Shallow-Water Trawling Off the Swartkops Estuary, Algoa Bay

Abstract

Juvenile fish occurring in Algoa Bay off the mouth of the Swartkops estuary were collected using a 3-m beam trawl. Pomadasys ollvaceum, Engraulis capensis, Caffrogoblus agulhensls, Argyrosomus hololepidotus and Galeichthys feliceps were the most abundant species in the trawl catches. Despite the proximity of the Swartkops estuary the trawls failed to capture species which are abundant as Juveniles in the estuary and it is concluded that the estuary has little influence on the juvenile fish fauna outside the mouth.