Assessing the nursery role for marine fish species in a hypersaline coastal lagoon (Mar Menor, Mediterranean Sea)

The shallow inshore areas of coastal lagoons function as nursery grounds for the early life stages of marine fish. Multi-species approaches and the assessment of several population variables are of great value in studies focused upon the ecological importance of estuarine systems as fish nursery areas. Therefore, the objective of this study was to analyse the spatial differences in the abundance, biomass, growth and condition indexes of juveniles from three marine species: Sparus aurata, Liza aurata and Liza ramada, in order to assess the nursery role of the Mar Menor coastal lagoon for these species. Results showed high spatial variability of the studied variables, with higher abundance and biomass values at those sites closest to the inlet connecting the lagoon with the Mediterranean Sea. Moreover, there were significant relationships between the growth and condition of the fish with hydrographical circulation patterns within the lagoon, indicating the suitability of the Mar Menor as a nursery area for the three studied fish species.