Aggregations of bluefish Pomatomus saltatrix (L.) at Mediterranean coastal fish farms: seasonal presence, daily patterns and influence of farming activity

Bluefish, Pomatomus saltatrix (Linnaeus, 1766), is commonly observed close to Mediterranean open-sea fish farms. It usually preys on wild fish that are attracted to farms, but also on farmed fish by biting holes in sea cages net walls. In the current telemetry study, we found that the tagged bluefis...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Environmental biology of fishes 2015-01, Vol.98 (2), p.499-510
Main Authors: Arechavala-Lopez, Pablo, Izquierdo-Gomez, David, Uglem, Ingebrigt, Sanchez-Jerez, Pablo
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animal Systematics/Taxonomy/Biogeography
Aquaculture
autumn
Biomedical and Life Sciences
Coastal plains
Environment
farmed fish
Farming
farming systems
Farms
Fish
Fish farms
foraging
Freshwater & Marine Ecology
habitats
Life Sciences
Marine
Nature Conservation
Pomatomus saltatrix
Seawater
spring
summer
Swimming
Telemetry
Water temperature
wild fish
Zoology
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Summary:Bluefish, Pomatomus saltatrix (Linnaeus, 1766), is commonly observed close to Mediterranean open-sea fish farms. It usually preys on wild fish that are attracted to farms, but also on farmed fish by biting holes in sea cages net walls. In the current telemetry study, we found that the tagged bluefish stayed close to fish farms during spring and early summer. However, most of the tagged fish disappeared from the farms during autumn, when the sea water temperature dropped. When aggregating at farms, bluefish were present at deeper waters during day time, but moved closer to the surface during night time. In addition, periods when there was operational activity at the farms might influence on daily swimming depth of bluefish. Therefore, bluefish individuals seem to find an optimal foraging habitat around Mediterranean fish farms.
ISSN:0378-1909
1573-5133
DOI:10.1007/s10641-014-0280-5