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Biomass and production estimates of a fish community in a small South African estuary
Author(s) -
Cowley P. D.,
Whitfield A. K.
Publication year - 2002
Publication title -
journal of fish biology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.672
H-Index - 115
eISSN - 1095-8649
pISSN - 0022-1112
DOI - 10.1111/j.1095-8649.2002.tb01763.x
Subject(s) - estuary , fishery , productivity , biology , biomass (ecology) , population , stock (firearms) , ecology , geography , demography , archaeology , sociology , economics , macroeconomics
The fish community of the small (17·5 ha) intermittently open East Kleinemonde estuary was sampled between 1994 and 1997 to estimate population size, standing stock, growth and productivity. The estuarine‐spawning species were numerically more abundant ( n c . 750 000) but due to their small size contributed only 11·7% to the total biomass. The total annual productivity of all fishes in the estuary ( n c . 890 000), with a standing stock of 28·44 g m −2 , was calculated at 55·89 g m −2 year −1 . The small sparid Rhabdosargus holubi with a production estimate of 41·35 g m −2 year −1 accounted for <74% of the total fish production in this estuary.