Embedding the effect of environmental conditions on recruitment and survival of the European anchovy (Engraulis encrasicolus): a Bayesian model with dual-time resolution

Many studies underscore the importance of incorporating the effect of environmental data within a life-history-stage–specific framework for determining the recruitment and survival of small pelagic fish. The recruitment of anchovy (Engraulis encrasicolus) in the Gulf of Cádiz (NE Atlantic) is sensitive to the effect of intense easterlies, stratification of the water column, and discharges from the Guadalquivir River on early life stages. As a proof of concept, we have developed the basis for a new Bayesian model with a dual time step resolution: monthly for juveniles and adults, and weekly for earlier life stages. This dual time step resolution resolves environmental effects on prerecruits while simulating the effect of fishing on recruits. Our estimates for juvenile abundances are validated with field data. The Bayesian framework accounts for the uncertainty, thus providing consistent length-frequency estimates and a plausible environmentally driven stock-recruitment relationship.JRC.D.2-Water and Marine Resource

Consequences of a future climatic scenario for the anchovy fishery in the Alboran Sea (SW Mediterranean): A modeling study

The Alboran basin is one of the most productive areas of the Mediterranean Sea and supports an anchovy fishery with a history of remarkably variable landings. Past and present anchovy recruitment levels are highly sensitive to changes in the strength and direction of the incoming jet of Atlantic waters, which modulate the hydrographic features of the basin. Here, we analyze plausible consequences for the anchovy fisheries in the region based on a projected physical scenario for the end of the century obtained using a coupled hydrological-biogeochemical model. Our model predicts a substantial increase in horizontal water velocity and a negligible change in the associated biological production, which likely indicates reductions in anchovy stock, catches and revenues. Alternative policies are analyzed here for the economic scenario that is expected to emerge under future conditions of oceanographic features, pelagic ecosystem dynamics and anchovy landings in the Alboran Sea.JRC.H.1-Water Resource