Cited by 184Marine and fisheries researchFish Ecology and Management StudiesOceanographic and Atmospheric Processes

The DOI matches its Crossref record; 49 of the 50 references it cites were found in a registry or an index; 2 of the 29 sources its claims cite were checked for support.

Modelling potential spawning habitat of sardine ( Sardina pilchardus ) and anchovy ( Engraulis encrasicolus ) in the Bay of Biscay

Open access
PLANQUE, BENJAMIN, BELLIER, EDWIGE, LAZURE, PASCAL·2007·Fisheries Oceanography

Abstract

Abstract Large amplitude variations in recruitment of small pelagic fish result from interactions between a fluctuating environment and population dynamics processes such as spawning. The spatial extent and location of spawning, which is critical to the fate of eggs and larvae, can vary strongly from year to year, as a result of changing population structure and environmental conditions. Spawning habitat can be divided into ‘potential spawning habitat’, defined as habitat where the hydrographic conditions are suitable for spawning, ‘realized spawning habitat’, defined as habitat where spawning actually occurs, and ‘successful spawning habitat’, defined as habitat from where successful recruitment has resulted. Using biological data collected during the period 2000–2004, as well as hydrographic data, we investigate the role of environmental parameters in controlling the potential spawning habitat of anchovy and sardine in the Bay of Biscay. Anchovy potential spawning habitat appears to be primarily related to bottom temperature followed by surface temperature and mixed‐layer depth, whilst surface and bottom salinity appear to play a lesser role. The possible influence of hydrographic factors on the spawning habitat of sardine seems less clear than for anchovy. Modelled relationships between anchovy and sardine spawning are used to predict potential spawning habitat from hydrodynamical simulations. The results show that the seasonal patterns in spawning are well reproduced by the model, indicating that hydrographic changes may explain a large fraction of spawning spatial dynamics. Such models may prove useful in the context of forecasting potential impacts of future environmental changes on sardine and anchovy reproductive strategy in the north‐east Atlantic.

Overview

AI snapshot

Written from the paper’s full text.

TL;DR

Using 2000–2004 PELGAS egg and hydrographic data, this study models potential spawning habitat of sardine and anchovy in the Bay of Biscay with generalised additive models. Anchovy habitat is best predicted by bottom temperature, surface temperature and mixed-layer depth, while sardine relationships are weaker and less clear.

Key findings

  • Anchovy potential spawning habitat was best explained by bottom temperature (35% deviance, GCV 0.508), followed by surface temperature and mixed-layer depth; surface and bottom salinity played lesser roles. Anchovy spawning occurred mostly at 14.5–19°C surface and 12–15°C bottom, with a lower bottom-temperature limit near 12°C and an optimal surface temperature around 17°C; eggs were preferentially in low surface salinity (<34), shallow mixed layers, and either weakly stratified (PED <30 J) or highly stratified (PED >110 J) waters.
  • Sardine relationships were less clear: all hydrographic predictors had similar deviance and GCV scores, and deviance explained was generally lower than for anchovy. Sardine showed a surface thermal preferendum around 12.5–15°C, a bimodal bottom-temperature response with a first mode near 11.75°C and positive values beyond 12.5°C, and bimodal surface salinity effects (<33.5 and >35.25); eggs occurred across mixing depths, with higher presence for deep or very shallow mixed layers and decreasing presence as stratification increased.
  • Multiple-predictor GAMs for anchovy improved up to 5 predictors but gained little beyond a 3-predictor model (bottom temperature, surface salinity, surface temperature); the best sardine model included all six hydrographic predictors. Hydrodynamical simulations for 1999 reproduced seasonal spawning patterns, with anchovy potential habitat absent in late winter and extending in spring, while sardine habitat covered larger, more patchy areas and extended northward.
  • Adult biomass was almost unrelated to mean egg-presence probability for anchovy (r² = 0.02, n = 5); sardine showed a positive relationship (r² = 0.6, n = 4) but it depended on one year (2001), so the study could not conclude that year-to-year realised spawning habitat was directly linked to adult biomass.

