Seasonal and Spatial Changes of Cephalopods Caught in the Cabo Frio (Brazil) Upwelling Ecosystem

Variations in the distribution and abundance of coastal cephalopods in the Cabo Frio (Brazil) region were studied from 71 trawl samples obtained between November 1986 and October 1988. Species abundance was compared over the depths sampled and their relationship with hydrological features investigated. Best catches were markedly associated with upwelling of nutrient-rich water (South Atlantic Central Water) during the spring-summer period, at depths from 45 to 60 m. Two species, Loligo sanpaulensis and Eledone massyae, account for most of this increase. Variations in abundance of these species are related to recruitment and periods of high productivity on the feeding grounds. Benthic octopods such as Octopus tehuelchus, O. vulgaris and Eledone gaucha occurred in small numbers at 60 m. Species broadly distributed in the western Atlantic, such as Semirossia tenera and Loligo plei, were also present.