Table S1. Pelagic Larval Duration (PLD) according to the water temperature by species of the fami... more Table S1. Pelagic Larval Duration (PLD) according to the water temperature by species of the family Penaeidae Species PLD (Day) Water temperature (°C) Reference
Sistemas de observación marina en el actual contexto de calentamiento global
Conferencia para la Universidad del Magadalena en el marco del proyecto de cooperación COOP20376 ... more Conferencia para la Universidad del Magadalena en el marco del proyecto de cooperación COOP20376 "Colaboración para el diseño de medidas de manejo de nuevas pesquerías de aguas profundas en un ecosistema prístino del mar Caribe colombiano"Los sistemas de observación marina utilizan sondas multiparamétrics y sistemas de comunicación de última generación para generar series temporales de datos que contribuyen a cuantificar la magnitud de los cambios producidos por el calentamiento de mares y océano
Mediterranean demersal fisheries have experienced an ongoing decline in catches over the past 20 ... more Mediterranean demersal fisheries have experienced an ongoing decline in catches over the past 20 years as a result of excessive increases in effort caused both by growth in trawler engine power and by rapid technological advances in fish finding and fishing technology. This has led to an overexploitation of these resources. An increasing share of the catches consists of immature individuals. This study was undertaken to test a sorting grid with a bar spacing of 20 mm as a means of excluding juveniles in the commercial hake (Merluccius merluccius) fishery in the Catalan Sea, western Mediterranean. The grid was placed in the extension section of the gear 5 m in front of a cod-end. Divided cod-end design was used to collect the escapees and target species. The mean selection length (L 50 ) of the ten hauls was 14.2 ± 0.7 cm SE, with a selection range of 7.3 cm ± 0.4 SE. The biomass of hake under L 50 that escaped through the grid represented 50.1% ± 6.7 SE of the total hake biomass. These results are promising and indicate that a sorting grid can be used in excluding young hake. This was a first step toward implementation of sorting grids in commercial trawl gears as means of avoiding unwanted catches of small individuals in the hake fisheries in the Mediterranean Sea. Further trials are required to improve the sorting efficiency of the grid.
In order to improve the capacity of bottom trawl fishing gears to reduce catches of young fish an... more In order to improve the capacity of bottom trawl fishing gears to reduce catches of young fish and discards in a highly exploited demersal trawl fisheries in the Mediterranean, the size-selection performance of a 36-mm square-mesh codend and two sorting grids with 20 and 15 mm bar spacing was assessed. Alternate hauls were used to assess the selectivity of 36mm square-mesh codend. Selectivity of sorting grids was assessed using a double codend in which fish that escaped through the grid were captured in the lower codend while other fish were guided into the upper codend. The mean selection length (L 50 ) for European hake was 18.5 cm and that for the Atlantic horse mackerel was 14.0 cm with the 36-mm square-mesh codend . These values are close to their current minimum landing sizes (20 cm for hake and 12 cm for horse mackerel). The sorting grid with 20-mm bar spacing showed L 50 value of 13.3 cm for hake, suggesting that a larger grid-spacing would be needed to obtain sufficient sorting performance. Similarly, for Atlantic mackerel the estimated L 50 of 14.3 cm indicates that larger grid spacing is required to attain an L 50 that would be close to the current MLS (18 cm). For Atlantic horse mackerel and red mullet, the L 50 obtained with the sorting grid with 20-mm bar spacing was close to the MLS of these species (the MLS of red mullet is 11 cm). The selectivity of the sorting grid with 15-mm bar spacing was generally very poor. Size-selection performance of sorting grids was assessed for the first time in the local fisheries. In order to effectively improve size-selection, seasonal and depth-dependent differences between target and by-catch species must be taken into account, which is a good indicator of the difficulty of implementing a single mesh size or grid spacing in the Mediterranean demersal trawl fishery.
The Operational Observatory of the Catalan Sea (OOCS), created in 2009 at CEAB-CSIC may be consid... more The Operational Observatory of the Catalan Sea (OOCS), created in 2009 at CEAB-CSIC may be considered as a reference marine observatory because of its effectiveness and relatively low-cost functioning and maintenance. The number of time series obtained at the observation station of the meteorological conditions above the sea surface, along with physical and biogeochemical properties of the water layer over the continental shelf, supports its success. The strong fluctuations of atmospheric conditions registered in the last years altering the marine conditions make the simultaneous records of meteorological and marine observations essential for understanding present environmental fluctuations and for improving marine environmental predictions. Updated information regarding the observatory can be found at .