Methods

  • Five spring PELGAS cruises (2000–2004) sampled the Bay of Biscay continental shelf. Eggs were collected with a CUFES pumping seawater at 3 m depth at about 500 L/min, with 20-minute samples corresponding to about 10 m³ filtered seawater over about 3 nautical miles; sardine and anchovy eggs were identified, counted, standardised to eggs per 10 m³, and converted to presence/absence. Hydrographic profiles were taken at fixed stations at night with CTD; six parameters were derived: surface and bottom temperature, surface and bottom salinity, potential energy deficit, and mixed-layer depth; profiles deeper than 100 m were truncated to the first 100 m.
  • Egg presence and hydrographic parameters were interpolated on the same 1/8° grid by ordinary point kriging. Generalised additive models (GAMs) in R’s mgcv were fitted first with single predictors, ranked by deviance explained, GCV score, and confidence regions, then with multiple predictors (1–6) selected by GCV and deviance. Potential habitat was predicted from MARS3D hydrodynamical simulations (5 km horizontal resolution, 10 vertical sigma layers) for 1999, restricted to areas shallower than 1000 m, with no prediction where modelled predictors fell outside observed ranges.

Limitations

  • Stated: the field cruises were centred on spawning areas and timing, so they included only a fraction of non-spawning sites and a limited range of hydrographic situations; the description is limited to subsurface (3 m) egg presence, and vertical egg distribution was not modelled; simulations depend heavily on the hydrodynamical model’s realism; predicting potential spawning habitat is not predicting realised spawning or spawning success; and the biomass analysis could not establish a year-to-year link to realised spawning habitat for the period studied.
  • Evident from the text: individual GAM p-values could not be used because of strong spatial autocorrelation and unknown true degrees of freedom; the study covers only five years (2000–2004) and one simulation year (1999); and sardine relationships were weak and less clear, with all hydrographic predictors performing similarly and lower deviance explained than for anchovy.

Model-written summary. Check it against the paper before relying on it.

Integrity signals

Registry

Crossref · 10.1111/j.1365-2419.2006.00411.x

Cites

49 of 49 references verified0 citation errors · 0 not checkable

Statistics

Nothing to recompute.

Verification

Claims the paper makes

33 Own result · 24 No basis given · 7 Sources not found · 7 Own interpretation · 5 No full text of the sources · 4 Not checked yet · 3 Own method · 1 Supported so far · 1 Partly supported

Show all 48 claims

  • It may state two separate claims as one. 32
  • Probably not a substantial claim. 8
37 of 37
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    Egg presence is a valid indicator of spawning.

    “The definition of potential spawning habitat is based on the existence of a relationship between hydrographic factors and the probability of egg presence.”
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    Spatial and seasonal extent of potential spawning habitat is primarily affected by variability in climate and the environment.

    “Spatial and seasonal extent of potential 5 spawning habitat will be primarily affected by variability in climate and the environment.”
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    GAM relationships fitted on 2000-2004 egg presence and hydrographic data can be applied to hydrodynamical simulations to predict potential spawning habitat.

    “Using the GAMs (constructed from observed egg distributions and hydrographic situations) it is possible to predict the probability of egg presence from a new set of hydrographic predictors.We have made such attempt using hydrographic results for hydrodynamical simulations.”
  • The authors state this as an assumption.

    If eggs are present in the water column, they will be found at 3 m depth where the CUFES operates; the presence/absence index used in the study can be considered a good proxy for presence or absence of eggs in the water column.

    “It therefore appears to be a reasonable assumption that if eggs are present in the water column they will be found at 25 3m depth where the CUFES operates, and the presence/absence index used in the present study can be considered as a good proxy for presence or absence of eggs in the water column.”
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    The hydrodynamical model can realistically mimic hydrographic conditions.

    “The simulations of potential spawning habitat relies heavily on the capability of the hydrodynamical model to mimic realistically hydrographic conditions.”
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    Adult fish biomass can potentially influence the spatial extent of spawning.

    “Another variable which can potentially influence the spatial extent of spawning is the biomass of adult fish spawning.”
6 of 6

Claims other papers make about this one

Each is checked against this paper’s own text: does it say what the citing paper says it does?

Self-check

Percentages, sums and reported differences re-computed from the paper’s own numbers.

Each contradiction between two passages listed here was confirmed by an independent check.

