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Habitat suitability modelling for sardine juveniles (Sardina pilchardus) in the Mediterranean Sea
Author(s) -
GIANNOULAKI MARIANNA,
PYROUNAKI MARIA M.,
LIORZOU BERNARD,
LEONORI IOLE,
VALAVANIS VASILIS D.,
TSAGARAKIS KONSTANTINOS,
BIGOT JEAN L.,
ROOS DAVID,
DE FELICE ANDREA,
CAMPANELLA FABIO,
SOMARAKIS STYLIANOS,
ARNERI ENRICO,
MACHIAS ATHANASSIOS
Publication year - 2011
Publication title -
fisheries oceanography
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.016
H-Index - 80
eISSN - 1365-2419
pISSN - 1054-6006
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-2419.2011.00590.x
Subject(s) - sardine , mediterranean sea , habitat , mediterranean climate , bathymetry , fishery , juvenile , oceanography , anchovy , geography , environmental science , abundance (ecology) , ecology , biology , geology , fish <actinopterygii>
Identification of potential juvenile grounds of short‐lived species such as European sardine ( Sardina pilchardus ) in relation to the environment is a crucial issue for effective management. In the current work, habitat suitability modelling was applied to acoustic data derived from both the western and eastern part of the Mediterranean Sea. Early summer acoustic data of sardine juveniles were modelled using generalized additive models along with satellite environmental and bathymetry data. Selected models were used to construct maps that exhibit the probability of presence in the study areas, as well as throughout the entire Mediterranean basin, as a measure of habitat adequacy. Areas with high probability of supporting sardine juvenile presence persistently within the study period were identified throughout the Mediterranean Sea. Furthermore, within the study period, a positive relationship was found between suitable habitat extent and the changes in abundance of sardine juveniles in each study area.