calcium (Sr/Ca) ratios in daily growth increments (DGIs) of otoliths Tsai 1992, 1994;Tzeng 1995).…”