An inventory of the maximum length (ML) reached by 57 species of fishes living in the mangrove of Guaratuba, Brazil, was undertaken with an aim to evaluate the relationship between the ecosystem and the size of individuals. For each of these species, the maximum length found in the region were compared with those available in existing literature. The majority of populations presented individuals whose length reached at least 40% than the known maximum length for the species, although only 19.3% were longer than 300mm in absolute value. Population of the other species were represented only by individuals either in their initial development phases, or reduced length as compared to the maximum length known elsewhere for the same species. In this mangrove, species having the largest relative size are generally those that had the smallest absolute length. Proposed is use of an index LR (maximum observed lengths/maximum available lengths) as a tool for description and comparison of fish assemblages. Observations of the maximum size make possible the pre-selection of 12 species for breeding tests. In combining the biological, technical and commercial parameters, the pre-selection retains as primordial the following species: Centropomus parallelus, Centropomus undecimalis, Menticirrhus americanus and Micropogonias furnieri.
Maximum length; Selection; Fish; Aquaculture; Mangrove
