scholarly journals Species identification of small pelagic fish schools by means of hydroacoustics in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea

2015 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
pp. 151 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. TSAGARAKIS ◽  
M. GIANNOULAKI ◽  
M. M. PYROUNAKI ◽  
A. MACHIAS

  Reliable biomass estimates by means of hydroacoustics largely depend on the correct identification of acoustic targets. Data collected during five summer acoustic surveys (2004-2008) in the North Aegean Sea (Greece) were analyzed to explore effective discrimination of small pelagic fish schools according to the species they belong. Discriminant Function Analyses (DFA) using bathymetric, energetic and morphometric school descriptors as explanatory variables were applied per research cruise as well as to pooled data from all surveys. Results revealed that the schools can be successfully classified into the five species considered (anchovy Engraulis encrasicolus, sardine Sardina pilchardus, round sardinella Sardinella aurita, blue whiting Micromessistius poutassou, and Atlantic mackerel Scomber scombrus). The percentage of correct classifications in terms of number of schools was higher in the analyses of the annual cruises (75.6%-95.36%) than in the analysis of pooled data (≈72%). This is because of (i) the lower number of species, as well as (ii) the reduced intraspecific variability, occurring in each separate cruise. Significant differences were detected among school descriptors for the different species, revealing discrete aspects of schooling behaviour for each species. The benefit of the specific approach is that the classification functions of the DFAs can be used to classify a larger set of schools, which has not been possible to assign to specific species. Overall the approach constitutes an objective, more automated and less time consuming procedure for the analysis of acoustic data and can contribute to the improvement of biomass estimates in the area.

2010 ◽  
Vol 68 (1) ◽  
pp. 43-51 ◽  
Author(s):  
Henrik Jensen ◽  
Anna Rindorf ◽  
Peter J. Wright ◽  
Henrik Mosegaard

Abstract Jensen, H., Rindorf, A., Wright, P. J., and Mosegaard, H. 2011. Inferring the location and scale of mixing between habitat areas of lesser sandeel through information from the fishery. – ICES Journal of Marine Science, 68: 43–51. Sandeels are small pelagic fish that play an important role in the diet of a range of natural predators. Because of their limited capture by traditional survey gear, little is known about their large-scale distribution or the degree of mixing between habitat areas. Detailed information collected directly from the fishery was used to map fishing grounds, which were then assumed to reflect the foraging habitat of the species. Length distributions from individual hauls were used to assess differences in the distributions as a function of distance between samples. Sandeel foraging habitat covered some 5% of the total area of the North Sea. Mixing between neighbouring fishing grounds was too low to eliminate differences in length distributions at distances between grounds down to 5 km. Within fishing grounds, mixing was sufficient to eliminate differences in length distributions at scales <28 km but insufficient at greater distances. The lack of mixing between grounds may result in large differences in sandeel abundance among adjacent fishing grounds. Further, notable abundance at one end of an extensive fishing ground is not necessarily indicative of similar abundance at its other end.


2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (3) ◽  
pp. 653
Author(s):  
ATHANASIOS GKANASOS ◽  
EUDOXIA SCHISMENOU ◽  
KOSTAS TSIARAS ◽  
STYLIANOS SOMARAKIS ◽  
MARIANNA GIANNOULAKI ◽  
...  

We present the development of a 3D full-lifecycle, individual-based model (IBM) for anchovy and sardine, online coupled to an existing hydrodynamic/biogeochemical low-trophic level (LTL) model for the North Aegean Sea. It was built upon an existing 1D model for the same species and area, with the addition of a horizontal movement scheme. In the model, both species evolve from the embryonic stage (egg+yolk sac larva) to the larval, juvenile, and adult stages. Somatic growth is simulated with the use of a “Wisconsin” type bioenergetics model and fish populations with an adaptation of the ‘super individuals’ (SI) approach. For the reference simulation and model calibration, in terms of fish growth and population biomass, the 2000-2010 period was selected. Interannual biomass variability of anchovy was successfully represented by the model, while the simulated biomass of sardine exhibited low variability and did not satisfactorily reproduce the observed interannual variability from acoustic surveys. The spatial distribution of both species’ biomass was in relatively good agreement with field data. Additional single-species simulations revealed that species compete for food resources. Temperature sensitivity experiments showed that both species reacted negatively to a temperature increase. Anchovy, in particular, was more affected since its spawning and larval growth periods largely overlap with the period of maximum yearly temperature and low prey concentration. Finally, simulation experiments using IPCC climatic scenarios showed that the predicted temperature increase and zooplankton concentration decrease in the future will negatively affect anchovy, resulting in sardine prevalence.


PLoS ONE ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 14 (8) ◽  
pp. e0219671 ◽  
Author(s):  
Athanasios Gkanasos ◽  
Stylianos Somarakis ◽  
Kostas Tsiaras ◽  
Dimitrios Kleftogiannis ◽  
Marianna Giannoulaki ◽  
...  

