Length–weight relations of eight fish species from a small Caribbean coastal lagoon, Mexico

Abstract

Due to the importance of the estuarine fish fauna in Mexico and the implications of length–weight relation (LWR) for management and conservation, we present the estimates of the LWR for eight fish species from Rio Huach, a small estuarine system of the Mexican Caribbean. Fishes were caught in five sampling points during an annual cycle (1998) and in November of 2000, were measured with a digital calliper and weighed with a digital balance to obtain the standard length (SL) and weight (W). The LWR were obtained with two estimation methods: standardized major axis (SMA) and ordinary least squares (OLS). A total of 678 specimens were suitable for analysis. The estimates of LWR for Bathygobius soporator (Valenciennes, 1837) and Cyprinodon artifrons Hubbs, 1936 are presented here for first time, and for four species statistical differences with previous estimations of LWR were found (considering one or both estimation methods). With these results, the knowledge of LWR for tropical fish species is increasing and the importance of considering the estimation of LWR parameters using the standardized major axis method is discussed.

Keywords

• Estuarine fishes
• length–weight relations
• r