The influence of climatic and lunar drivers on landings cycles of the temperate Australian sciaenid (Atractoscion atelodus) at two temporal scales: A working hypothesis for future management of this resource.
Stewart, J | Hegarty, A-M | Gladstone, W
Commercial line-fishing catch rates of the endemic sciaenid Atractoscion atelodus in eastern-Australia were significantly affected by lunar phase. Periodic regression analysis indicated that catch rates were greatest during the full moon period and lowest during the new moon period. It is hypothesized that this observation is the result of the visual nocturnal feeding nature of A. atelodus, with schools of fish using the increased ambient light in the water column during the brighter part of the lunar phase to feed intensively. Increased feeding intensity during the brighter phase of the lunar month may also be related to spawning activity during the new moon phase; however this hypothesis remains to be tested. Annual commercial landings through a 71 year dataset (1950-2020) showed an approximately exponential decline, overlaid with periodic years of higher and lower landings. Such periods of higher landings were significantly positively correlated with coastal rainfall two and three years earlier, but not with rainfall in the same year or one, four or five years earlier. We hypothesize that increased coastal rainfall, likely in combination with unknown co-occurring factors, promotes increased recruitment success of A. atelodus, potentially through increased primary productivity in the nearshore marine environment. This translates into an increase in the fishable stock mainly two and three years later. If our hypothesis is correct, climate predictions of reduced rainfall in eastern Australia suggest a pessimistic outlook for this fishery.
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