2020 ◽  
Vol 49 (1) ◽  
pp. 13-22 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ismail Burak Daban ◽  
Ali Ismen ◽  
Mukadder Arslan Ihsanoglu ◽  
Koray Cabbar

AbstractThis study determines the length distribution, length– weight relationship, age, growth parameters, mortality rate, sex ratios, length at first maturity and reproduction of saddled seabream (Oblada melanura) collected monthly by fishermen around the Northern Aegean Sea between November 2017 and October 2018. The length–weight relationship was calculated as W=0.0091×L3.11 (R2=0.95) and positive allometric growth was found. The condition factor and GSI varied between 0.81–1.58 and 0.01–9.61, respectively. The spawning season extended from May to July and peaked in June. Total lengths at 50% maturity were 18.97 cm for males and 18.83 cm for females. Parameters of the von Bertalanffy growth equation were: L∞ =29.91 cm, K =0.27 per year, t0 =−0.82 year and age varied between 1 and 8. The instantaneous rates of total mortality (Z) and natural mortality (M) were 1.36 and 0.58 per year, respectively. Rates for fishing mortality F and exploitation E were 0.78 and 0.57 per year, respectively. The mean absolute fecundity (F) was 117 075±23 243 oocytes, ranging from 19130 to 470 132.


2018 ◽  
Vol 59 (2) ◽  
pp. 185-190
Author(s):  
Barbara Zorica ◽  
Vanja Čikeš Keč ◽  
Kristijan Zanki ◽  
Leon Grubišić ◽  
Tanja Šegvić-Bubić

Due to very good collaboration with one commercial purse seiner, using “Srdelara” and operating in fishing zone G, preliminary data concerning the interaction between small pelagic purse seine fishery and its predators were obtained. According to the notes taken by experience observer on-board in period from year 2013 to 2016, seems that tunas, dolphins and swordfish were the faithful companions of purse seiner fisherman with abundance of 68.6%, 22.0% and 9.4%, respectively. Although they were present all year round, their monthly pattern of appearance indicated that less tunas were recorded in May-June, more dolphins were noted from July to October while swordfish were mostly abundant in winter (January-March). Within the investigated period, slightly increasing trend of tuna and dolphins’ appearance was recorded, although statistically not significant. Analysing possible correlation between purse seine catches and predator’s abundances, revealed that appearance of tuna had negative impact on the catches (dispersion of schools), while realised catches in presence of dolphins were quite good so it seems that they tend to round up small pelagic fish schools.


2018 ◽  
Vol 99 (5) ◽  
pp. 1111-1118 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ioannis A. Giantsis ◽  
Athanasios Exadactylos ◽  
Konstantinos Feidantsis ◽  
Basile Michaelidis

AbstractThe horse mussel Modiolus barbatus is a marine benthic bivalve, distributed mainly in the Mediterranean basin, that constitutes a fishery product of high economic importance and a promising candidate for aquaculture. The current study provides the first insights regarding the genetic profile of M. barbatus populations from the eastern Mediterranean, by analysis of a partial segment of the mitochondrial COI gene in individuals collected from five sampling localities within the Aegean Sea. To the best of our knowledge, the derived haplotypes represent the first DNA barcodes of M. barbatus from the entire Mediterranean region. Maximum likelihood phylogenetic analysis revealed that M. barbatus from the North Sea and M. barbatus from the eastern Mediterranean may not belong to the same species and as a consequence, there might be three species of the genus Modiolus in Europe. On the other hand, eastern Mediterranean M. barbatus haplotypes were found to be more closely related to the Asian-Pacific Modiolus species. All geographic populations analysed displayed high levels of genetic diversity, in terms of haplotype and nucleotide diversity and a considerable number of unique alleles. Divergence among populations was found at generally low levels, corresponding with the majority of pairwise Fst values not being significant. These findings suggest no population structure and high levels of gene flow, a common feature observed in marine bivalves with long pelagic larval phases.


2004 ◽  
Vol 89 (2) ◽  
pp. 175-187 ◽  
Author(s):  
Evdokia Kourelea ◽  
Dimitrios Vafidis ◽  
Chariton-Charles Chintiroglou ◽  
Georgios Trontsios ◽  
Louis Chicharo

2014 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
pp. 213 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. STERGIOU ◽  
D.C. BOBORI ◽  
F.G. EKMEKÇİ ◽  
M. GÖKOĞLU ◽  
P.K. KARACHLE ◽  
...  

As part of its policy, Mediterranean Marine Science started from 2014 to publish a new series of collective article with fisheries-related data from the Mediterranean Sea. In this first collective article we present length frequencies and weight-length relationships for the northern brown shrimp Farfantepenaeus aztecus in the eastern Mediterranean, length-weight relationships for 10 fish species in the North Aegean Sea, the feeding habits for 11 sparid fishes in the North Aegean Sea, a review of the existing literature on the feeding and reproduction of common carp Cyprinus carpio in Anatolia (Turkey) and mouth dimensions and the relationships between mouth area and length for seven freshwater fishes from Lake Volvi (Northern Greece).


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