A year-long otter trawl survey in the Sepetiba Bay, Rio de Janeiro State, Brazil, was carried out in order to describe the fish community structure and their spatial and seasonal variations. Sampling carried out between July 1993 and June 1994, yielded 97 species, 70 genera and 38 families. Ariidae, Gerreidae, Sciaenidae, Carangidae and Sparidae families amounted 69,9% of the total catch in number, and Ariidae, Sparidae, Gerreidae, Haemulidae and Sciaenidae amounted 67,9% of the total weight. Genidens genidens, Gerres aprion, Cathorops spixii, Micropogonias furnieri and Chloroscombrus chrysurus were the most numerous species, each one contributing more than 5% of the total catches. Higher numbers of fishes were associated with low depths and transparencies of the inner Bay, while salinity is a quite stable environmental parameter ranging around 29%o most of the time all over the Bay. Numbers of fish are higher in Late Summer and Early Winter. Overall, most number and weight of fishes were higher in the inner Bay than in the outer area next to the sea limit, while the number of species was higher in the outer Bay. The high number of fish species suggests the important role played by the Sepetiba Bay as rearing and residence grounds for the fish community.
Sepetiba Bay; ichthyofauna; coastal lagoons; fish; community
