Spawning Aggregation Sites of Snapper and Grouper Species (Lutjanidae and Serranidae) on the Insular Shelf of Cuba

Abstract

Twenty-one spawning aggregation sites on the Cuban shelf were identified for eight species of snappers (Lutjanus) and groupers (Epinephelus and Mycteroperca) using information from experienced fishers and field studies. Three sites are on the southeastern shelf, eight on the southwest shelf bordering the Golfo de Batabanó, two in the northwest, and eight in the north-central region along the margins of the Archipiélago de Sabana-Camagüey. These numbers may reflect sampling effort as much as absolute aggregation numbers, with most effort concentrated in the southwest and north-central regions. Additional studies, particularly field assessments, are needed to determine the current status and consistency of occurrence of many of these aggregations. Most sites occur near the shelf drop-off at depths of 20-50 m, over reef substrates. Some sites involve sequential use by multiple species over several seasons of the year. Fishing activities have impacted many of these aggregations, both during spawning events and during pre-spawning migrations. This information is being applied in the design of marine reserve networks for several Cuban archipelagos. Intraspecific variations in aggregation formation occur temporally among differing regions of Cuba. Such variations reinforce the need for expanded research efforts on spawning aggregations.

Population characteristics of a recovering US Virgin Islands red hind spawning aggregation following protection

“…These effects are accelerated when fishers target the large, annual spawning aggregations formed at predictable locations by many species of tropical reef fishes, especially snappers and groupers (Johannes 1978, 1989, Colin et al 1987, Beets & Friedlander 1992, Sadovy et al 1994a,b, Beets & Friedlander 1997. Since spawning aggregations are the primary source of larval production and may replenish the local fishery through larval retention and recruitment (Roberts 1996, Sadovy 1996, overfishing of spawning aggregations may dramatically reduce the local abundance of these species causing population-level impacts (Claro & Lindeman 2003). Where once snappers and groupers made up the bulk of the catch of the commercial fishery, landings throughout the Caribbean are now dominated by herbivorous species such as parrot fishes and surgeon fishes (Tobias 1997).…”

“…Belize (Heyman et al 2001, Sala et al 2001, Bermuda (Luckhurst 1996), Cuba (Claro & Lindeman 2003), Florida Keys (Lindeman et al 2000, Mexico (Aguilar-Perera & AguilarDavila 1996), Puerto Rico (Shapiro et al 1993, Sadovy et al 1994a, and the US Virgin Islands . Few empirical examples exist, however, of a permanent marine protected area facilitating the recovery of a spawning aggregation.…”

Spawning patterns of commercially important reef fish (Lutjanidae and Serranidae) in the tropical western South Atlantic

“…et al (2008) studied populations from Ceará State (3-5°S), Brazil, and it is expected that some latitudinal variation occurs within regions/hemispheres (see Lutjanus jocu and Rhomboplites aurorubens below). In Cuba and Mexico, L. synagris is reported to spawn from late winter to early autumn (García-Cagide et al, 2001), in May in the Gulf of Batabano and the northwest shelf, and in June in the south and northeast zones of the Cuban platform (Claro and Lindeman, 2003;Claro et al, 2009); while, in Venezuela, most reproductive activity for this species is reported from the early sum- Costa et al (2005) in Porto Seguro (the northern part of the Abrolhos Bank) was in full agreement with our data. Compared with Caribbean seasonal spawning patterns (Claro, 1983;Munro, 1983;Polovina and Ralston, 1987;García-Cagide et al, 2001;Claro et al, 2009) (Claro, 1983).…”

“…The most abundant snapper-grouper species that we assessed, including Lutjanus synagris, Lutjanus jocu, Ocyurus chrysurus, Epinephelus morio and Mycteroperca bonaci, are well known to form spawning aggregations in the Caribbean (Claro and Lindeman, 2003;Claro et al, 2009;Sadovy de Mitcheson et al, 2008). The location and protection of the sites where most spawning occurs over a few months each year would be one of the most significant conservation measures that can be undertaken for these species (Sadovy de Mitcheson et al, 2008).…”

“…We compared the considerable amount of information regarding reproductive patterns of snappers and groupers in the North and Central Atlantic (e.g. Munro et al, 1973;Coleman et al, 1999Coleman et al, , 2000Lindeman, 2003;Colin et al, 2003) with our data and with other data from the western South Atlantic, providing the first multi-species appraisal of whether western South Atlantic spawning patterns are equivalent to those in the northwestern Atlantic. We emphasize the need for regional level management measures, such as size and seasonal restrictions, to complement the fleet regulations recently proposed by Frédou et al (2009a, b).…”