Abstract
An analysis of the influence of environmental conditions on the pelagic fish community structure and species distribution in two areas of the Central Mediterranean sea, the Sicilian–Maltese and the Libyan continental shelves, is presented. The Libyan waters suffer from the lack of historical information on these species, and a thorough characterisation of the pelagic fish community is missing for the entire study area. In summer 2008, two multidisciplinary surveys permitted for the first time the collection of acoustic, biological, and hydrological data in the Libyan, Maltese, and Italian waters of the Central Mediterranean. Satellite and in situ measurements were used here to describe the environmental conditions characterising the two ecosystems, and to analyse the relationships between environmental factors and pelagic community structure, and pelagic fish biomass. The datasets support the hypothesis of a more favourable feeding ground for pelagic fishes in the southwestern part of the study area, close to the Gulf of Gabes, characterised by a larger continental shelf and a higher productivity than the northern and the eastern sides. Environmental gradients, such as the ones related to temperature and salinity, may influence in different ways the pelagic fish community structure in the two areas. The Libyan waters, where environmental gradients develop longitudinally in about 700 nmi, likely produce a better spatially structured fish community. In the Sicilian–Maltese area, characterised by stronger environmental gradients and shorter longitudinal extension (150 nmi), such spatial structure is less evident. In this latter area a higher spatial overlap among pelagic species is mainly linked to the limited continental shelf and the spatially compressed environmental gradients.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Abdallah, L. B., & A. Gaamour, 2005. Répartition géographique et estimation de la biomasse des petits pélagiques des côtes tunisiennes. MedSudMed Technical Documents GCP/RER/010/ITA/MSM-TD-05, No. 5: 28–38.
Abdallah, L. B., 2007. Biomass estimation and mean sizes geographical distribution of the sardine (Sardina pilchardus) and the European anchovy (Engraulis encrasicolus) in the Tunisian water. Les 9ièmes Journées Tunisiennes des Sciences de la Mer. Tabarka: 15–18.
Abella, A., F. Fiorentino, A. Mannini & L. Orsi Relini, 2008. Exploring relationships between recruitment of European hake (Merluccius merluccius L. 1758) and environmental factors in the Ligurian Sea and the Strait of Sicily (Central Mediterranean). Journal of Marine Systems 71: 279–293.
Alhammoud, B., K. Beranger, L. Mortier & M. Crepon, 2005. Surface circulation of the Levantine Basin: comparison of model results with observations. Progress in Oceanography 66: 299–320.
Amante, C., & B. W. Eakins, 2009. ETOPO1 1 arc-minute global relief model: procedures, data sources and analysis. NOAA technical memorandum NESDIS NGDC-24. National Geophysical Data Center, NOAA.
Arrignon, J., 1966. L’anchois (Engraulis encrasicolus) des côtes d’Oranie. Revue des Travaux de l'Institut des Peches Maritimes 30(4): 317–342.
Bacha, M. & R. Amara, 2009. Spatial, temporal and ontogenetic variation in diet of anchovy (Engraulis encrasicolus) on the Algerian coast (SW Mediterranean). Estuarine, Coastal Shelf Science 85: 257–264.
Basilone, G., C. Guisande, B. Patti, S. Mazzola, A. Cuttitta, A. Bonanno & A. Kallianiotis, 2004. Linking habitat conditions and growth in the European anchovy (Engraulis encrasicolus). Fisheries Research 68: 9–19.
Basilone, G., C. Guisande, B. Patti, S. Mazzola, A. Cuttitta, A. Bonanno, A. R. Vergara & I. Maneiro, 2006. Effect of habitat conditions on reproduction of the European anchovy (Engraulis encrasicolus) in the Strait of Sicily. Fisheries Oceanography 15: 271–280.
Basilone, G., A. Bonanno, B. Patti, S. Mazzola, M. Barra, A. Cuttitta & R. Mcbride, 2013. Spawning site selection by European anchovy (Engraulis encrasicolus) in relation to oceanographic conditions in the Strait of Sicily. Fisheries Oceanography 22(4): 309–323.
Beranger, K., L. Mortier & M. Crepon, 2005. Seasonal variability of water transport through the Straits of Gibraltar, Sicily and Corsica derived from a high resolution model of the Mediterranean circulation. Progress in Oceanography 66: 341–364.
Bonanno, A., S. Zgozi, A. Cuttitta, A. El Turki, A. Di Nieri, H. Ghmati, G. Basilone, S. Aronica, M. Hamza, M. Barra, S. Genovese, F. Falco, L. Knittweis, R. Mifsud, B. Patti, T. Bahri, G. Giacalone, I. Fontana, G. Tranchida & S. Mazzola, 2013. Influence of environmental variability on anchovy early life stages (Engraulis encrasicolus) in two different areas of the Central Mediterranean Sea. Hydrobiologia 701: 273–287.
