2020 |
Zhou, C., et al. "The effects of mesoscale oceanographic structures and ambient conditions on the catch of albacore tuna in the South Pacific longline fishery." Fisheries Oceanography (2020).
Résumé: Albacore tuna (Thunnus alalunga) exhibit patchy concentrations associated with biological process at a wide range of spatial scales, resulting in variations in their catchability by fishing gears. Here, we investigated the association of catch variation for pelagic longlines in the South Pacific Ocean with oceanographic mesoscale structures (in horizontal dimension) and ambient conditions (in vertical dimension). The distribution of albacore tuna as indicated by catch per unit effort (CPUE) of longlines was significantly related to the presence of mesoscale structures, with higher CPUE found at locations closer to thermal fronts and with greater gradient magnitudes, as well as areas marked by peripheral contour line of the anticyclone indicated by Sea Surface Height Anomalies 0.05 m. Surface mesoscale current velocity had the negative effect on the catch, probably as a result of decreased catchability by shoaling the hook depth. Vertical distribution of albacore in the survey region of South Pacific Ocean was hardly restricted by ambient temperature and oxygen concentration, though effect of ambient temperature was relevant and showed a negatively linear correlation with CPUE at the range of 20–24°C. On the contrary, albacore distribution was evidently dominated by the water depth and showed strong preference on water depth of 200 m, which was likely a representative feeding layer. The presence of prey resources and their accessibility by albacore revealed by mesoscale structures in the biological and physical processes, and catchability determined by the location of the baited hooks comprehensively contribute to the variability of catch.
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2019 |
Draredja, M. A., et al. "Seasonal variations of phytoplankton community in relation to environmental factors in a protected meso-oligotrophic southern Mediterranean marine ecosystem (Mellah lagoon, Algeria) with an emphasis of HAB species." Environ. Monit. Assess.. 191.10 (2019): 603.
Résumé: The spatial and temporal variation of phytoplankton communities including HAB species in relation to the environmental characteristics was investigated in the protected meso-oligotrophic Mellah lagoon located in the South Western Mediterranean. During 2016, a biweekly monitoring of phytoplankton assemblages and the main abiotic factors were realized at three representative stations. Taxonomic composition, abundance, and diversity index were determined. In total, 227 phytoplankton species (160 diatoms and 53 dinoflagellates) were inventoried. There was a clear dominance of diatoms (62.9%) compared with dinoflagellates (36.8%). Diatoms dominated in spring and dinoflagellates developed in summer and early autumn in Mellah showing a marked seasonal trend. Data showed that the dynamic of the phytoplankton taxa evolving in the lagoon was mainly driven by temperature and salinity. For the first time, a number of potentially toxic species have been identified, including 2 diatoms (Pseudo-nitzschia group delicatissima, Pseudo-nitzschia group seriata) and 5 dinoflagellates (Alexandrium minutum, Alexandrium tamarense/catenella, Dinophysis acuminata, Dinophysis sacculus, Prorocentrum lima). These harmful species could threat the functioning of the Mellah lagoon and human health and require the establishment of a monitoring network. Finally, our study suggests that the observed decrease of the phytoplankton diversity between 2001 and 2016 could result from the reduction in water exchanges between the lagoon and the adjacent coast following the gradual clogging of the channel.
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2016 |
Druon, J. - N., et al. "Habitat suitability of the Atlantic bluefin tuna by size class: An ecological niche approach." Progress in Oceanography. 142 (2016): 30–46.
