Seasonal influence on the bathymetric distribution of an endangered fish within a marine protected area

• Published in: Scientific Reports Vol. 11; no. 1; pp. 13342 - 16
• Main Authors: Brazo, A., Marques, R., Zimmermann, M., Aspillaga, E., Hereu, B., Saragoni, G., Mercière, A., Crec’Hriou, R., Mercader, M., Verdoit-Jarraya, M., Cadène, F., Lenfant, P.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London Springer Science and Business Media LLC 25.06.2021; Nature Publishing Group UK; Nature Publishing Group; Nature Portfolio
• Subjects: 631/158/672; 631/158/856; 704/158/672; 704/158/856; 704/829/826; [SDE] Environmental Sciences; Animal populations; Animals; Behavioural ecology; Chordata; Conservation biology; Conservation of Natural Resources; Ecosystem; Endangered & extinct species; Endangered animals; Endangered populations; Endangered species; Environmental Sciences; Fishes; Foraging behavior; Humanities and Social Sciences; Life cycles; Marine biology; Marine fish; Marine protected areas; Medicine; multidisciplinary; Peixos; Poblacions animals; Protected areas; Protected species; Q; R; Reproductive behavior; Science; Science (multidisciplinary); Seasons; Shallow water; Temperature; Thermocline; Threatened species; Water column; Water depth; Water temperature; Àrees marines protegides
• ISSN: 2045-2322; 2045-2322
• DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-92633-x

The spatio-temporal variability of fish distribution is important to better manage and protect the populations of endangered species. In this sense, the vertical movements of a vulnerable and protected species, Sciaena umbra , were assessed in a marine protected area (the Réserve Naturelle Marine de Cerbère-Banyuls , south of France) to study the variability of their bathymetric distribution at different time scales. Twenty adults were marked with acoustic transmitters and acoustically monitored over 2.5 years. This revealed that some individuals remained at shallow waters (< 8 m) all year round, while others presented vertical segregation at deeper waters during the cold months (mean depth of 22.5 ± 0.04 m) and all aggregated in shallow waters during the warm months. The brown meagre was more active during the night, except in June and July when peaks of activity were observed at dusk. These patterns are likely associated with foraging and reproductive behavior during the cold and warm periods, respectively, and likely regulated by water temperature and the depth of the thermocline. Here, we provide valuable information on when and where in the water column critical periods of S. umbra life cycle are expected to occur, which should be considered in management and protection plans.