Preliminary Studies on Coral Reef Fish Larvae in Madagascar: Case of Toliara Bay

Fishing is the main source of income in the southwest coast of Madagascar where fishing practices are still artisanal. Toliara Bay was the main fishing zone before overexploitation of the resources occurred. The aim of this research was to identify the fish larvae diversity of Toliara Bay in order to evaluate if some of them could be captured, reared, and used as food or ornamental fishes. Sampling was performed with light-traps during 30 nights in 6 months in 2010 including rainy warm season and fresh dry season, on six sites in Toliara Bay. A total of 3 357 post-larvae belonging to 30 families were caught. Fish diversity was studied on the basis of the potential interest of fish taxa for local market, for ornamental trade, or for restocking. Overall Pomacentridae (35.1%) and Lutjanidae (13.2%) were the most abundant families. Among the six sites, the Grande Vasque site was the most interesting with 50.5% of fish of interest for ornamental trade, 20.2% for consumption and 20.2% for restocking. These preliminary results suggest that an alternative activity based on fish larvae capture and culture may contribute to a sustainable use of the fish resources of Madagascar.