Efeito da sazonalidade na diversidade da pesca de altura com linha e anzol no litoral de Alagoas

Abstract

Richness and distribution of marine organisms exhibits an uneven tridimensional pattern, strongly influenced by ocean hydrodynamics. In tropical environments, seasonal events are mainly related to wind direction changes which affect coastal currents. This work characterizes seasonal patterns influence over pelagic and reef fish fauna exploited by handline artisanal fishing in Alagoas State outer shelf. Richness and diversity indexes were used to compare dry and rainy seasons’ catches. A total of 374 individuals of 16 families and 30 species were caught (28 teleosts and 2 elasmobranchs) in six surveys. Results demonstrated that rainy season presented higher diversity than dry season. Canonical correspondence analysis (CCA) using rainfall, wind speed and direction, presented influence over biotic data of species occurrence, forming seasonal groupings. We conclude that seasonal wind changes produce effects over biotic and abiotic components affecting species diversity in tropical marine environments.