Identification of Reef Fish Spawning Aggregation Sites in Los Roques Archipelago National Park, Venezuela

Despite some indications of their presence, spawning aggregations of reef fishes (among the most important events in marine ecosystems) have not been previously formally documented in the Los Roques Archipelago National Park in Venezuela. This study attempts to identify potential spawning aggregation sites and times in the archipelago. We interpreted satellite images and created bathymetric maps of the region in order to select three sites for monitoring, all located along the park’s southern barrier reef. Thirty interviews with experienced local fishermen, taken January – March 2007, confirmed the choice of sites. Abundances and sizes of 27 species that form reproductive aggregations were monitored using underwater visual census for seven days after the full moon, February August, 2007. Interviewed fishermen most frequently mentioned aggregations of mutton snapper, Lutjanus analis, at Cayo Sal. Fishermen described Groupers (Epinephelus spp. and Mycteroperca spp.) as uncommon. Descriptive statistics show an increase in density for some species, including Lutjanus apodus, in certain months although spawning events were not observed. While these results do not prove the existence or locations of spawning aggregations in the archipelago, they are a useful population baseline for the species studied. This work is a first step towards characterizing reef fish spawning aggregations in Los Roques Archipelago National Park for future research and protection.