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- Swimming abilities of temperate pelagic fish larvae prove that they may control their dispersion in coastal areasPublication . Baptista, Vânia; Morais, Pedro; Cruz, Joana; Castanho, Sara; Ribeiro, L.; Pousão-Ferreira, P.; Leitão, Francisco Miguel de Sousa; Wolanski, E.; Teodosio, Maria AlexandraThe Sense Acuity and Behavioral (SAAB) Hypothesis proposes that the swimming capabilities and sensorial acuity of temperate fish larvae allows them to find and swim towards coastal nursery areas, which are crucial for their recruitment. To gather further evidence to support this theory, it is necessary to understand how horizontal swimming capability varies along fish larvae ontogeny. Therefore, we studied the swimming capability of white seabream Diplodus sargus (Linnaeus, 1758) larvae along ontogeny, and their relationship with physiological condition. Thus, critical swimming speed (U-crit) and the distance swam (km) during endurance tests were determined for fish larvae from 15 to 55 days post-hatching (DPH), and their physiological condition (RNA, DNA and protein contents) was assessed. The critical swimming speed of white seabream larvae increased along ontogeny from 1.1 cm s(-1) (15 DPH) to 23 cm s(-1) (50 and 55 DPH), and the distance swam by larvae in the endurance experiments increased from 0.01 km (15 DPH) to 86.5 km (45 DPH). This finding supports one of the premises of the SAAB hypothesis, which proposes that fish larvae can influence their transport and distribution in coastal areas due to their swimming capabilities. The relationship between larvae's physiological condition and swimming capabilities were not evident in this study. Overall, this study provides critical information for understanding the link between population dynamics and connectivity with the management and conservation of fish stocks.
- The Influence of environmental factors and fishing pressure on catch rates of diplodus vulgarisPublication . Baptista, Vânia; Campos, Carlos J. A.; Leitão, FranciscoThe variability of coastal marine resources has been linked to environmental variability but the impacts of artisanal nearshore fishing activity and environmental factors interact in different ways. Time series, Min/Max Autocorrelation Factor, Generalised Least Squares and Dynamic Factor Analyses models were applied to examine the role of environmental factors (SST, NAO Index, Upwelling Index, Wind Magnitude, Easterly Wind Component, Northerly Wind Component, Coastal River Discharges) and fisheries effort on commercial catch rates of Diplodus vulgaris in the Northwest, Southwest and South Portuguese coast. Environmental factors were found to affect short-term variations of catch rates with a time lag of 2 years, according to the regions and seasons. In the Northwest, autumn wind magnitude and summer river discharges were positively correlated with D. vulgaris catch rates. In the Southwest, D. vulgaris catch rates were negatively associated with variations in winter sea surface temperature. In the South, catch rates were positively associated with yearly westerly wind component and yearly, winter and autumn river discharges whilst negatively associated with the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) Index. These results indicate that both large-scale climatic patterns and local hydrological factors can have an influential role in determining the abundance of D. vulgaris stocks. Fishery assessment should therefore incorporate information on ecosystem and environmental effects to help managers to make informed decisions on how to best regulate coastal fisheries.
- The Atlantic blue crab Callinectes sapidus Rathbun, 1896 expands its non-native distribution into the Ria Formosa lagoon and the Guadiana estuary (SW-Iberian Peninsula, Europe)Publication . Morais, Pedro; Gaspar, Miguel; Garel, Erwan; Baptista, Vânia; Cruz, Joana; Cerveira, Inês; Leitão, Francisco; Teodosio, MariaThe Atlantic blue crab Callinectes sapidus Rathbun, 1896 is native in the western Atlantic, however it is a non-indigenous species across Europe since 1900, among other world regions. In this paper, we report the first occurrences of this species in the Ria Formosa lagoon and in the Guadiana estuary (SW-Iberian Peninsula, Europe) which occurred in 2016 and July 2017, respectively. We hypothesize that the introduction of this species into these ecosystems might be due to the expansion of the Guadalquivir estuary population through natural processes (larval advection, active movement), or due to unintended introduction events after being transported aboard fishing boats, or, less likely, through ballast water. Changes in Guadiana's river flow after the construction of the Alqueva dam might also explain the presence of another non-indigenous species in the Guadiana estuary. The hypotheses presented, regarding the introduction of the Atlantic blue crab into these ecosystems and of its co-occurrence with other decapod species, are framed in a broader context to serve as a future research framework. The use of the Atlantic blue crab as a new fishing resource is also proposed, namely if it is to be used exclusively by local communities and if no deleterious impacts upon other fisheries and the ecosystem occur from this new fishery.
- Northerly wind trends along the Portuguese marine coast since 1950Publication . Leitão, Francisco; Relvas, Paulo; Canovas, Fernando; Baptista, Vânia; Teodosio, M. A.Wind is a marine coastal factor that is little understood but has a strong interaction with biological productivity. In this study, northerly wind trends in three regions of the Portuguese coast (Northwestern: NW, Southwestern: SW, and Southern: S) were analyzed. Two datasets with long-term (ICOADS: 1960-2010) and short-term data (Satellite: 1989-2010) were used to complement one another. The study revealed the northerly wind yearly data to be non-stationary and highly variable between years. Overall, the northerly wind intensity increased throughout the 1960s regardless of the area and dataset. Between 1960 and 2010, the northerly wind increased at a linear rate of 0.24, 0.09, and 0.15ms-1 per decade in the NW, SW, and S coastal regions, respectively. The rate was higher in recent decades (1988-2009), with the wind intensity increasing by 0.4, 0.3, and 0.3ms-1 per decade in the NW, SW, and S regions, respectively. Analyses of the sudden shifts showed significant increases in northerly wind intensities after 2003, 2004, and 1998 in the NW, SW, and S coast, respectively. Exceptions were found for autumn (September for short-term data), when a decrease in northerly winds was observed in recent decades, regardless of the area, and for summer, when no changes in wind trends were recorded in the NW and SW. The long-term data also showed a major increase in northerly winds in winter (January and February), which is the recruitment season for many small and medium-sized pelagic fish. The increase in the intensity of the northerly winds over the past two decades and the past half-century occurred at a higher rate than was estimated by the IPCC for the next century.