Résumé: An ecological niche modelling (ENM) approach was used to predict the potential feeding and spawning habitats of small (5-25kg, only feeding) and large (> 25kg) Atlantic bluefin tuna (ABFT), Thunnus thynnus, in the Mediterranean Sea, the North Atlantic and the Gulf of Mexico. The ENM was built bridging knowledge on ecological traits of ABFT (e.g. temperature tolerance, mobility, feeding and spawning strategy) with patterns of selected environmental variables (chlorophyll-a fronts and concentration, sea surface current and temperature, sea surface height anomaly) that were identified using an extensive set of precisely geo-located presence data. The results highlight a wider temperature tolerance for larger fish allowing them to feed in the northern – high chlorophyll levels – latitudes up to the Norwegian Sea in the eastern Atlantic and to the Gulf of Saint Lawrence in the western basin. Permanent suitable feeding habitat for small ABFT was predicted to be mostly located in temperate latitudes in the North Atlantic and in the Mediterranean Sea, as well as in subtropical waters off north-west Africa, while summer potential habitat in the Gulf of Mexico was found to be unsuitable for both small and large ABFTs. Potential spawning grounds were found to occur in the Gulf of Mexico from March-April in the south-east to April-May in the north, while favourable conditions evolve in the Mediterranean Sea from mid-May in the eastern to mid-July in the western basin. Other secondary potential spawning grounds not supported by observations were predicted in the Azores area and off Morocco to Senegal during July and August when extrapolating the model settings from the Gulf of Mexico into the North Atlantic. The presence of large ABFT off Florida and the Bahamas in spring was not explained by the model as is, however the environmental variables other than the sea surface height anomaly appeared to be favourable for spawning in part of this area. Defining key spatial and temporal habitats should further help in building spatially-explicit stock assessment models, thus improving the spatial management of bluefin tuna fisheries.
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2015 |
Arrizabalaga, H., et al. "Global habitat preferences of commercially valuable tuna." Deep Sea Research Part II: Topical Studies in Oceanography. 113 (2015): 102–112.
Résumé: In spite of its pivotal role in future implementations of the Ecosystem Approach to Fisheries Management, current knowledge about tuna habitat preferences remains fragmented and heterogeneous, because it relies mainly on regional or local studies that have used a variety of approaches making them difficult to combine. Therefore in this study we analyse data from six tuna species in the Pacific, Atlantic and Indian Oceans in order to provide a global, comparative perspective of habitat preferences. These data are longline catch per unit effort from 1958 to2007 for albacore, Atlantic bluefin, southern bluefin, bigeye, yellowfin and skipjack tunas. Both quotient analysis and Generalized Additive Models were used to determine habitat preference with respect to eight biotic and abiotic variables. Results confirmed that, compared to temperate tunas, tropical tunas prefer warm, anoxic, stratified waters. Atlantic and southern bluefin tuna prefer higher concentrations of chlorophyll than the rest. The two species also tolerate most extreme sea surface height anomalies and highest mixed layer depths. In general, Atlantic bluefin tuna tolerates the widest range of environmental conditions. An assessment of the most important variables determining fish habitat is also provided.
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FU, C., et al. "Relationships among fisheries exploitation, environmental conditions, and ecological indicators across a series of marine ecosystems." Journal of Marine Systems. 148 (2015): 101–111.
Résumé: Understanding how external pressures impact ecosystem structure and functioning is essential for ecosystem-based approaches to fisheries management. We quantified the relative effects of fisheries exploitation and environmental conditions on ecological indicators derived from two different data sources, fisheries catch data (catch-based) and fisheries independent survey data (survey-based) for 12 marine ecosystems using a partial least squares path modeling approach (PLS-PM). We linked these ecological indicators to the total biomass of the ecosystem. Although the effects of exploitation and environmental conditions differed across the ecosystems, some general results can be drawn from the comparative approach. Interestingly, the PLS-PM analyses showed that survey-based indicators were less tightly associated with each other than the catch-based ones. The analyses also showed that the effects of environmental conditions on the ecological indicators were predominantly significant, and tended to be negative, suggesting that in the recent period, indicators accounted for changes in environmental conditions and the changes were more likely to be adverse. Total biomass was associated with fisheries exploitation and environmental conditions; however its association with the ecological indicators was weak across the ecosystems. Knowledge of the relative influence of exploitation and environmental pressures on the dynamics within exploited ecosystems will help us to move towards ecosystem-based approaches to fisheries management. PLS-PM proved to be a useful approach to quantify the relative effects of fisheries exploitation and environmental conditions and suggest it could be used more widely in fisheries oceanography.
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