How much does the northerly gales affect shrimp juveniles and postlarvae in the Mar Muerto Lagoon, Oaxaca-Chiapas?

Beam trawls and basic hydrology sampling were carried out during a 36 hour tidal cycle in the Mar Muerto Lagoon, Oaxaca, to assess the effects of northerly gales "Nortes" on the abundance of penaeid shrimps. Litopenaeus vannamei was the dominant species (61%) captured in the tows, followed by F. californiensis (26%) and F. brevirostris (12%). Shrimp postlarval (< 6mm CL) comprised the largest fraction of the total catch. White shrimp (L. vannamei) abundance was only a response to diel rhythms, which were constrained by the strong gale, regardless of decreased tidal amplitude and lowered subsurface water temperatures. Specific shrimp size proportions suggested that L. vannamei behaved like subtidal mudflat specialists while F. californiensis acted as intertidal mudflat specialists. Juveniles abundance of F. californiensis increased during daylight period was a response to tidal amplitude decreased by the gale.