Population Dynamics of The White Spotted Rabbitfish (Siganus Canaliculatus Park, 1797) in Panguil Bay, Philippines
Population Dynamics of The White Spotted Rabbitfish (Siganus Canaliculatus Park, 1797) in Panguil Bay, Philippines
Population Dynamics of The White Spotted Rabbitfish (Siganus Canaliculatus Park, 1797) in Panguil Bay, Philippines
ISSN No:-2456-2165
Abstract:- The white spotted rabbitfish (Siganus Visayan Sea, Lingayen Gulf and in Lagonoy Gulf [35]. S.
canaliculatus Park, 1797) is a commercially important canaliculatus inhabits inshore and reef areas dominated by
commodity occurring in the northern coast and algae. It is also known to occur in estuaries and in large
southern coast of Panguil Bay. This fish was reported to lagoons where there are algae-rubble habitats. This species
be caught by fishing gears like filter net, fish corral, is mainly common on rocky substrates. It can tolerate in
bottom set gill net, stationary lift net, motorized scissors turbid waters occurring within the vicinity of river mouths
net, and spear. To understand the population dynamics especially around seagrass beds. It also occurs several
and associated status of white spotted rabbitfish in kilometers offshore in deep clear waters. Juveniles of S.
Panguil Bay, the growth, mortality, exploitation and canaliculatus form very large schools in shallow bays and
recruitment pattern were determined from June 2002 to coral reef flats. School size of S. canaliculatus reduces
May 2003. A total of 1,513 samples of white spotted with size, with adults occurring in groups of 20 individuals
rabbitfish were collected from the four sampling or so [43].
stations established in Panguil Bay. Growth was
estimated using the FiSAT II and the estimated In Panguil Bay, studies on S. canaliculatus inhabiting
parameters were L∞ = 33.20 cm and K = 0.54 yr-1. the bay were very few. Only the work on the taxonomic
Total, natural and fishing instantaneous rate of identification of different fish species of the bay are
mortality values were Z = 3.80 yr-1, M = 1.18 yr-1, F = available [14], [43]. Panguil Bay is one of the most
2.62 yr-1 and the exploitation rate value was E = 0.69 yr- important shallow water fishing grounds in all of
1
. Projected recruitment pattern of S. canaliculatus Mindanao, Southern Philippines. The bay is an important
suggests that this species spawns all year round. Based trading link between the provinces of Lanao del Norte,
on the results, S. canaliculatus caught by fish corral in Zamboanga del Sur and Misamis Occidental and,
Panguil Bay from June 2002 to May 2003 was indirectly, the combined coastal population of 451,362
overexploited and that management strategies of this people is affected by the stability of the coastal
resource must be promulgated and implemented to environment [2].
address the depleting fishery.
The bay is the source of some of the most valuable
Keywords:- Growth, mortality, exploitation rates, species of shrimps and crustaceans. The bay has supported
recruitment, population dynamics, White Spotted superior quality of Penaeus monodon and the mud crab,
Rabbitfish, Siganus canaliculatus Park, 1797, Panguil Bay. Scylla serrata which had spawned a backyard industry for
crab fattening. The rivers and tributaries of the inner bay
I. INTRODUCTION are known to host a mature population of the giant
freshwater prawn, Macrobrachium rosenbeergii, as well as
The white-spotted rabbitfish (Siganus canaliculatus mullets, eels and spadefish [2]. Moreover, the bay is home
Park, 1797) belongs to the Family Siganidae. This species to various important finfish species like gobies, anchovies,
is almost all marine and is widely distributed throughout mullets, pony fishes, blue crabs, therapons, carangids,
the world. It thrives all over the Indo-West Pacific regions: lantern fishes, and hairtails. In addition, there are two
Persian Gulf, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Burma, Thailand, species of commercially important mollusks, Modiolus
Malaysia, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, Cambodia, Viet metcalfei and M. elongates and at least three species of
Nam, South China, Taiwan [43], Gulf of Oman [32], India seaweeds that provide alternative sources of income to
[19], [41], [22], Philippines [14], [23], [35], [38], Great fishermen [2]. Likewise, the bay supports a fishery
Barrier Reef of Western Australia [33]. It is also consisting of different species including that of S.
distributed in Japan [15], [20], Palau and Yap, Micronesia canaliculatus [14], [43].
[25], [3], [13] Hong Kong [44], [30] and in the southern
Arabian Gulf [11]. Fishing is an important source of livelihood among
the population living in the coastal barangays of Panguil
In the Philippines, S. canaliculatus is Bay. Fishing in the bay is artisanal and subsistence in
geographically distributed in Panguil Bay [14], Southern nature. Fishermen in the coastal barangays used different
Negros [23], Northwestern Sulu Sea, Southern Sulu Sea, types of fishing gears in exploiting the pelagic stocks of the
Samar Sea, Bohol Strait, San Miguel Bay, Davao Gulf, bay. Filter net was the most abundant gear type in the area
Study area
Panguil Bay lies in 7o56’ – 8o04’N, 123o36’ –
123 46’E. It is in the southern island of Mindanao and
o
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