Patrón reproductivo y fecundidad de la merluza (Merluccius merluccius (Linnaeus, 1758)) en el Mediterráneo occidental

12 pages, 12 figures[EN] The spawning cycle of the European hake (Merluccius merluccius, (Linnaeus, 1758)) was studied in two western Mediterranean areas, the Catalan Sea and the northern Tyrrhenian Sea, including observation of the monthly seasonal variation of the gonad maturity and the gonadosomatic index (GSI). The estimation of the maturity stages by GSI gave similar values in the two study areas: the spawning stage (IV) was easily distinguished from the other maturity stages and its range of variation showed a low overlap with stage III and no overlap with other stages. Although in both study areas active females were present during all the sampled months, the peak of reproductive activity was concentrated from February to May in the northern Tyrrhenian Sea but from August to December in the Catalan Sea, which was subjected to winter cascading events. Batch fecundity gave similar values in the Catalan and northern Tyrrhenian Seas: 204 and 202 eggs per gonad-free female gram, respectively. An asynchronous oocyte development is suggested for M. merluccius in the western Mediterranean[ES] Se ha estudiado el ciclo reproductivo de la merluza (Merluccius merluccius, (Linnaeus, 1758)) en dos áreas del Mediterráneo occidental, el Mar Catalán y el norte del Mar Tirreno, analizando la evolución mensual de la madurez en las gónadas y el índice gonadosomático (GSI). La estimación del estadio de madurez mediante el GSI dio resultados parecidos en ambas áreas de estudio: el estadio de puesta (IV) resultó fácil de distinguir de los otros estadios de madurez y su rango de variación mostró poca superposición con el estadio III y ninguna con los otros estadios. Aunque en ambas áreas de estudio se encontraron hembras activas durante todos los meses muestreados, el pico de actividad reproductiva se concentró entre febrero y mayo en el norte del Mar Tirreno, mientras que en el Mar Catalán es entre agosto y diciembre, esta última área sujeta en invierno a fenómenos de cascadas submarinas. La fecundidad relativa presentó valores similares en los mares Catalán y Tirreno norte: 204 huevos por gramo de hembras sin gónada y 202, respectivamente. Se sugiere un desarrollo ovocitario asíncrono para M. merluccius del Mediterráneo occidentalThis work was supported by the EU LLUCET Project (FAIR CT-97-3522)Peer reviewe

Which Class Design can Accommodate both Process and Independent Evaluation? : The Value and Significance of Evaluation for Learner and Teacher

The reproductive biology of the European hake (Merluccius merluccius, Linnaeus, 1758) was studied on the eastern central Atlantic Moroccan coast from November 2001 to December 2003. The sex ratio was close to 1:1 for the specimens with a total length of less than 45 cm. European hake spawned all year round, though two spawning peaks were recorded with a certain interannual variability: the first and main peak in winter and a secondary intermittent peak in summer. Length at first maturity was estimated as 28.6 cm and 33.8 cm total length for males and females, respectively. These values are closer to Mediterranean than Atlantic hake values. The mean batch fecundity was 299872 eggs ind–1. The relative batch fecundity was estimated as 228 eggs per gram of gutted weight. Batch fecundity increased proportionally with fish length and weight. The batch fecundity of European hake in the Moroccan Atlantic area is higher than that in northern Atlantic and northwestern Mediterranean areas

Fine-scale vertical structure of sound-scattering layers over an east border upwelling system and its relationship to pelagic habitat characteristics

Understanding the relationship between sound-scattering layers (SSLs) and pelagic habitat characteristics is a substantial step to apprehend ecosystem dynamics. SSLs are detected on echo sounders representing aggregated marine pelagic organisms. In this study, SSL characteristics of zooplankton and micronekton were identified during an upwelling event in two contrasting areas of the Senegalese continental shelf. Here a cold upwelling-influenced inshore area was sharply separated by a strong thermal boundary from a deeper, warmer, stratified offshore area. Mean SSL thickness and SSL vertical depth increased with the shelf depth. The thickest and deepest SSLs were observed in the offshore part of the shelf. Hence, zooplankton and micronekton seem to occur more frequently in stratified water conditions rather than in fresh upwelled water. Diel vertical and horizontal migrations of SSLs were observed in the study area. Diel period and physicochemical water characteristics influenced SSL depth and SSL thickness. Although chlorophyll-a concentration insignificantly affected SSL characteristics, the peak of chlorophyll a was always located above or in the middle of the SSLs, regularly matching with the peak of SSL biomass. Such observations indicate trophic relationships, suggesting SSLs to be mainly composed of phytoplanktivorous zooplankton and micronekton. Despite local hypoxia, below 30 m depth, distribution patterns of SSLs indicate no vertical migration boundary. The results increase the understanding of the spatial organization of mid-trophic species and migration patterns of zooplankton and micronekton, and they will also improve dispersal models for organisms in upwelling regions.publishedVersio