1 of 1

Citations

Cites

Show all 50 references

Research works printed but not linked: 11

  1. Ahlstrom E.H., 1965, A review of the effects of the environment of the Pacific sardine, ICNAF Spec. Publ., 6, 53
  2. Arbault S., 1967, Oeufs et larves de poissons téléostéens dans le golfe de Gascogne en 1964, Cons. Int. Explor. Mer., 11
  3. Arbault S., 1971, Aires de ponte de la sardine, du sprat et de l'anchois dans le golfe de Gascogne et sur le plateau Celtique. Résultats de 6 années d’études, Rev. Trav. Inst. Pêches Marit., 35, 35
  4. Arbault S., 1977, Oeufs et larves de clupeides et engraulides dans le golfe de Gascogne (1969–1973). Distribution des frayères. Relations entre les facteurs du milieu et la reproduction, Rev. Trav. Inst. Pêches Marit., 41, 227
  5. Fage L., 1911, Recherches sur la biologie de l'anchois (Engraulis encrassicholus Linné) ‐ races ‐ âge ‐ migrations, Ann. Inst. Océanogr., 2, 45
  6. R Development Core Team, 2004, A Language and Environment for Statistical Computing
  7. Reid J.L., 1966, Oceanic environment of the genus Engraulis around the world, CalCOFI Rep., 11, 29
  8. Sola A., 1990, Seasonal occurrence of pelagic fish eggs and larvae in the Cantabrian Sea (VIIIc) and Galicia (IXa) from 1987 to 1989, ICES CM, 1990, 14
  9. Stratoudakis Y., 2004, Sardine (Sardina pilchardus) spawning season in the North East Atlantic and relationships with sea surface temperature, ICES CM, 2004, 19
  10. Tibby R.B., 1937, The relation between surface water temperature and the distribution of spawn of the California sardine (Sardinops caerulea), Cal. Fish. Game, 23, 132
  11. Westgard T., 1989, Two models for the vertical distribution of pelagic fish eggs in the turbulent upper layer of the ocean, Rapp. P.-v. Réun. Cons. int. Explor. Mer., 191, 195

Cited by

Sorted by citations

Metadata

Authors
PLANQUE, B., BELLIER, E., & LAZURE, P.
Affiliations
Ifremer (FR)
Corresponding author
PLANQUE, BENJAMIN
Venue
Fisheries Oceanography
Publisher
Wiley
Published
2006-10-25
Volume
16
Issue
1
Pages
16-30
ISSN
  • 1054-6006 (ISSN-L)
  • 1365-2419
OpenAlex
W1989989422
Cited by
184
References
50
Citations by year
2026: 8 · 2025: 16 · 2024: 9 · 2023: 4 · 2022: 11 · 2021: 6 · 2020: 12 · 2019: 5 · 2018: 7 · 2017: 14 · 2016: 10 · 2015: 8 · 2014: 17 · 2013: 5 · 2012: 13
FWCI
7.00
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Fisheries Oceanography (publishedVersion)
  • HAL (Le Centre pour la Communication Scientifique Directe) (submittedVersion)
  • Institutional Archive of Ifremer (French Research Institute for Exploitation of the Sea) (submittedVersion)
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Agricultural and Biological Sciences › Aquatic Science › Marine and fisheries research
  • Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Nature and Landscape Conservation › Fish Ecology and Management Studies
  • Physical Sciences › Earth and Planetary Sciences › Oceanography › Oceanographic and Atmospheric Processes
Keywords
sardine, anchovy, Sardina pilchardus, Engraulis encrasicolus, hydrographic conditions, bottom water temperature, mixed layer depth, salinity, spawning seasonality, Bay of Biscay, Northeast Atlantic

About these checks

Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.

A language model drew the claims from the paper on 2026-10-16, under version 3 of the claim definition (model deepseek-v4.1-flash, prompt extract-v3).

A second model labelled each claim on 2026-10-16 (model jev-1.13-20260917, definition revision gold-guideline-v0.2).

Cited sources are checked with a language model’s help (gpt-6-sol).

Statistics and arithmetic are recomputed, not judged.

Confidence bands are shown only for fields calibrated on our annotated test set. None is calibrated yet, so no band is shown.

What counts as a claim ›How we measure confidence ›How we check this ›

Are you an author, or do you see a problem with this page? Request a review