Within the meroplankton, the group of fish eggs and larvae is specifically called ichthyoplankton. To increase knowledge about ichthyoplankton in Mochima Bay, bimonthly collections were made from December 2015 to October 2016 at three stations within the bay. A Bongo net with a 35 cm diameter mouth and a 333 μm mesh opening was used for this purpose. The samples were set at an oblique angle for 10 minutes at a speed of 2 knots. The samples were preserved in 4% formaldehyde and taken to the laboratory for identification. The measured environmental variables showed average temperatures of 28.23±1.26 °C and salinity of 35.87±2.20 ppm, exhibiting expected patterns for the area, which is influenced by seasonal upwelling. On average, the population parameters were: egg density 9.37±14.87 eggs/1000 m³, larval density 4.75 ± 8.50 individuals/10000 m³, species richness 2.06 ± 0.78 species, and diversity 2.08 ± 0.74 individuals/ind. A total of 74,945 fish eggs and 3,675 larvae were collected. The most abundant families were Labridae, Gobiidae, and Dorosomatidae (Clupeidae), while the most representative species were Gobiidae sp. 1, Sardinella aurita, and Labridae sp. 1. Overall, the values of the evaluated indices can be considered high. This high diversity underscores the importance of the National Park, as it provides suitable conditions for supporting a significant number of species of great variety and ecological and commercial importance.
