A nursery ground for four tropical Penaeus species: Laguna Joyuda, Puerto Rico

Abstract

A 1 yr survey of shrimps in Laguna Joyuda, Puerto Rico, yielded 4 Penaeus spp.: P. notialis (47 % of identified Penaeus spp.), P. subtilis (45 %), P. brasiliensis (7 %), and P. schmitti (1 %). Many of the shrimps collected were small juveniles (3 to 8 mm CL), but only 10 postlarvae were collected inside the lagoon. Recruitment occurred year-round, but highest numbers of P. subtilis were collected in the dry season and total catch was positively correlated with salinity. Two maxima in abundance were observed for P. notialis, with evidence for large annual variation in recruitment and stock size. Spatial variation in the total number of shrimp collected appeared to be related to sediment types or food availability. P. subtilis was associated with the more muddy stations, but there was broad overlap in the abundance of the 4 species, and only weak indication of partitioning in space and time.