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Cited by 37Marine and fisheries researchOceanographic and Atmospheric ProcessesFish Ecology and Management Studies

General surface circulation controls the interannual fluctuations of anchovy stock biomass in the Central Mediterranean Sea

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Patti, Bernardo, Torri, Marco, Cuttitta, Angela·2020·Scientific Reports
DOI 10.1038/s41598-020-58028-0PMC PMC6994607
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Abstract

The sustainable exploitation of small pelagic fish populations, characterized by short life span and early age at first reproduction, is typically more influenced by the success of annual recruitment rather than by fishing mortality. Recruitment strength, in turn, is related to the high environmental variability characterizing the pelagic fish habitats, able to strongly affect the survival of early stages, from hatching to recruitment. Here, we consider the case study of anchovy (Engraulis encrasicolus) stock in the Strait of Sicily (Central Mediterranean). The interannual fluctuations exhibited over an 18-year long period by this fish population was found to be mainly linked to surface circulation patterns, as far as they are able to control retention/dispersal processes of larval stages. We firstly used Lagrangian simulations to reproduce the fate of anchovy early stages during their planktonic phase. Larval retention indices constructed from the output of the simulations were able alone to explain a large proportion of variance (up to 70%) in yearly biomass of the anchovy population, outclassing the other environmental factors considered in this study. Such results are relevant for fisheries management, for all fish stocks characterized by potentially high vulnerability of early life stages.

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Authors
Patti, B., Torri, M., & Cuttitta, A.
Affiliations
National Research Council (IT)
Corresponding author
Torri, Marco
ORCID
Venue
Scientific Reports
Publisher
Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Published
2020-01-31
Volume
10
Issue
1
Pages
1554-1554
ISSN
2045-2322 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.1038/s41598-020-58028-0
PMC
PMC6994607
OpenAlex
W3003449615
Cited by
37
References
1
Citations by year
2026: 2 · 2025: 6 · 2024: 7 · 2023: 4 · 2022: 12 · 2021: 2 · 2020: 4
FWCI
2.05
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
Locations
  • Scientific Reports (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion)
Funders
  • European Commission (2011-2013)
  • Ministero dell’Istruzione, dell’Università e della Ricerca
  • Ministero delle Politiche Agricole Alimentari e Forestali
  • Regione Siciliana
  • Directorate-General for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries
Topics
  • Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Global and Planetary Change › Marine and fisheries research
  • Physical Sciences › Earth and Planetary Sciences › Oceanography › Oceanographic and Atmospheric Processes
  • Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Nature and Landscape Conservation › Fish Ecology and Management Studies
Keywords
anchovy, Engraulis encrasicolus, small pelagic fish, surface circulation, larval retention, larval dispersal, recruitment variability, early life stages, Lagrangian particle tracking, Strait of Sicily, Central Mediterranean, fisheries management
MeSH terms
Animals, Fisheries, Fishes, Humans, Larva, Mediterranean Sea, Population Dynamics, Reproduction, Sicily, Water Movements, Seafood, Ecosystem, Biomass, Food Chain

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