Estimation of target strength of Sardina pilchardus and Sardinella aurita by theoretical approach

The target strength (TS) patterns of Sardina pilchardus and Sardinella aurita at 38 and 120 kHz were estimated by a prolate-spheroid model, using measurements of swimbladder length and width. The ratio of swimbladder length to total length (TL) was similar in both species, however the ratio of swimbladder width to TL was smaller and more variable for S. aurita. Assuming a normal distribution of fish swimming orientation angle (θfish) with mean ± standard deviation (SD) of 0 ± 10°, the normalized (by TL) average TS (b20) was estimated to be -64.0 dB (38 kHz) and -65.2 dB (120 kHz) for S. pilchardus, and -66.2 dB (38 kHz) and -67.2 dB (120 kHz) for S. aurita. Compared with currently applied b20 values at 38 kHz, our results under four different θfish assumptions (0 ± 10°, 0 ± 15°, -5 ± 10°, and -5 ± 15°) were 6-9 dB higher for S. pilchardus and 5-7 dB higher for S. aurita. This suggests four- to eightfold overestimation risk for S. pilchardus and three- to fivefold overestimation risk for S. aurita when using the currently applied b20 values

A Cross-Layer Approach for Distributed Energy-Efficient Power Control in Interference Networks

International audienceIn contrast with existing works which rely on the same type of energy-efficiency measure to design distributed power control policies, the present work takes into account the presence of a finite packet buffer at the transmitter side and the impact of transport protocols. This approach is relevant when the transmitters have a non-zero energy cost even when the radiated power is zero. A generalized energy-efficiency performance metric integrating these features is constructed under two different scenarios in terms of transport layer protocols characterized by a constant or an adaptive packet arrival rate. The derived performance metric is shown to have several attractive properties in both scenarios, which ensures convergence of the used distributed power control algorithm to a unique point. This point is the Nash equilibrium of a game for which the equilibrium analysis is conducted. Although the equilibrium analysis methodology is not new in itself, conducting it requires several non-trivial proofs, including the proof of quasi-concavity of the payoff functions. A thorough numerical analysis is provided to illustrate the effects of the proposed approach, and provides several valuable insights in terms of designing interference management policies

Spatial Environmental trends in the three Atlantic African Large Marine Ecosystems in a context of global warming

ICAWA : International Conference AWA, Lanzarote, ESP, 17-/04/2018 - 20/04/2018In Atlantic Africa there is a crucial need to better assess the effect of climate change on marine ecosystems, particularly over the continental shelf and inside the national exclusive economic zones. Nevertheless there is a lack of observation carried out in the African ecosystems and the times series are often short or disrupted. Space-based observations allow precise synoptic observation of marine ecosystem and is often use to monitor, e.g., Eastern boundary upwelling ecosystems, from 36 years of constant monitoring from some major parameters as Sea Surface Temperature and more than twenty years for Ocean-Colour related parameters as surface primary productivity. The spatially heterogeneous trends observed show that these systems are highly variable, at temporal scales decades) that potentially impact some of their marine resources at rates that compete with the decline of human activities, beyond over-fishing. In this work we will present the effect of global warming at regional level for the three large marine ecosystems of Atlantic Africa on the sea surface temperature, wind stress and chlorophyll concentration as a proxy of primary production. The Canary and the Benguela systems are particularly impacted by the global warming, especially in their tropical parts, while Pacific systems show a more stable trend, due to their constantly high activity that partly counteracts some effects of the global warming

Effect of environmental variables on the structure of micronectonic layers over the Senegalese continental shelf

