Assessing the spatiotemporal persistence of fish distributions: a case study on two red mullet species (Mullus surmuletus and M. barbatus) in the western Mediterranean

Understanding the spatiotemporal persistence of fish distributions is key to defining fish hotspots and effective fisheries-restricted areas (FRAs). Hierarchical Bayesian spatiotemporal models provide an excellent framework to understand these distributions, as they can accommodate different spatiot...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Marine ecology. Progress series (Halstenbek) 2020-06, Vol.644, p.173-185
Main Authors: Paradinas, Iosu, Conesa, David, López-Quílez, Antonio, Esteban, Antonio, López, Lucía Martina Martín, Bellido, José María, Pennino, Maria Grazia
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Bayesian analysis
Benthos collecting devices
Environmental planning
Fish
Fisheries
Hot spots
Marine fishes
Marine protected areas
Marine resources
Mathematical models
Mullidae
Mullus surmuletus
Probability theory
Spatial distribution
Spatial planning
Species
Surveying
Sympatric populations
Temporal distribution
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Summary:Understanding the spatiotemporal persistence of fish distributions is key to defining fish hotspots and effective fisheries-restricted areas (FRAs). Hierarchical Bayesian spatiotemporal models provide an excellent framework to understand these distributions, as they can accommodate different spatiotemporal behaviour in the data, primarily due to their flexibility. The aim of this research was to characterize the fundamental behavioural patterns of fish as persistent, opportunistic or progressive by comparing different spatiotemporal model structures in order to provide better information for marine spatial planning. To illustrate this method, the spatiotemporal distributions of 2 sympatric Mullidae species, the striped redmullet Mullus surmuletus and the redmullet M. barbatus, were analysed. The occurrence of each species, its conditional-to-presence abundance and median length were analysed using Mediterranean trawl survey data from the western Mediterranean between 2000 and 2016. Results demonstrate that there are various common hotspots of both species distributed along the Iberian coast. The convenient persistent spatiotemporal distribution of these hotspots facilitates the configuration of a network of connected FRAs for red mullets in the study area.
ISSN:0171-8630
1616-1599
DOI:10.3354/meps13366