Revista de biología marina y oceanografía

Preliminary Study of Fish Assemblage Structure of the Marine Protected Area of Cayar in Senegal

Ousmane Diankha, Fatima BA, Alassane Sarr, Hameth Diaw Diadhiou, Mamadou Diop, Saliou Ndiaye and Patrice Brehmer

Preliminary Study of Fish Assemblage Structure of the Marine Protected Area of Cayar in Senegal

Since its establishment in 2004, Cayar Marine Protected area (North of Senegal) is characterized by a lack of information on its fish fauna. Therefore, it becomes necessary to characterize the fish fauna of this MPA and its dynamics in time and space for a sustainable management of this conservation area. This present study investigated seasonal and spatial structure of the fish assemblage of Cayar MPA. This study consisted of collaborative seasonal sampling with local communities from six stations within the four main fishing areas with two types of fishing gears, purse seine and long line between 2015 and 2016. Ecological and trophic classification was performed in order to determine the fish fauna nature of this MPA. Multivariate analysis like factorial correspondence analysis and hierarchical classification analysis were carried out to study spatial and seasonal structure of fish assemblage of Cayar MPA. A total of 103 fish species from 45 families were reported. The most abundant species and the richest family were Pagellus bellottii and Carangidae, respectively. The fish assemblage was dominated by species of marine affinity and predators. Spatial and seasonal fish assemblages differed both in terms species richness and fish abundance. The highest and lowest species richness and abundance were recorded during the cold season and cold to warm transition period, respectively. A clear separation was found between stations where purse seine and long line were applied, in species composition and abundance. Results from this study might serve as the reference point of the fish assemblage in Cayar MPA. However, further investigation on the environmental variability is needed for a better understanding of the observed fish assemblage organization in time and space.