Research Note: Fish Records from the Saba Bank Commercial Fishery

Recent investigations of Saba Bank, Netherlands Antilles, have sought to develop inventories of marine biodiversity from this large, submerged coral reef atoll. Previous fish species inventories were compiled from underwater visual surveys and poison-based collections (RAP Survey Report, 2006), generating a list of more than 200 taxa (J. Williams, pers. com.). In June of 2007, a six-month port sampling study was initiated to examine landings of the Saba Bank commercial fishery. Port samples of finfish catch and bycatch produced novel fish species records for Saba Bank. These observations make a much needed addition to previous species inventories because they include records for fishes of commercial significance. The purpose of this note is to give a brief written and photographic account of new fish records from the Saba Bank commercial fishery. New species records from underwater surveys and observations from experimental trap fishing of Saba Bank are included as well.