Sea fishes spawning pelagic eggs in the St Lucia estuary

Abstract

During September 1993, after the St Lucia estuary had been closed to the sea for about nine months, two samples of live plankton were collected at the mouth inside the closed estuary. Fish eggs from these samples were hatched and identified by the characteristics of the eggs and early larvae. Pomadasys commersonnii and Crenidens crenidens were reared to confirm identification. Eggs of nine species were found and all but one were identified to at least genus level. The unidentified egg was probably that of a clupeiform, and the most common egg was the spotted grunter Pomadasys commersonnii. Subsequent sampling in the Charters Creek area in 1994 confirmed that five of the species also spawn in the main lake, while a further species was added to the list of marine fishes that will spawn in St Lucia given favourable conditions.