Effects of decadal climate variability on spatiotemporal distribution of Indo-Pacific yellowfin tuna population

Abstract

Spatial variations in tuna population and abundance are strongly linked to large-scale climate fluctuations, such as the Pacific decadal oscillation (PDO) and Atlantic multidecadal oscillation (AMO). However, the mechanisms underlying the association of climate indices with yellowfin tuna (YFT) abundance and habitat preference remain unclear. We analysed long-term longline fishery data for YFT and oceanic climate variability index data for 1971–2018. The standardized catch per unit effort (CPUE) of Indo-Pacific Ocean YFT was higher during negative AMO and positive PDO phases. In tropical Pacific Ocean, the trend of YFT habitat preference exhibited seesaw patterns because of the distinct environmental factors influenced by the PDO phase. The PDO changed the environmental parameters throughout the tropical Indian Ocean such that the habitat preference of YFT remained consistent throughout. However, the variations in habitat suitability did not correspond to the distribution or standardized CPUE of YFT throughout the Pacific Ocean during AMO events. Moreover, the changes in habitat suitability had a positive periodicity of 8–16 years with AMO in the Indian Ocean, but revealed opposite trends with the distribution or standardized CPUE of YFT. Our results provide sufficient information to distinguish the variations between PDO phase changing and YFT standardized CPUE/ habitat preference. Furthermore, the AMO phase shift period 60–100 years longer than that of the PDO (20–30 years), and models employing time series of fishery and environmental data must be extended the time period of our study to make the AMO match the fishery data more complete.

Feature Selection for Explaining Yellowfin Tuna Catch per Unit Effort Using Least Absolute Shrinkage and Selection Operator Regression

“…At the same time, in large-scale climate data, significant correlations between climate indices and the distribution of yellowfin tuna, as well as their CPUE, have been observed, especially in the central and western Pacific region [43]. This study found that among all climate data, the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) index had the greatest impact on yellowfin tuna CPUE.…”

Role of environmental conditions in structuring the stock trajectory of Thunnus albacares, Th. alalunga and Th. obesus in the South Pacific Region

“…A recent work similarly showed a strong relationship between longterm Th. albacares CPUE in the Indo-Pacific region with SST and AMO (Wu et al, 2022). Wu et al (2020) showed significant negative correlation of Eastern and Western Pacific Th.…”

“…The impact of environmental and climatic factors may have a more profound impact than is perhaps realised by fishery managers in the PICs and needs to be studied extensively and accounted for in tuna harvest plans. Wu et al (2022) investigated the effect Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO), Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation (AMO) and sea surface temperature (SST) on Indo-Pacific Th. albacares stock CPUE from 1971-2018.…”

Impact of climatic oscillations on marlin catch rates of Taiwanese long-line vessels in the Indian Ocean

“…Conversely, a positive phase of the PDO or a negative phase of the SIOD may diminish stock abundance after 3 or 6 years. Time series data from another study 44 on YFT in the Indian Ocean revealed a correlation between the standardized catch per unit effort, distribution, and the influence of the PDO in the Indo–Pacific Ocean, indicating the significance of trans-oceanic teleconnections. The effect on blue marlins could be similar because both YFT and blue marlins are large pelagic predatory fishes with extensive migration routes.…”