Search

The composition of demersal fish along the western coast of the State of Baja California Sur, Mexico, including the limit of the northern distribution of the ichthyofauna of the eastern tropical Pacific, is presented. The survey was carried out on four oceanographic cruises between autumn 2004 and March 2006. Of 220 species in 132 genera and 73 families, 26.3% are species of wide distribution from San Diego County, U.S.A. to Panama and 21.7% are species restricted to the eastern tropical Pacific. Six species are new findings for the area or range expansions. The families with the most species are Paralichthyidae and Scorpaenidae, each with 16 species. The most frequent genus was Sebastes, with nine species. We present a table with common Spanish names, size range and status of each species inside the community.

The influence of the lunar phases on the catch-per-unit effort (CPUE) of the striped marlin (Tetrapturus audax) captured by the Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur, Mexico sport-fishing fleet from October 1987 to June 1989 was analyzed. The information is from 3,377 fishing trips by 13 vessels that represent about 10% of the fleet. The analysis of the CPUE showed a maximum in January 1988 and a minimum in February 1989. Taking into account the knowledge of the factors that had influence on the fishing success is important in the resource management. No significant difference during the full moon compared with results during other lunar phases was found.