El ictioplancton constituye un componente importante en las comunidades planctónicas y comprende los huevos, larvas, postlarvas y, algunas veces, los juveniles de peces (Ciechomski, 1981; Matsuura & Olivar, 1999). Su relevancia radica en que proporcio

The taxonomy, spatial distribution, and abundance patterns of ichthyoplankton collected in September 2005 from the coastal zone of Gorgona Island National Natural Park in the Colombian Pacific Ocean were analyzed. The ichthyoplankton in the study area was collected with oblique tows using a minibongo net (30 cm; 250 μm mesh). The tows were made from variable depths depending on the stations but never exceeding 50 m. A sampling grid with 24 stations was used. Fish larvae abundance was between 69 and 16,837 larvae•1000 m-3. Larval stages of 35 species belonging to 14 families were identified. Gobiidae (35%) and Sciaenidae (15%) were the most abundant and frequent families. Lythrypnus sp. (8,519 larvae•1000 m-3) and Sciaenidae spp. (6,553 larvae•1000 m-3) were the most abundant and frequent species. The analysis of larval spatial distribution suggested a tendency to aggregate towards the south of the study zone, approximately 5 km offshore. Significant differences were detected in the ichthyoplankton abundances between the eastern and the western zones of the study area (Mann-Whitney, p = 0.000062). However, no significant relationship was observed between ichthyoplankton abundance and average temperature (Spearman, R =-0.346), salinity (Spearman, R = 0.227), and water transparency (Spearman, R = 0.10).

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Abstract. Commercial fishing of small pelagic species in Colombia, mainly "carduma" (Cetengraulis mysticetus) and "plumuda" (Opisthonema spp.), has been recorded since 1970. Both are used to produce fish meal for aquaculture and poultry and for canned foods. These two species are filter feeders, and therefore support higher levels of the food chain (other fish, birds and marine mammals), and artisanal fishermen use them as bait. Between 2005 and 2010, 86.131 t have been captured (X = 14.355 t yr−1), and a strong reduction was noticed in 2009 (6.969 t). Carduma is considered a total spawning species. However, from 1997 to 2000 and from 2008 to date, atypical reproductive behavior of the species has been observed, including partition of the spawning period and the reduction of the volume of eggs and larvae released to the environment. Both situations are linked to thermal anomalies such as El Niño and La Niña events. Therefore, the process of assigning the global quota of extraction has been revised to take into account the reduction of total capture during the last years and the inconsistencies of the reproductive processes. The Ministry of Agriculture reduced the quota by 10%, leaving available a total of 27 000 t for 2010 and reduced it again to 25 000 t for 2011. It is important to maintain the management measures that are already implemented on this resource (bans during reproduction seasons, catch quotas, regulation of mesh sizes for the fishing nets, and limiting the number of new vessels) and considering other measures such as season closure for recruitment and establishment of marine protected areas to further contribute to the sustainability of these fisheries.

We present new records of larvae and adult fish from the family Callionymidae in the Colombian Pacific coast. Larvae and juvenile of Synchiropus atrilabiatus (Garman 1899), expands its distribution range within this coast (between Tumaco in the South to the border with Panama in the North), presenting low to medium abundances in September-October 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005 and February-March 2006, 2014. Larvae were always collected at stations 54 km away from the coast. Adults of S. atrilabiatus were collected as bycatch from the deep-sea shrimp fishing fleet between 67-700 m depth at Bahía Cupica in 1995 and Arusí in 2005.