Linking mangroves and fish catch: a correlational study in the southern Caribbean Sea (Colombia)

Abstract

Mangroves provide habitat to a variety of fish species, potentially enhancing fish production in small-scale fisheries. Fish production ecosystem services have been correlated with mangrove area and perimeter in many tropical locations; however, nothing has been published linking small-scale fish catch and mangrove descriptors in the southern Caribbean Sea. We correlated the environmental variables with experimentally derived catch per unit of effort (CPUE) and richness of fishes in the Colombian southern Caribbean Sea, an area not directly connected with other productive coastal habitats. We measured mangrove descriptors (area, perimeter, and above-ground carbon), water quality (salinity and total dissolved solids), and water column productivity parameters (chlorophyll a, seston, and zooplankton bio-volume). Mangrove area and zooplankton bio-volume were the main factors influencing the species richness of fish. Mangrove area was positively correlated with catches for three of the most common fish species in the local artisanal fishery: Ariopsis canteri Acero P, Betancur-R, and Marceniuk, 2017; Mugil incilis Hancock, 1830; and Sciades proops (Valenciennes, 1840), which represent ca. 22% of the total regional annual catch. Our results suggest the causal links between mangrove habitat and fishery production through a mangrove trophic contribution. A. canteri appears to be a mangrove-dependent species and M. incilis a mangrove-associated species. Results support managing or preserving mangroves in the most extensive areas in the southern Caribbean to sustain small-scale fishery resources used mainly for community sustenance where alternative resources are limited.

Stable‐isotope analysis reveals sources of organic matter and ontogenic feeding shifts of a mangrove‐dependent predator species, New Granada sea catfish, Ariopsis canteri

“…The Atrato River discharges into the western coast of the gulf and is the second-largest freshwater input, after the Magdalena River, for the southern Caribbean (García-Valencia, 2007). The estuary of the Atrato River Delta (ARD) is considered an essential aquatic habitat for biota and artisanal fisheries; nonetheless, information about fish is scarce (Correa-Herrera et al, 2016;Correa-Herrera et al, 2017;Sandoval et al, 2020). There is a micro-tidal regime with amplitude <40 cm.…”

“…Atrato, Sinú, Magdalena and Ranchería rivers) (Marceniuk et al, 2017), it is abundant in coastal lagoons, river deltas, estuaries and mangrove areas (Acero et al, 2017). Recently, it was shown that A. canteri can be classified as a mangrove-dependent species (Sandoval et al, 2020).…”

“…Mangrove-associated fisheries in Urabá Gulf provide a critical source of food and income for many who have limited economic alternatives (Sandoval et al, 2020). A. canteri is one of the most common species in artisanal fisheries in the region.…”

“…A. canteri is one of the most common species in artisanal fisheries in the region. Nevertheless, there is little management or planning for fisheries (LOPEGU, 2017;Sandoval et al, 2020). Understanding diet and essential sources of organic matter consumed by dominant species is a crucial input for ecosystembased fishery management (EBFM) as knowledge of ecosystem processes is necessary for understanding the likely consequences of human actions (Pikitch et al, 2004).…”

Threatened Mangroves in the Anthropocene: Habitat Fragmentation in Urban Coastalscapes of Pelliciera spp. (Tetrameristaceae) in Northern South America

“…The Pacific coast of Colombia stands almost continuously covered with extensive mangroves (194,880 ha) and non-tidal wetlands, while the Caribbean coast (with almost 90,170 ha of mangroves) has witnessed a dramatic clearing and transformation of mangroves and coastal dry forests at expense of high-density settlements and extensive agricultural and pastoral areas since 1800s (Etter et al, 2008;Blanco et al, 2012;López-Angarita et al, 2016;Mejía-Rentería et al, 2018;Urrego et al, 2018; official mangrove extent data for 2011 in Blanco-Libreros and Álvarez-León, 2019). Global mapping efforts have pointed to the importance of the extensive wilderness areas along the Pacific coast as blue carbon hotspots, while selected extensive deltas along the Caribbean seemly remain as important areas for wildlife conservation and ecosystem services (Aldana-Domínguez et al, 2017;Hamilton and Friess, 2018;Simard et al, 2019;Sandoval-Londoño et al, 2020).…”