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Email the author (Login required) A case study of length frequency distribution analysis of Litopenaeus vannamei (Boone, 1931) using kernel density estimators
DOI: https://doi.org/10.3856/vol38-issue2-fulltext-4
Abstract
This paper, introduces the use of kernel density estimators (EDK's) as a modern tool for examining the length-frequency distribution of Litopenaeus vannamei in its estuarine stage. The data were obtained monthly at 22 sampling sites in the Carretas-Pereyra lagoon-estuarine system, from March 2004 to August 2005, covering both seasons of the year: dry and rainy. Shrimp were caught with a 4 m diameter cast net of 10 mm mesh size. The size distribution of each sample was analyzed by means of EDK's, using the Gaussian weight function and the bootstrap bandwidth. The values of the dominant modes over time were fitted to a von Bertalanffy growth function. The results suggest continuous recruitment to the fishing area, albeit with a bimodal pulse. The mean growth rate of the shrimp is the same in both climatic seasons. The estimated parameters are similar to those registered in previous research by other authors for L. vannamei in nearby systems. The study illustrates how the use of the EDK's followed by a method of growth analysis herein, we use modal progression analysis is an objective and precise way to investigate length-frequency distribution and its application in the estimation of important parameters of population dynamics for important fishery species, Mexico.
