Environmental modeling of occurrence of dolphinfish (<i>Coryphaena</i> spp.) in the Pacific Ocean off Mexico reveals seasonality in abundance, hot spots and migration patterns

Marín‐Enríquez, Emigdio; Seoane, Javier; Muhlia-Melo, Arturo

doi:10.1111/fog.12231

Cited by 25 publications

(22 citation statements)

References 48 publications

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“…These temporally limited observations support published dolphinfish distribution models based on fisheries dependent catch data in the region. Marín-Enríquez et al 37 This seasonal abundance pattern in WBC is also supported by dolphinfish catch rates by the Los Cabos sportfishing fleet, which have been reported to be higher west of the capes of the Baja California Sur during September 38 . Additional support can be found in the catch statistics from the south of Cabo Corrientes, which have been shown to be maximal in the fourth quarter of the year 39 .…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 57%

Dolphinfish Movements in the Eastern Pacific Ocean of Mexico Using Conventional and Electronic Tags

Perle

Snyder

Merten

et al. 2020

Preprint

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Background Dolphinfish, Coryphaena hippurus , are fast-swimming, predatory fish that exhibit fast growth and early maturation. It is an important and potentially renewable recreational and commercial resource throughout their global subtropical to tropical range. While understanding habitat utilization and migratory behavior in these wide-ranging fish is critical to proper regional and international fisheries management, studies have historically relied heavily upon fisheries reported data. This study uses tagging data to explore the vertical and horizontal movements of dolphinfish, focusing on two regions in the Eastern Pacific Ocean (EPO) - west coast of Baja California Peninsula (WBC) and Oaxaca (OAX) coasts of Mexico. Results Adult dolphinfish (fork length 66 cm - 129 cm) were tagged with conventional (n = 132 tags) and electronic tags (n = 30 tags, miniPAT) between 2010 and 2014. Total recapture rate was 3.7%, and greater for males (5.1%) than females (2.4%). Twenty of 30 deployed electronic tags reported, but all did so before the programmed release date, with days at liberty ranging from 3 to 74 (mean = 42 d). Fish remained within their tagging region with the exception of one fish tagged in WBC which exhibited a large southerly displacement, and one fish tagged in OAX which was recovered to the north. Latitudinal (N-S) and longitudinal (E-W) extents of fish movements increased with days at liberty. In general, fish remained near the surface with short excursions below the isothermal layer but larger OAX fish inhabiting warm waters (sea surface temperatures (SST) > ~26 °C) spent more time below the isothermal layer than smaller fish inhabiting colder waters in WBC (SST > ~22 °C). Conclusions This study examines the dynamics of the vertical and horizontal movements of dolphinfish. These movements evoke questions about the size-structure of the dolphinfish’s realized thermal niche, its population stock structure, and its spatiotemporal connectivity patterns in the multinational EPO. Longer tag deployments could show larger displacements and observed differences in orientation of seasonal displacement patterns suggest such long-distance movements would provide opportunities for reproductive mixing through trans-national migrations.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 57%

Dolphinfish Movements in the Eastern Pacific Ocean of Mexico Using Conventional and Electronic Tags

Perle

Snyder

Merten

et al. 2020

Preprint

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“…Among the different Species Distribution Models methods (e.g. regression models, machine learning), Generalized Additive Models (GAMs) are used most often to model the distribution and environmental preferences of large marine species [25–27]. These models have been used for target and non-target species in commercial fisheries using different gears: longliners, trawlers or purse-seiners [26, 28–32], but never applied to mobulid rays.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Environmental characteristics associated with the presence of the Spinetail devil ray (Mobula mobular) in the eastern tropical Pacific

