English
Français
Final Exploratory Fishing Session For The Life Program
As part of the BIODIV’OM Life program, the sixth session for collecting samples of post-larvae took place on October 3-9, 2021, under a new moon, closing out exploratory fishing. The data is being sorted and will reveal whether or not post-larvae for the Nassau or Atlantic goliath grouper were found in the waters of Saint Martin. These results are not totally conclusive, as the arrival of such post-larvae could have been outside of the time periods when the samples were taken, or at other sites, or even that the sampling was done under unusual conditions tied to the water currents or the water temperature of the ocean. However, a large number of post-larvae for other species could be observed, in proportions that do not necessarily correspond to that of adult fish as observed during dives. The greater pipefish—for example—a sort of unrolled seahorse, very present among the post-larvae—is much more rarely identified in its adult stage. These observations will also help adapt the calendar of post-larvae arrivals, which will facilitate additional operations to rejuvenate other species such as, among others, the surgeonfish.
