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The lunar cycle determines availability of coral‐reef fishes at fish markets
Author(s) -
Bos A. R.,
Gumanao G. S.
Publication year - 2012
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.1095-8649.2012.03454.x
Subject(s) - full moon , reef , biology , fishery , fish <actinopterygii> , coral reef fish , coral reef , sampling (signal processing) , oceanography , ecology , telecommunications , detector , computer science , geology
During 139 visits between March 2009 and May 2011, it was found that the availability of reef fishes at a local fish market in the Philippines was highly affected by the lunar cycle. The number of vendors selling reef fishes was significantly lower (13·4%) during third lunar quarters (full moon periods) than during the first, second and fourth lunar quarters (40·2, 25·0 and 30·0%, respectively). It is recommended that the influence of the lunar cycle on fish availability is considered when designing sampling strategies for catch surveys.