Content area
Epipelagic fish communities dominate fish assemblages and are an important part of marine ecosystems due to their high abundance, vertical migration behavior, and global distribution. Purse seine fisheries are key components of marine fisheries in the tropical Western and Central Pacific Ocean (WCPO), primarily targeting skipjack tuna (Katsuwonus pelamis, SKJ), yellowfin tuna (Thunnus albacares, YFT), and bigeye tuna (Thunnus obesus, BET). In this study, WCPO purse seine fishery data from 2014 to 2022, combined with environmental factor data, were used, and Mantel tests and correlation analysis were employed to analyze the diversity, fish coexistence mechanisms, and environmental responses of catch communities under the following two different fishing strategies: free–swimming schools (FSCs) and drifting fish aggregating devices (DFADs). Mantel tests indicated that nitrate (NO3−), the Oceanic Niño Index (ONI), and pH significantly impact the diversity of the FSCs community, whereas NO3− significantly affects the diversity of the DFADs community. Based on the correlation analysis results, in the FSCs community, yellowfin tuna was positively correlated with bigeye tuna, and yellowfin tuna was negatively correlated with skipjack tuna and black marlin (Istiompax indica, BLM). In the DFADs community, yellowfin tuna was only positively correlated with skipjack tuna and bigeye tuna. In addition, species with high correlations were also positively correlated. The results of this study provide a theoretical basis for the biodiversity conservation of catch communities under two different purse seine fishing strategies in the WCPO.
Details
Vertical migrations;
Marine fisheries;
Fish;
Fishing;
Marine fish;
Correlation analysis;
Species diversity;
Fishery data;
Biodiversity;
Swimming;
Data processing;
Marine ecosystems;
Fisheries;
Community composition;
Ecosystems;
Tuna;
Purse seining;
Seining;
Climate change;
Purse seines;
Ocean temperature;
Statistical analysis;
Environmental factors;
Fish aggregating devices;
Vertical migration;
Commercial fishing;
Salinity;
Fisheries management;
Thunnus albacares;
Thunnus obesus
; Wang, Xiao 3 ; Wu, Yuntao 1 ; Teng Yuxiu 1 1 College of Marine Living Resource Sciences and Management, Shanghai Ocean University, Shanghai 201306, China; [email protected] (J.F.);
2 College of Marine Living Resource Sciences and Management, Shanghai Ocean University, Shanghai 201306, China; [email protected] (J.F.);, National Engineering Research Center for Oceanic Fisheries, Shanghai 201306, China, Key Laboratory of Oceanic Fisheries Exploration, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Shanghai 201306, China, The Key Laboratory of Sustainable Exploitation of Oceanic Fisheries Resources, Shanghai Ocean University, Ministry of Education, Shanghai 201306, China
3 Shanghai Kaichuang Marine International Co., Ltd., Shanghai 200082, China