Acoustic surveys for juvenile anchovy in the Bay of Biscay: Abundance estimate as an indicator of the next year's recruitment and spatial distribution patterns
Begoña Santos, Maria
KAUST DepartmentRed Sea Research Center (RSRC)
Biological and Environmental Sciences and Engineering (BESE) Division
Marine Science Program
Plankton ecology Research Group
Permanent link to this recordhttp://hdl.handle.net/10754/562909
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AbstractA series of acoustic surveys (JUVENA) began in 2003 targeting juvenile anchovy (Engraulis encrasicolus) in the Bay of Biscay. A specific methodology was designed for mapping and estimating juvenile abundance annually, four months after the spawning season. After eight years of the survey, a consistent picture of the spatial pattern of the juvenile anchovy has emerged. Juveniles show a vertical and horizontal distribution pattern that depends on size. The younger individuals are found isolated from other species in waters closer to the surface, mainly off the shelf within the mid-southern region of the bay. The largest juveniles are usually found deeper and closer to the shore in the company of adult anchovy and other pelagic species. In these eight years, the survey has covered a wide range of juvenile abundances, and the estimates show a significant positive relationship between the juvenile biomasses and the one-year-old recruits of the following year. This demonstrates that the JUVENA index provides an early indication of the strength of next year's recruitment to the fishery and can therefore be used to improve the management advice for the fishery of this short-lived species. © 2013 International Council for the Exploration of the Sea.
SponsorsThis project was funded by the Basque Government "EUSKO JAURLARITZA - GOBIERNO VASCO, Ekonomiaren Garapen eta Lehiakortasun Saila - Departamento de Desarrollo Economico y Competitividad, Nekazaritza, Arrantza eta Eli. Politika sail - Vice. de Agricultura, Pesca y Politicas Alimentarias", and by the Spanish Government "Administracion del Estado, Ministerio de Agricultura, Alimentacion y Medio Ambiente, Secretaria General de Pesca".
PublisherOxford University Press (OUP)
JournalICES Journal of Marine Science