Juvenile fish counts in Akumal
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At the end of June, Mexiconservación completed Akumal’s juvenile fish counts for 2006. The area’s population of juvenile fish is estimated 3 times a year within the first 7 days following the new moon phases of the summer months.
Why do we survey juvenile fish populations? .JPG)
These counts are important in order to ascertain how many juvenile fish will repopulate a given area and to ensure that their numbers are not dwindling. The surveys also allow us to determine their favorite nursery grounds which may then be proposed for protection.
What did we find?
Our survey sites in Akumal are Las Redes and Lobster Condominiums, as these were sites used for monitoring juvenile fish in the past. At both sites, the overwhelming majority of juvenile fish counted were from the damselfish and wrasse families. We have noted however, that there are large quantities of juvenile parrotfish, surgeonfish and butterflyfish in Akumal’s bays. Next summer, we hope to survey the bay areas in order to assess whether these fish families prefer to spend their formative years in the seagrass areas of the bays..JPG)