ICAWA : International Conference AWA, Mindelo, CPV, 13-/11/2017 - 17/11/2017The micronectonic organisms aggregate at specific depths and occur as scattering layer on echosounder records. They constitute an important component in the marine food web in direct contact with primary producers. We characterized the Senegalese water masses of the 'Petite côte' on physicochemical and biological criteria using an in situ data set collected during an acoustics survey. Then we described at fine scale spatial and temporal variation of micronektonic layers in relation with their environment. Two areas with different characteristics have been discriminated: the upwelling's cell area and the upwelling's offshore area more stratified, warm and sharply separated from the other area by a strong thermal boundary. The spatio-temporal variation of scattering layer's thickness of micronectonic is strongly influenced by depth and the time of the day. The continental shelf scattering layer's thickness increases with depth, but no variation is reported in longitudinal plane. In both areas nocturnal layers are thicker and deeper than diurnal ones. The hydrological structure of the water column also influence the micronectonic scattering layer. The scattering layer requires "stable" physical conditions which support vertical stratification. In the upwelling's area cell, the chlorophyll-a (CHL) concentration is correlated to scattering layer thickness during night time. In the upwelling's offshore area, sea temperature, water density and oxygen have a significant effect on the scattering layer's thickness during the nightime. However, during the daytime, CHL has a significant effect on the scattering layer's thickness. This correlation between CHL and scattering layer thickness in the upwelling's offshore area during day could be explained by an inverse diel vertical migration of a micronectonic group. On this basis we assume that trophic relationship between phytoplankton and micronecton operate during the day at the surface in this area

Climate change impacts on small pelagic fish distribution in Northwest Africa: trends, shifts, and risk for food security.

Climate change is recognised to lead to spatial shifts in the distribution of small pelagic fish, likely by altering their environmental optima. Fish supply along the Northwest African coast is significant at both socio-economic and cultural levels. Evaluating the impacts of climatic change on small pelagic fish is a challenge and of serious concern in the context of shared stock management. Evaluating the impact of climate change on the distribution of small pelagic fish, a trend analysis was conducted using data from 2363 trawl samplings and 170,000 km of acoustics sea surveys. Strong warming is reported across the Southern Canary Current Large Marine Ecosystem (CCLME), extending from Morocco to Senegal. Over 34 years, several trends emerged, with the southern CCLME experiencing increases in both wind speed and upwelling intensity, particularly where the coastal upwelling was already the strongest. Despite upwelling-induced cooling mechanisms, sea surface temperature (SST) increased in most areas, indicating the complex interplay of climatic-related stressors in shaping the marine ecosystem. Concomitant northward shifts in the distribution of small pelagic species were attributed to long-term warming trends in SST and a decrease in marine productivity in the south. The abundance of Sardinella aurita, the most abundant species along the coast, has increased in the subtropics and fallen in the intertropical region. Spatial shifts in biomass were observed for other exploited small pelagic species, similar to those recorded for surface isotherms. An intensification in upwelling intensity within the northern and central regions of the system is documented without a change in marine primary productivity. In contrast, upwelling intensity is stable in the southern region, while there is a decline in primary productivity. These environmental differences affected several small pelagic species across national boundaries. This adds a new threat to these recently overexploited fish stocks, making sustainable management more difficult. Such changes must motivate common regional policy considerations for food security and sovereignty in all West African countries sharing the same stocks

Intense warming causes a spatial shift of small pelagic fish : early warning for food security in North-West Africa [résumé]

ICAWA : International Conference AWA, Lanzarote, ESP, 17-/04/2018 - 20/04/2018Along the coast of North-West Africa, fish supply is important at both socio-economic and cultural levels. Reports by fishermen emphasise changes in the distribution of fish species important for food security. Northward shifts in the distribution of sardinella and other species have been attributed to a warming trend and the redistribution of upwelling intensity and productivity. As a result, the abundance of sardinella along the coast has increased in the subtropics and fallen in the intertropical region. Independent observational time series confirm a robust northward shift in Sardinella aurita since 1995, which we attribute to the intense warming of this region, where the greatest increase in sea surface temperature of all tropical regions is found. The spatial shifts in biomass of several hundred kilometres observed during the last 20 years are of the same order of magnitude as those recorded for surface isotherms in the sub-regional pelagic habitat of sardinella. Such changes are an important policy consideration for food security management in several West African countries