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Annasawmy, P., Ternon, J. - F., Cotel, P., Cherel, Y., Romanov, E., Roudaut, G., et al. (2019). Micronekton distributions and assemblages at two shallow seamounts of the south-western Indian Ocean: Insights from acoustics and mesopelagic trawl data. Prog. Oceanogr., 178, 102161.
Résumé: Micronekton distributions and assemblages were investigated at two shallow seamounts of the south-western Indian Ocean using a combination of trawl data and a multi-frequency acoustic visualisation technique. La Pa rouse seamount (summit depth similar to 60 m) is located on the outskirts of the oligotrophic Indian South Subtropical Gyre (ISSG) province with weak mesoscale activities and low primary productivity all year round. The “MAD-Ridge” seamount (thus termed in this study; similar to 240 m) is located in the productive East African Coastal (EAFR) province with high mesoscale activities to the south of Madagascar. Higher micronekton species richness was recorded at MAD-Ridge compared to La Perouse. Resulting productivity at MAD-Ridge seamount was likely due to the action of mesoscale eddies advecting productivity and larvae from the Madagascar shelf rather than local dynamic processes such as Taylor column formation. Mean micronekton abundance/biomass, as estimated from mesopelagic trawl catches, were lower over the summit compared to the vicinity of the seamounts, due to net selectivity and catchability and depth gradient on micronekton assemblages. Mean acoustic densities in the night shallow scattering layer (SSL: 10-200 m) over the summit were not significantly different compared to the vicinity (within 14 nautical miles) of MAD-Ridge. At La Perouse and MAD-Ridge, the night and day SSL were dominated by common diel vertically migrant and non-migrant micronekton species respectively. While seamount-associated mesopelagic fishes such as Diaphus suborbitalis (La Perouse and MAD-Ridge) and Benthosema fibula= performed diel vertical migrations (DVM) along the seamounts' flanks, seamount-resident benthopelagic fishes, including Cookeolus japonicus (MAD-Ridge), were aggregated over MAD-Ridge summit. Before sunrise, mid-water migrants initiated their vertical migration from the intermediate to the deep scattering layer (DSL, La Perouse: 500-650 m; MAD-Ridge: 400-700 m) or deeper. During sunrise, the other taxa contributing to the night SSL exhibited a series of vertical migration events from the surface to the DSL or deeper until all migrants have reached the DSL before daytime. Possible mechanisms leading to the observed patterns in micronekton vertical and horizontal distributions are discussed. This study contributes to a better understanding of how seamounts influence the DVM, horizontal distribution and community composition of micronekton and seamount-associated/resident species at two poorly studied shallow topographic features in the south-western Indian Ocean.
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Béhagle, N., du Buisson, L., Josse, E., Lebourges-Dhaussy, A., Roudaut, G., & Ménard, F. (2014). Mesoscale features and micronekton in the Mozambique Channel: An acoustic approach. Deep Sea Research Part II: Topical Studies in Oceanography, 100, 164–173.
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Brehmer, P., Sarre, A., Guennegan, Y., & Guillard, J. (2019). Vessel Avoidance Response: A Complex Tradeoff Between Fish Multisensory Integration and Environmental Variables. Rev. Fish. Sci. Aquac.., 27(3), 380–391.
Résumé: The avoidance reaction by fish in front of an approaching vessel is a major source of bias in direct biomass assessment and ecological studies based on fisheries acoustics data. An experiment was carried out to compare echosounder data obtained using a small speedboat and a research fisheries vessel generating significant higher noise above conventional reduced-noise standard. The results show that there was no significant difference between the individual fish target strength distributions, and the numbers of schools recorded by both boats, these schools having similar areas and perimeters. However, the schools detected by the noisier vessel were significantly deeper, and unexpectedly had a significantly higher energy level. These findings suggest that noise-reduced vessels trigger a different vessel avoidance reaction. The noise-reduction standard is not sufficient to reduce avoidance behavior. It is also to take into consideration the ambient noise, which could impair perception of the platform by the fish, and the probability that the acoustic stimuli could be less important than visual perception under some local conditions. The paper introduces the concept of partial avoidance and presents a conceptual diagram of the strength of the avoidance reaction. Last, it is not recommended, because of noise reasons, that vessels routinely used for pelagic stock assessment surveys be changed. Indeed standardized time series, which could be disrupted when switching to a new vessel, are more important than the hypothetical gain from change to quieter vessels. Obviously, all long-term surveys must change vessels; best practice will be to estimate the vessel effect before any change to avoid disrupting the time series and/or perform vessel intercalibration surveys.
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Handegard, N. O., du Buisson, L., Brehmer, P., Chalmers, S. J., De Robertis, A., Huse, G., et al. (2013). Towards an acoustic-based coupled observation and modelling system for monitoring and predicting ecosystem dynamics of the open ocean. Fish and Fisheries, 14, 605–615.
Résumé: Assessment of open-ocean ecosystems relies on understanding ecosystem dynamics, and development of end-to-end ecosystem models represents an approach that addresses these challenges. These models incorporate the population structure and dynamics of marine organisms at all trophic levels. Satellite remote sensing of ocean colour and direct at-sea measurements provide information on the lower trophic levels of the models, and fisheries studies provide information on top predator species. However, these models suffer from a lack of observations for the so-called mid-trophic levels, which are poorly sampled by conventional methods. This restricts further development, and we argue that acoustic observations from a range of platforms (e.g. buoys, moorings) can be linked to the ecosystem models to provide much-needed information on these trophic levels. To achieve this, the models need to be tailored to incorporate the available acoustic data, and the link from acoustic backscatter to biologically relevant variables (biomass, carbon, etc.) needs attention. Methods to progress this issue are proposed, including the development of observation models and focal areas for ground truthing. To ensure full use of the potential of acoustic techniques, we argue that a systematic and long-term strategy incorporating the following elements is required: development of metadata standards and automated data analysis, inclusion of acoustic sensors in large-scale observatory programmes, improvement of observation-model links, and efficient sampling strategies. Finally, these elements should be tied together in an observation-modelling framework, coordinated by international organizations, to improve our understanding and quantification of open-ocean ecosystem dynamics.
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Lezama-Ochoa, A., Grados, D., Lebourges Dhaussy, A., Irigoien, X., Chaigneau, A., & Bertrand, A. (2015). Biological characteristics of the hydrological landscapes in the Bay of Biscay in spring 2009. Fisheries Oceanography, 24(1), 26–41.
Résumé: In the present study we investigated the biogeography of macrozooplankton and fish biomass in the Bay of Biscay. In this region, we defined six different landscapes based on the hydrogeographical characteristics observed in spring 2009. We then related landscape's characteristics and environmental parameters such as light attenuation depth and chlorophyll-a with macrozooplankton and fish acoustic biomass. Hydrodynamic structures together with coastal influences (river discharges, predation pressure and depth preference) and vertical thermohaline structure/mixing (feeding modes and ability to stay in preferred layers) appeared as the main factors determining the biological distribution. Besides, variance partitioning was used to assess the respective roles played by the hydrological environment, the geographical space and the biological environment alone, and their interactions. Results revealed that: (i) macrozooplankton and fish have a preference for different hydrogeographical landscapes; (ii) the association between hydrological conditions and geographical features, i.e. the spatial structure of the hydrological environment, plays a key role in the distribution of macrozooplankton; and (iii) prey-predator relationships have to be taken into account to provide a comprehensive characterization of habitat suitability.
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