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Landings of the artisanal fishery in the Colombian Caribbean from 2013 to 2021 were characterized by means of two indicators: the trophic level and the vulnerability to fishery landings. Indicators showed a statistically significant decreasing trend in vulnerability and trophic level, suggesting that the fishery is increasingly targeting species of low vulnerability and trophic level, thus moving down the food web. The overall pattern of indicators was not uniform in space. Incidence interaction of gears and species landed explained the trajectory of indicators at the scale of Departments. Fishing gears targeted different levels in the food web, with gillnets responsible for the bulk of landings. Compared to a previous study, the group of fish species supporting most of landings has changed towards species with lower vulnerability, i.e. resistant to fishing mortality due to their evolved life-history but still of predatory habits in general. A notable exception is Mugil incilis, a species with a low trophic level that has become third in importance of landings in the database.

We compiled georeferenced records of deep demersal fishes from the Colombian Caribbean Sea in order to assess the level of survey coverage and geographic completeness of species richness inventories at a scale of 15 min by 15 min cells, in view of threats from fishing and oil and natural gas exploration. We identified a rich fauna with a minimum of 362 species registered. Areas with high observed and predicted species richness were identified. Survey coverage and geographic richness completeness resulted in being deficient with no cell reaching the status of well-sampled spatial unit, being 83% of the Colombian Caribbean Exclusive Economic Zone bottoms unexplored, particularly depths beyond 1,000 m. A plea is made for renewed survey efforts with a focus on the protection of the Colombian Caribbean deep-sea biota.

Succession studies on artificial substrates in the Bay of Santa Marta, Colombian Caribbean showed Balanus trigonus (Darwin) as one of the more prominent members of the fouling community. This fact prompted the interest for a closer examination of its biology. Four aspects were touched upon: recruitment, growth and mortality rates, and orientation with respect to the horizon line. Two hypotheses were tested. First, that orientation of individuals was random within the orientation range observed during succession, and second, that there was no relationship between orientation and age of the individuals. Larvae settling was found to occur throughout the year but with a well delimited peak in the dry season (January to April). The availability of competent larvae is reflected in the abundance of the species during succession. Growth and mortality proceed rapidly. Maximal growth (6.2 mm average carino-rostral distance) is reached in 20 weeks after settlement. Mortality is substantial: 50% of recruits, on average, died after 3-4 weeks from settlement. Orientation at settlement was found to be not random: for instance, 64% of individuals orientated between 0°-60° from the horizon. With age the orientation patterns at settlement changed statistically. Biological and ecological implications of these findings are discussed and comparisons made with other studies. It is concluded that Balanus trigonus could act as a model species for latitudinal comparisons in view of its wide distribution, adaptability and sessile habit.