Larval dispersion of deep-sea shrimp Aristeus antennatus in the submarine canyon of Palamós (NW Mediterranean)

Fourth International Marine Connectivity (iMarCo) Conference, 8-9 October 2018, Crete, Greece.-- 1 page

Individual-based model can explore the connectivity of subpopulation of the deep-sea red shrimp Aristeus antennatus in the Northwestern Mediterranean Sea through larval drifts. The species is under a unique local management plan which limits the trawling activities of fishermen. We used a Lagrangian framework with a three-dimensional hydrodynamic model to evaluate the retention capacity of the shrimp stock under fishing restriction, and therefore, the effectiveness of the local plan to expand the stock abundance. Modelled as passive particles, the larvae were retained for 44 % of them in the fishery area under restriction. This zone also received 27 % and 99 % larvae from another submarine canyon and the inter-canyons area from higher latitude, respectively. When particles had the properties to ascend to the surface, through egg buoyancy, the larvae connected with a submarine canyon at lower latitude with 39.4 % of particles; and the Balearic Islands grounds with 40 %. The two drift paths were characterized by a drift in the superficial layer (0-5 m) and a drift in the subepilagic layer (5-200 m), respectively. Connectivity intensity with Balearic Islands has slightly increased when spawning occurred at the end of summer. The retention or dispersion of larvae from the restrictive area of fishery depended mostly of the larval ecology. Above all, the vertical behavior of the species larvae could influence the recruitment and determine the effectiveness of the management plan

Peer Reviewed