Suitability indices and habitat suitability index model of Caspian kutum (Rutilus frisii kutum) in the southern Caspian Sea

The relationship between species and habitat is important in ecosystem-based fisheries management. Habitat suitability index (HSI) modeling is a valuable tool in ecology and can be used to describe the relationship between fish abundance and ecological variables in order to estimate the suitability...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Aquatic ecology 2013-12, Vol.47 (4), p.441-451
Main Authors: Haghi Vayghan, Ali, Poorbagher, Hadi, Taheri Shahraiyni, Hamid, Fazli, Hasan, Nasrollahzadeh Saravi, Hasan
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Analysis
Animal populations
Benthos
Biomedical and Life Sciences
Chlorophyll
Commercial species
Ecosystems
Fish
Fish industry
Fisheries
Fisheries management
Fishes
Freshwater
Freshwater & Marine Ecology
Habitats
Life Sciences
Marine ecology
Nuclear radiation
Photosynthesis
Rutilus frisii
Sea surface temperature
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:The relationship between species and habitat is important in ecosystem-based fisheries management. Habitat suitability index (HSI) modeling is a valuable tool in ecology and can be used to describe the relationship between fish abundance and ecological variables in order to estimate the suitability of specific habitats. In the present study, an HSI model was applied to determine suitable habitats for the Caspian kutum ( Rutilus frisii kutum ), an important commercial species in the southern Caspian Sea. An arithmetic mean model (AMM) was found to be the most appropriate model for describing the relationship between two of the environmental variables investigated (depth and benthos biomass). However, a geometric mean model explained the evident relationship when all four environmental variables were used (depth, benthos biomass, photosynthetically active radiation and sea surface temperature). The areas with an HSI > 0.5 had over 85 % of the total catch indicating the reliability of the prediction of the Caspian kutum habitat using the AMM. The present study showed that depth and substrate structure are the most important environmental variables for the Caspian kutum to select its habitats, and between remotely sensed data, chlorophyll a , photosynthetically active radiation and sea surface temperature are the most critical parameters for near real-time prediction of the Caspian kutum habitat.
ISSN:1386-2588
1573-5125
DOI:10.1007/s10452-013-9457-9