Bonanno, A., F. Placenti, G. Basilone, R. Mifsud, S. Genovese, B. Patti, M. Di Bitetto, S. Aronica, M. Barra, G. Giacalone, R. Ferreri, I. Fontana, G. Buscaino, G. Tranchida, E. Quinci & S. Mazzola, 2014a. Variability of water mass properties in the Strait of Sicily in summer period of 1998–2013. Ocean Sciences 10: 1–12.
Bonanno, A., M. Giannoulaki, M. Barra, G. Basilone, A. Machias, S. Genovese, S. Goncharov, S. Popov, P. Rumolo, M. Di Bitetto, S. Aronica, B. Patti, I. Fontana, G. Giacalone, R. Ferreri, G. Buscaino, S. Somarakis, M. Pirounaki, S. Tsoukali & S. Mazzola, 2014b. Habitat selection response of small pelagic fish in different environments. Two examples from the oligotrophic Mediterranean Sea. PLoS ONE 9(7): e101498.
Brankart, J. M., 1994. The MODB local quality control. Technical Report, University of Liège, Liège: 5.
Buongiorno Nardelli, B., S. Guinehut, A. Pascual, Y. Drillet, S. Ruiz & S. Mulet, 2012. Towards high resolution mapping of 3-D mesoscale dynamics from observations. Ocean Sciences 8: 885–901.
Buongiorno Nardelli, B., C. Tronconi, A. Pisano & R. Santoleri, 2013. High and ultra-high resolution processing of satellite sea surface temperature data over Southern European Seas in the framework of MyOcean project. Remote Sensing of Environment 129: 1–16.
Cuttitta, A., A. Arigo, G. Basilone, A. Bonanno, G. Buscaino, L. Rollandi, J. García Lafuente, A. García, S. Mazzola & B. Patti, 2004. Mesopelagic fish larvae species in the Strait of Sicily and their relationships to main oceanographic events. Hydrobiologia 527(1): 177–182.
FAO (2002) Project MedSudMed: assessment and monitoring of the fishery resources and the ecosystems in the Straits of Sicily [available at http://www.faomedsudmed.org/].
Foote, K. G., H. P. Knudsen, G. Vestnes, D. N. MacLennan & E. J. Simmonds, 1987. Calibration of acoustic instruments for fish density estimation: a practical guide. ICES Cooperative Research Report 144: 82.
Gaamour, A., S. Khemiri, S. Mili & L. B. Abdallah, 2004. L’anchois (Engraulis encrasicolus) des côtes nord de la Tunisie: reproduction et exploitation. Bulletin de l’Institut National Scientifique et Technique d’Oceanographie et de Peche de Salammbô 31: 17–24.
Garcia, S. M., A. Zerbi, C. Aliaume, T. D. Chi, & G. Lasserre, 2003. The ecosystem approach to fisheries. Issues, terminology, principles, institutional foundations, implementation and outlook. FAO Fisheries Technical Paper, 443: 71.
Gasparini, G. P., A. Bonanno, S. Zgozi, G. Basilone, M. Borghini, G. Buscaino, A. Cuttitta, N. Essarbout, S. Mazzola, B. Patti, A. B. Ramadan, K. Schroeder, T. Bahri & F. Massa, 2008. Evidence of a dense water vein along the Libyan continental margin. Annales Geophysicae 26: 1–6.
Giannoulaki, M., M. Iglesias, M. P. Tugores, A. Bonanno, B. Patti, A. De Felice, I. Leonori, J. L. Bigot, V. Tičina, M. M. Pyrounaki, K. Tsagarakis, A. Machias, S. Somarakis, E. Schismenou, E. Quinci, G. Basilone, A. Cuttitta, F. Campanella, J. Miquel, D. Oñate, D. Roos & V. Valavanis, 2013. Characterizing the potential habitat of European anchovy Engraulis encrasicolus in the Mediterranean Sea, at different life stages. Fisheries Oceanography 22(2): 69–89.
GRASS Development Team, 2012. GRASS 6.4 users manual. Open Source Geospatial Foundation, USA [available at http://grass.osgeo.org/grass64/manuals/].
Hamad, N., C. Millot & I. Taupier-Letage, 2005. A new hypothesis about the surface circulation in the eastern basin of the Mediterranean Sea. Progress in Oceanography 66: 287–298.
Hattab, T., C. Jamet, C. Sammari & S. Lahbib, 2013. Validation of chlorophyll-α concentration maps from Aqua MODIS over the Gulf of Gabes (Tunisia): comparison between MedOC3 and OC3M bio-optical algorithms. International Journal of Remote Sensing 34(20): 7163–7177.
Ismail, S. B., K. Schroeder, C. Sammari, G. P. Gasparini, M. Borghini & L. Aleya, 2014. Interannual variability of water mass properties in the Tunisia–Sicily Channel. Journal of Marine Systems 135: 14–28.