EGU General Assembly Conference Abstracts, Apr 1, 2013
Mid-latitude spring blooms of phytoplankton show considerable year-to-year variability in timing,... more Mid-latitude spring blooms of phytoplankton show considerable year-to-year variability in timing, spatial extent and intensity. It is still unclear to what degree the bloom variability is connected to the magnitude of the vertical flux of organic matter. A coupled three-dimensional hydrodynamic-biogeochemical model is used to relate interannual variability in phytoplankton spring-bloom dynamics to variability in the vertical export of organic matter in the NW Mediterranean Sea. Simulation results from 2001 to 2010, validated against remote-sensing chlorophyll, show marked interannual variability in both timing and shape of the bloom. Model results show a tendency for the bloom to start later after cold and windy winters. However, the onset of the bloom occurs often when the mixed layer is still several hundred metres deep while the heat flux is already approaching zero and turbulent mixing is low. Frequency and intensity of wind episodes control both the timing and development of the bloom and the consequent export flux of organic matter. The wintertime flux is greater than zero and shows relatively low interannual variability. The magnitude of the interannual variability is mainly determined in March when the frequency of windy days positively correlates with the export flux. Frequent wind-driven mixing episodes act to increase the export flux and, at the same time, to interrupt the bloom. Perhaps counterintuitively, our analysis shows that years with discontinuous, low-chlorophyll blooms are likely to have higher export flux than years with intense uninterrupted blooms. The NW Mediterranean shows strong analogy with the North Atlantic section within the same latitude range. Hence, our results may also be applicable to this quantitatively more important area of the world ocean.
bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory), Sep 23, 2019
Information on the buoyancy of eggs and larvae from deep-sea species is rare but necessary for ex... more Information on the buoyancy of eggs and larvae from deep-sea species is rare but necessary for explaining the position of non-swimming larvae in the water column. Due to embryonic morphology and ecology diversities, egg buoyancy has important variations within one species and among other ones. Nevertheless, it has hardly been explored if this buoyancy variability can be a strategy for deep-sea larvae to optimize their transport beyond their spawning areas. In the northwestern Mediterranean Sea, protozoea and mysis larvae of the commercial deep-sea shrimp Aristeus antennatus were recently found in upper layers, but to present, earlier stages like eggs and nauplii have not been collected. Using a Lagrangian transport model and larval characteristics, we evaluate the buoyancy and hydrodynamic effects on the transport of A. antennatus larvae in the northwestern Mediterranean Sea. The transport models suggested that 75% of buoyant eggs released between 500 and 800 m depth (i.e., known spawning area), reached the upper water layers (0-75 m depth). Then, according to the modeled larval drifts, three spawning regions were defined in the studied area: 1) the northern part, along a continental margin crossed by large submarine canyons; 2) the central part, with two circular circulation structures (i.e., eddies); and 3) the southern part, with currents flowing through a channel. The number of larvae in the most upper layer (0-5 m depth) was higher if the larval transport model accounted for the ascent of eggs and nauplii (81%) instead of eggs reaching the surface before hatching (50%). The larvae reaching the most water upper layer (0-5 m depth) had higher rates of dispersal than the ones transported below the surface layer (deeper than 5 m depth). The results of larval dispersal simulations have implications for the understanding of A. antennatus larval ecology and for management decisions related to the shrimp fisheries in the northwestern Mediterranean Sea. .
