Distribution and abundance of fish larvae in the northern Ionian Sea (Eastern Mediterranean)

Abstract

The purpose of this paper was to study the spatial distribution, abundance and composition of fish larvae in the northern Ionian Sea. Samples were collected to the 600 m depth with an electronic multinet BIONESS during the ''INTERREG Italia-Grecia'' oceanographic cruise carried out in March 2000 off the Apulian Italian coast. A total of 46 species of teleost early stages were collected, belonging to 38 genera and 22 families. Over 52% of the larvae identified were mesopelagic species, almost 27% were demersal and about 21% pelagic. A total of 307 myctophids, 69 clupeids and 61 gadid post-larvae dominated the community. Benthosema glaciale (mean 6.1 mm SL) was the most abundant species (21.6%), the most frequent in the samples (28.8%), and dominant in the whole study area (mean 1.4 ind/100 m 3 ). Particular attention was given to the horizontal and vertical distribution and abundance of the three dominant post-larval species: Benthosema glaciale, Sprattus sprattus sprattus and Notoscopelus elongatus. The Pearson coefficient (R = 0.734) showed a high correlation between total zooplankton and fish larval assemblages in terms of spatial distribution abundance values. Regarding the vertical distribution of fish larvae, Sorensen's index (S = 0.69) showed that fish larvae and total zooplankton abundance peaks co-occurred along the water column.

Environmental conditions influencing the larval fish assemblage during summer in the Gulf of Gabes (Tunisia: South central Mediterranean)

“…The presence of the mesopelagic larvae in the upper layer was also reported by other previous studies in the northwestern Mediterranean (Olivar et al, 2010;Granata et al, 2011;Torres et al, 2011).…”

Different key roles of mesoscale oceanographic structures and ocean bathymetry in shaping larval fish distribution pattern: A case study in Sicilian waters in summer 2009

“…This case study evidenced the need to assess specific environmental conditions driving the Giordano et al, 2014;Granata et al 2011;Sabatés & Olivar, 1996) but with mesoscale oceanographic structures (e.g. surface currents, gyres and fronts), as reported in different cases by Bakun (2006), Basilone et al (2013), Palomera (1992) and Sabatés et al (2001).…”

“…Extensive work has mainly covered the coastal waters of the north-western part of the Mediterranean Sea (Alemany et al, 2006;Alvarez et al, 2012;García & Palomera, 1996;Olivar et al, 2012;Olivar & Sabatés, 1997;Palomera & Olivar, 1996;Palomera & Sabatés, 1990;Sabatés, 1990Sabatés, , 2004Sabatés & Olivar, 1996;Sabatés et al, 2007) and to a lesser extent the central (Cuttitta et al, 2003(Cuttitta et al, , 2004 and the eastern parts (Aegean Sea: Isari et al, 2008;Somarakis et al, 2011;Tsikliras & Koutrakis, 2011;Tsikliras et al, 2014; eastern Ionian waters: Granata et al, 2011;Tunisian waters: Koched et al, 2013;Zarrad et al, 2013). These studies carried out in the Mediterranean Sea showed that there was a clear bathymetric separation of larval fish assemblages, due to different spawning behavior of adults: inshore assemblages have a different composition from offshore ones (Alemany et al, 2006;Giordano et al, 2014;Granata et al 2011;Sabatés & Olivar, 1996). Generally, bathy and mesopelagic families were characteristic members of the oceanic group, while the inshore species consist of pelagic and demersal (Beldade et al, 2006;Sabatés et al, 2003;Tsikliras & Koutrakis, 2011).…”

“…This is the case of spatial distribution of larval fish assemblages in two oligotrophic areas in the Mediterranean Sea with different and peculiar environmental conditions: southern Tyrrhenian Sea and Strait of Sicily. The southern Tyrrhenian Sea has high relevance as a probable nursery area for many commercially important pelagic and coastal fishes such as Seriola dumerili, Xiphias gladius and Thunnus thynnus and it is a habitat for mesopelagic fishes and squids, and plays a key role in deeper ecosystem energy flux (Bruno et al, 2001;Giordano et al, 2014;Granata et al, 2011). The Strait of Sicily is one of the main fishing sites in the Mediterranean (García Lafuente et al, 2002).…”

Annual variability of ichthyoplankton in the Yangtze River estuary of China from August 2002 to 2009

“…Larval fish assemblages are temporary components (meroplankton) of the zooplankton community, the structure of which is ultimately dependent upon reproductive cycles within populations of adult fish (Antonia et al 2010, Hasan et al 2003, Lanksbury et al 2005. Ichthyoplankton studies are an important tool for providing information for ichthyology, environmental inventory, stock monitoring, and fisheries management (Rogério et al 2010).…”