Khemiri, S., A. Gaamour, F. Meunier & I. Zylberberg, 2007. Age and growth of Engraulis encrasicolus (Clupeiforms: Engraulidae) in the Tunisian waters. Cahiers de Biologie Marine 48: 259–269.
Lamboeuf, M., & A. Amer, 1995. Libyan marine resources assessment: acoustic survey results 1994. LIBFISH Technical Briefing Notes n.28. FAO.
Laprise, R. & P. Pepin, 1995. Factors influencing the spatiotemporal occurrence of fish eggs and larvae in a northern, physically dynamic coastal environment. Marine Ecology Progress Series 122: 73–92.
Levi, D., M. G. Andreoli, A. Bonanno, F. Fiorentino, G. Garofalo, S. Mazzola, G. Norrito, B. Patti, G. Pernice, S. Ragonese, G. B. Giusto & P. Rizzo, 2003. Embedding sea surface temperature anomalies into the stock recruitment relationship of red mullet (Mullus barbatus L. 1758) in the Strait of Sicily. Scientia 67(suppl 1): 259–268.
Lleonart, J. & F. Maynou, 2002. Fish stock assessments in the Mediterranean: state of the art. Scientia Marina 67(1): 37–49.
Lluch-Belda, D., R. J. M. Crawford, T. Kawasaki, A. D. Maccall, R. H. Parrish, R. A. Schwartzlose & P. E. Smith, 1989. World-wide fluctuations of sardine and anchovy stocks: the regime problem. South African Journal of Marine Science 8: 195–205.
MacLennan, D. N., P. G. Fernandes & J. Dalen, 2002. A consistent approach to definitions and symbols in fisheries acoustics. ICES Journal of Marine Science 59: 365–369.
Martin, P., N. Bahamon, A. Sabates, F. Maynou, P. Sanchez & M. Demestre, 2008. European anchovy (Engraulis encrasicolus) landings and environmental conditions on the Catalan Coast (NW Mediterranean) during 2000–2005. Hydrobiologia 162: 185–199.
MEDIAS Handbook, 2014. Handbook of Mediterranean international acoustic surveys [available at http://www.medias-project.eu/medias/website/handbooks-menu.html].
Onken, R., A. R. Robinson, P. F. J. Lermusiaux, P. J. Haley Jr & L. A. Anderson, 2003. Data-driven simulations of synoptic circulation and transports in the Tunisia–Sardinia–Sicily region. Journal of Geophysical Research 108: 8123–8136.
Oug, E., 1998. Relating species patterns and environmental variables by canonical ordination: an analysis of soft-bottom macrofauna in the region of Tromsø, northern Norway. Marine Environmental Research 45(1): 29–45.
Palomera, I., M. P. Olivar, J. Salat, A. Sabatés, M. Coll, A. García & B. Morales-Nin, 2007. Small pelagic fish in the NW Mediterranean Sea: an ecological review. Progress in Oceanography 74: 377–396.
Patti, B., A. Bonanno, G. Basilone, S. Goncharov, S. Mazzola, G. Buscaino, A. Cuttitta, J. Garcia Lafuente, A. Garcia, V. Palumbo & G. Cosimi, 2004. Interannual fluctuations in acoustic biomass estimates and in landings of small pelagic fish populations in relation to hydrology in the Strait of Sicily. Chemistry and Ecology 20: 365–375.
Patti, B., C. Guisande, A. Bonanno, G. Basilone, A. Cuttitta & S. Mazzola, 2010. Role of physical forcings and nutrient availability on the control of satellite-based chlorophyll a concentration in the coastal upwelling area of the Sicilian Channel. Scientia Marina 74(3): 577–588.
Placenti, F., K. Schroeder, A. Bonanno, S. Zgozi, M. Sprovieri, M. Borghini, P. Rumolo, G. Cerrati, S. Bonomo, S. Genovese, G. Basilone, D. A. Haddoud, B. Patti, A. El Turki, M. Hamza & S. Mazzola, 2013. Water masses and nutrient distribution in the Gulf of Syrte and between Sicily and Libya. Journal of Marine Systems 121–122: 36–46.
Planque, B., Loots, C., Petitgas, P., Lindstrøm, U., Vaz, S., 2011. Understanding what controls the spatial distribution of fish populations using a multi‐model approach Fisheries Oceanography 20(1):1–17.
Poulain, P. M. & E. Zambianchi, 2007. Surface circulation in the central Mediterranean Sea as deduced from Lagrangian drifters in the 1990s. Continental Shelf Research 27: 981–1001.