Seasonal bathymetric migrations of deep-sea fishes and decapod crustaceans in the NW Mediterranean Sea
Progress in Oceanography, Nov 1, 2013
ABSTRACT Seasonal variations in the photophase length seem to drive migrations of marine animals,... more ABSTRACT Seasonal variations in the photophase length seem to drive migrations of marine animals, a phenomenon still largely unknown in deep-sea fishes and decapod crustaceans. Here, we report depth-oriented migrations of species living in the continental slope of the NW Mediterranean after repeated trawl sampling between 900 and 1500 m depths in four seasons. To understand the variations in the catchability of animals as a function of water depth, we analysed the relationship between population depth shifts and environmental factors by performing a multiparametric habitat monitoring at sea surface (PAR), in the water column (temperature and salinity), and on the seabed (organic matter flux and total mass flux). Significant connections are studied by NMDS and GAM analyses. Bathymetric changes in most targeted species are identified from winter, when distribution was the deepest, to spring and summer, and finally autumn, when the shallowest distribution was observed prior to a sudden bathymetric retreat. The analysis of size-class frequency distributions (Kolmogorov-Smirnov test) discards an effect of the juvenile recruitment on these bathymetric changes. Which environmental factor imparts seasonality to these depth-oriented migrations has not yet been clarified. A strong connection is found with water temperature and salinity, associated to flow of the Levantine Intermediate Water (LIW) and the Western Mediterranean Deep Water (WMDW). The studied depth range was affected by seasonal fluctuations of both water masses and the interphase amongst them. LIW showed a stronger seasonal pattern, getting warmer, saltier in autumn and fresher in winter. The migration of most species towards shallower depths in spring, summer and autumn, and the sudden migration to deeper grounds in winter could therefore be related to changes in LIW temperature and salinity.
Exploited deep-water fish communities on continental margins are poorly understood in terms of va... more Exploited deep-water fish communities on continental margins are poorly understood in terms of variations in species composition and abundance by depth and season as a response to diel changes in light intensity and length of photoperiod. Innovative fuzzy clustering and traditional agglomerative hierarchical clustering methods were applied to data from bottom trawls collected continuously for 4 d in October and June, on the shelf (100 -110 m) and upper slope (400 -430 m). Fuzzy clustering was more effective than hierarchical clustering at characterizing diel variations in catches from the upper slope because the species assemblage did not show a distinct day and night structure. On the shelf, the species assemblages shifted abruptly between a diurnal and a nocturnal structure at sunset and sunrise, and the two clustering methods yielded similar results. Endobenthic decapods with marked crepuscularnocturnal emergence from the substratum were mostly responsible for this pattern. No clearly discernible diel pattern was found with the dampening of light intensity with depth, weakening the behavioural response of endobenthos to the day -night cycle. The results indicated that the regulatory effect of the light cycle on diel activity rhythms weakens with depth.
The new pelagic Operational Observatory of the Catalan Sea (OOCS) for the coordinated multisensor... more The new pelagic Operational Observatory of the Catalan Sea (OOCS) for the coordinated multisensor measurement of atmospheric and oceanographic conditions has been recently installed (2009) in the Catalan Sea (41°39'N, 2°54'E; Western Mediterranean) and continuously operated (with minor maintenance gaps) until today. This multiparametric platform is moored at 192 m depth, 9.3 km off Blanes harbour (Girona, Spain). It is composed of a buoy holding atmospheric sensors and a set of oceanographic sensors measuring the water conditions over the upper 100 m depth. The station is located close to
The deep-sea red shrimp Aristeus antennatus is one of the most valuable demersal resources in Cat... more The deep-sea red shrimp Aristeus antennatus is one of the most valuable demersal resources in Catalonia (northeast Spain), and Palamós is the most important harbour for this fishery in the area. Here, a management plan published in 2013 established the use of a 40-mm square-mesh codend (40s), replacing the previously used 50-mm diamond mesh codend (50d). The objective was to decrease the amount of juveniles in the catches, but the regulation did not bring the expected results. In this study, we measured and compared the selectivity of the 40s and the 50d in this fishery. In addition, we experimented with the use of a 50-mm square-mesh codend (50s). According to our results, the 40s had a lower 50% selection length (L 50 ) than the 50d, while the 50s had a substantially higher L 50 than the other two. A transition analysis showed an increase in yield per recruit after the second year from a hypothetical implementation of the 50s. Our conclusion is that the 40s does not have a higher selectivity than the 50d, which (at least partially) explains the failure to reach the management objective in Palamós. Conversely, the use of a 50s would significantly benefit the fishery, increasing gear selectivity and yield per recruit.
V Jornada tecnica sobre la Gamba de Palamos celebrada el 16 de junio de 2018 en la Casa del Mar d... more V Jornada tecnica sobre la Gamba de Palamos celebrada el 16 de junio de 2018 en la Casa del Mar de Palamos
* Bathymetry shapes deep-sea shrimp spawning areas. * Canyons hold the highest expected shrimp bi... more * Bathymetry shapes deep-sea shrimp spawning areas. * Canyons hold the highest expected shrimp biomass. * Variability of shrimp distribution is canyon-dependent * A 1 ºC warmer temperature hardly decreases the shrimp biomass in canyons.
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