et al. 2019

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In the eastern Pacific Ocean, the tropical tuna purse-seine fishery incidentally captures high numbers of five mobulid bycatch species; all of which are classified as mortalities by the Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission due to uncertainties in post-release mortality rates. To date, the factors (operational or environmental) leading to the capture of these species by the fishery have not been well studied. Here, we developed Generalized Additive Models for fisheries observer data to analyze the relationships between the presence/absence of Mobula mobular bycatch and oceanographic conditions, the spatial and temporal variability in fishing location, and the set type (associated with dolphins, free-swimming tuna schools or floating objects). Our results suggest that chlorophyll concentration and sea surface height are the most important variables to describe the presence of M . mobular in conjunction with geographic location (latitude and longitude) and set type. Presence of the species was predicted in waters with chlorophyll concentrations between 0.5–1 mg·m -3 and with sea surface height values close to 0; which indicates direct relationships with productive upwelling systems. Seasonally, M . mobular was observed more frequently during December-January and August-September. We also found the highest probability of presence observed in School sets, followed by Dolphin sets. Three areas were observed as important hotspots: the area close to the coastal upwelling of northern Peru, the area west to Islands Colon Archipelago (Galapagos) and the area close to the Costa Rica Dome. This information is crucial to identify the mobulids habitat and hotspots that could be managed and protected under dynamic spatial management measures to reduce the mortality of mobulid rays in the eastern Pacific purse-seine fishery and, hence, ensure the sustainability of the populations of these iconic species.

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“…Our observations in WBC (though limited temporally in our small dataset) support published dolphinfish distribution models based on fisheries dependent catch data in the region. Marín-Enríquez et al [38] modeled the probability of dolphinfish occurrence in this region from incidental catch data taken from tuna purse seine fisheries as a function of different environmental parameters. The study predicted dolphinfish occurrence in greatest abundances in a distant offshore oceanic zone of the EPO during late spring, an area that extended northeastward through summer to the west coast of Baja California peninsula.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Dolphinfish movements in the Eastern Pacific Ocean of Mexico using conventional and electronic tags

Perle

Snyder

Merten³

et al. 2020

Anim Biotelemetry

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Background: The dolphinfish, Coryphaena hippurus, is a fast-swimming, predatory fish exhibiting relatively fast growth and early maturation among marine teleosts. It is an important, potentially renewable resource throughout its global subtropical-to-tropical range. Understanding the ecology of this wide-ranging fish is critical to proper fisheries management, but studies have historically depended heavily upon aggregated catch data reported by fisheries. This study uses tagging data to explore finer scale dolphinfish movements in two subregions of the Eastern Pacific Ocean (EPO)-the west coasts of Baja California Peninsula (WBC) and Oaxaca (OAX), Mexico. Results: Adult dolphinfish (fork length 66-129 cm) were tagged with conventional (n = 132 tags) and electronic tags (n = 30 tags, miniPAT) between 2010 and 2014. Recapture rate of conventional tags was 4.5% with a maximum days of liberty of 141 days (mean = 56 d); 20 electronic tags reported but all did so prior to programmed release dates, with days at liberty ranging from 4 to 62 (mean = 24 d). Fish remained within the region they were tagged except for six fish tagged in WBC and one in OAX. Latitudinal (WBC) and longitudinal (OAX) extensions of observed fish movements (determined via a novel analytical approach) increased with days at liberty. Despite occasional deep dives (max 262 m), fish remained surface oriented with short excursions below the isothermal layer but larger OAX fish (fork length [103 cm, 120 cm]) inhabiting warmer waters (sea surface temperatures (SST) > ~ 26 °C) spent more time below the isothermal layer than smaller fish (fork length [90 cm, 112 cm]) inhabiting colder WBC surface waters (SST > ~ 22 °C). Conclusions: This study reveals movements of dolphinfish that infer regional differences in thermal habitat utilization and displacement over time. This inference evokes questions important to fisheries management regarding the three-dimensional extent of the dolphinfish's realized thermal niche, its population structure, and the spatiotemporal connectivity of its habitats within the multinational EPO. With improved tag retention, longer deployments should capture increasing displacements along observed axes (N/S vs. E/W); the orientation of seasonal displacement axes suggest longer-distance movements would provide opportunities for reproductive mixing via trans-national migrations.

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Environmental modeling of occurrence of dolphinfish (Coryphaena spp.) in the Pacific Ocean off Mexico reveals seasonality in abundance, hot spots and migration patterns

Cited by 25 publications

References 48 publications

Dolphinfish Movements in the Eastern Pacific Ocean of Mexico Using Conventional and Electronic Tags

Dolphinfish Movements in the Eastern Pacific Ocean of Mexico Using Conventional and Electronic Tags

Environmental characteristics associated with the presence of the Spinetail devil ray (Mobula mobular) in the eastern tropical Pacific

Dolphinfish movements in the Eastern Pacific Ocean of Mexico using conventional and electronic tags

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