Abundance and distribution of the deep-sea blue and red shrimp Aristeus antennatus larvae along the Spanish Mediterranean Coast

VII International Symposium on Marine Sciences (ISMS 2020), 1-3 July 2020 (Barcelona).-- 1 page

The deep-sea red shrimp Aristeus antennatus (Risso, 1816) is one of the most valuable fishing resources in the Northwestern Mediterranean Sea, currently under a local co-management plan in the port of Palamós (Spain). The current management measures, although effective, might benefit other ports downstream due to the dispersal patterns of the species pelagic larvae. Gathering information about A. antennatus larval distribution is a key step to observe these patterns and accurately define the species fishing stock, towards the establishment ofwell-dimensioned management measures. Here we present the spatial distribution of A. antennatus larvae at the peak of the species spawning period (July to August) along the Spanish Mediterranean coast. Zooplankton sampling was carried out at 101 stations in surface waters (0.5 to 1 m depth) in summer 2016 with a 1 m-mouth neustonic sledge over continental margin areas from 82 to 1840 m depth. Samples were preserved in 96% ethanol and sorted in the laboratory under a stereomicroscope. Identification of the larvae was done according to the available taxonomic literature. Satellite oceanographic data were also collected from the Copernicus Marine Environmental Monitoring System (CMEMS). Over 2500 A. antennatus larvae of all known stages were found in our samples, the first protozoea representing almost 90% of the total. Results show aggregations of larvae in the Ibiza Channel and in the northern submarine canyons of the Catalan margin, concurrent with hydrographic conditions. No larvae were found south of the Ibiza Channel. These data shed new light onthe species larval dispersal and validate a biohydrodynamic model of the study area. Moreover, the present study will inform the planning and scaling of management measures for the species in the studied area

MC was funded by the Spanish Ministerio de Educación through the FPU2015 program. This research is part of the CONECTA project, funded by the Spanish Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad

Peer reviewed