Investigations on larvae of commercial fish from Hurghada, Red Sea with notes on the spawning seasons and grounds of some species

The present work deals with the study of fish larvae of coral reef fishes in the Red Sea (Hurghada). It was aimed to study the spatial and temporal variations of fish larvae for management purposes. Sampling stations were chosen at Marina, Sheraton, Magawish and Arabia. The samples were taken monthly throughout the period of the study from August 2014 to July 2015 using plankton nets of different mesh sizes (150, 350, and 500 micron). The highest density of larvae was observed in July when 841 larvae 1000m-3 were collected whereas, the lowest density was recorded in March and October at 11 1000m-3. The highest number of species was recorded in Sheraton with 28 species followed by Magawish with 27 species recorded followed by Marina with 26 species recorded while the lowest was recorded in Arabia with 25 species. Concentration of larvae was significantly different between months and sites. There was a significant difference in the number of species between months but not between stations. Larvae of mullid fish were abundant in summer while larvae of clupeids were observed all year round.