Quignard, J. P., T. Hamdouni & J. Zaouali, 1973. Données préliminaires sur les caractères biométriques des anchois Engraulis encrasicolus (Linné, 1758) des côtes de Tunisie et du lac Ichkeul. Revue des Travaux de l'Institut des Peches Maritimes 37: 191–196.
Rabaoui, L., R. Balti, R. El Zrelli & S. Tlig-Zouari, 2013. Assessment of heavy metal pollution in the gulf of Gabes (Tunisia) using four mollusc species. Mediterranean Marine Science 15(1): 45–58.
Rinaldi, E., B. B. Nardelli, G. Volpe & R. Santoleri, 2014. Chlorophyll distribution and variability in the Sicily Channel (Mediterranean Sea) as seen by remote sensing data. Continental Shelf Research 77: 61–68.
Robinson, A. R., J. Sellschopp, A. Warn-Varnas, W. G. Leslie, C. J. Lozano, P. J. Haley, L. A. Anderson & P. F. J. Lermusiaux, 1999. The Atlantic ionian stream. Journal of Marine Systems 20: 129–156.
Sabatès, A., M. P. Olivar, J. Salat, I. Palomera & F. Alemany, 2007. Physical and biological processes controlling the distribution of fish larvae in the NW Mediterranean. Progress in Oceanography 74: 355–376.
Sammari, C., C. Millot, I. Taupier-Letage, A. Stefani & M. Brahim, 1999. Hydrological characteristics in the Tunisian–Sardinia–Sicily area during spring 1995. Deep-Sea Research I 46: 1671–1703.
Simmonds, J. & D. MacLennan, 2005. Fisheries acoustics, theory and practice, 2nd ed. Blackwell, Oxford: 437.
Sorgente, R., A. F. Drago & A. Ribotti, 2003. Seasonal variability in the Central Mediterranean Sea circulation. Annales Geophysicae 21: 299–322.
Sorgente, R., A. Olita, P. Oddo, L. Fazioli & A. Ribotti, 2011. Numerical simulation and decomposition of kinetic energy. Ocean Sciences 7: 503–519.
terBraak, C. J. E., 1986. Canonical correspondence analysis: a new eigenvector technique for multivariate direct gradient analysis. Ecology 67: 1167–1179.
Tugores, M. P., M. Giannoulaki, M. Iglesias, A. Bonanno, V. Tičina, I. Leonori, A. Machias, K. Tsagarakis, N. Díaz, A. Giráldez, B. Patti, A. De Felice, G. Basilone & V. Valavanis, 2011. Habitat suitability modelling for sardine Sardina pilchardus in a highly diverse ecosystem: the Mediterranean Sea. Marine Ecology Progress Series 443: 181–205.
Volpe, G., B. B. Nardelli, P. Cipollini, R. Santoleri & I. S. Robinson, 2012. Seasonal to interannual phytoplankton response to physical processes in the Mediterranean Sea from satellite observations. Remote Sensing of Environment. doi:10.1016/j.rse.2011.09.020. (ISSN 0034-4257).
Walline, P. D., 2007. Geostatistical simulations of eastern Bering Sea walleye pollock spatial distributions, to estimate sampling precision. ICES Journal of Marine Science 64: 559–569.
Woillez, M., J. Rivoirard & P. G. Fernandes, 2009. Evaluating the uncertainty of abundance estimates from acoustic surveys using geostatistical simulations. ICES Journal of Marine Science 66: 1377–1383.
Zarrad, R., F. Alemany, J. M. Rodriguez, O. Jarboui, J. L. Lopez-Jurado & R. Balbin, 2013. Influence of summer conditions on the larval fish assemblage in the eastern coast of Tunisia (Ionian Sea, Southern Mediterranean). Journal of Sea Research 76: 114–125.
Acknowledgments
This study was supported by the FAO Project MedSudMed “Assessment and Monitoring of the Fishery Resources and the Ecosystems in the Straits of Sicily”, funded by the Italian Ministry MIPAAF, and by the Proreplus-Alif Project (lAboratori di testing per dispositive eLettroacustici, sensorI oceanograFici e metodologie finalizzati al monitoraggio dello stato delle risorse biologiche del mare), funded by the Regione Siciliana Government (POR 2000–2006). The Libyan Authorities, through the General Authority of Marine Wealth, are gratefully acknowledged for their support. Mr. Nurredin Essarbout (MBRC, Libya) is thanked for the efforts and support he provided in the organisation of all activities. The Master of the R/V G. Dallaporta and all his crew are thanked for their work.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Additional information
Handling editor: Vasilis Valavanis
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Bonanno, A., Zgozi, S., Basilone, G. et al. Acoustically detected pelagic fish community in relation to environmental conditions observed in the Central Mediterranean sea: a comparison of Libyan and Sicilian–Maltese coastal areas. Hydrobiologia 755, 209–224 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10750-015-2234-0
Received:
Revised:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10750-015-2234-0