- The role of environmental and fisheries multi-controls in white seabream (Diplodus sargus) artisanal fisheries in Portuguese coastPublication . Leitão, Francisco; Baptista, Vania; Teodosio, Maria; Hughes, Samantha Jane; Vieira, Vasco; Chícharo, LuísEvaluating the effects of fishing and environmental factors on fish populations are fundamental tenets of fisheries science. In this study, we assess associations between environmental variables (sea surface temperature; North Atlantic Oscillation index; upwelling; wind magnitude; westerly winds; northerly winds; river discharge) and fishing variables (fishing effort) in Diplodus sagus catch rates accounting for regional analyses (northwest coast; southwest coast and Algarve-Algarve south coast). Different time series models for data fitting (multi-model approach) were used. The models were lagged, according to species fishing recruitment age based on the hypothesis that fisheries catches depend on larvae recruitment and survivorship. D. sargus catch rates across areas were unrelated to fishing effort but correlated to environmental variables, with seasonal events explaining much of the variability in trends. On the northwestern coast, the catch rates were mainly set by sea surface temperature (SST) and wind magnitude; however, southwestern coast catch rates were set by NAO winter. On the south coast, only one statistical model (SST, upwelling and westerly winds) associated spring conditions with D. sargus catch rates. The multi-model approach revealed autumn, winter and spring seasonal effects to be related with northwest, southwest and Algarve coastal catch rates, respectively, indicating a possible coastal longitudinal gradient related with given periods of spawning and larval availability. The metadata analysis yielded different results from the regional analyses. In summary, marine resource management should take regional environment characteristics and variability into account when determining sustainable catch rates in given areas for species with high habitat site fidelity.
- New evidence of marine fauna tropicalization off the Southwestern Iberian Peninsula (Southwest Europe)Publication . Encarnação, João; Morais, Pedro; Baptista, Vânia; Cruz, Joana; Teodosio, MariaClimate change and the overall increase of seawater temperature are causing a poleward shift in species distribution, which includes a phenomenon described as the tropicalization of temperate regions. This work aims to report the first records of four species off the southwestern Iberian Peninsula, namely, the oceanic puffer Lagocephalus lagocephalus (Linnaeus, 1758), the Madeira rockfish Scorpaena maderensis Valenciennes, 1833, the ornate wrasse Thalassoma pavo (Linnaeus, 1758), and the bearded fireworm Hermodice carunculata (Pallas, 1766). These last three species, along with other occurrences of aquatic fauna and flora along the Portuguese coast, reveal an ongoing process of poleward expansion of several species, which urgently necessitates a comprehensive survey along the entire Iberian Peninsula. The putative origins of these subtropical and tropical species off continental Portugal are discussed, as well as the potential public health problems that two of the four reported species may cause.
- Correction to: Northerly wind trends along the Portuguese marine coast since 1950Publication . Leitão, Francisco; Relvas, Paulo; Canovas, Fernando; Baptista, Vânia; Teodósio, M. A.All figure captions are not accurate. Also, there is a repeated error in most figures because the vertical scales incorrectly show Wind Strenght instead of Wind Strength and in Fig. 4 (mid-panel) 2003 instead of 2004.
- Response of gilthead seabream (Sparus aurata L., 1758) larvae to nursery odor cues as described by a new set of behavioral indexesPublication . Morais, Pedro; Parra, María P.; Baptista, Vânia; Ribeiro, Laura; Pousão-Ferreira, Pedro; Teodosio, MariaTemperate marine fish larvae use a series of environmental cues (e.g., olfactory, hearing, visual) to mediate the selection of nursery habitats. However, habitat selection may vary according to individuals' physiological condition. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the ability of gilthead seabream (Sparus aurata L., 1758) larvae to utilize natural odor cues to locate nursery habitats along ontogeny and to examine how it varies with individual's physiological condition. The hypothesis being tested is that S. aurata larvae prefer coastal rocky reefs as nursery areas, but they might use coastal lagoons as nursery grounds—ecosystems known for their productivity—if under starvation conditions, as a compensatory mechanism to avoid slow growth or even death. A choice-chamber experiment was used to investigate the behavioral responses of satiated and starved laboratory-reared S. aurata larvae, along ontogeny (pre-flexion, flexion, post-flexion), to water collected in a coastal artificial rocky reef and a coastal lagoon. The physiological condition of S. aurata larvae was determined by analyzing several biochemical condition indices. Complementarily, a new set of four preference indexes were developed—Choice-Chamber Preference Indexes—and discussed to provide a clear measure of the behavioral changes of a species along ontogeny by balancing all the behavioral choices made during the experimental trials, including the unresponsive behavior. A developmental threshold was identified at 24 days post-hatching, before which insufficient swimming capability disabled responsive behavior. Beyond this threshold, post-flexion larvae preferred rocky coastal water over lagoon water, even if under starvation conditions or poor physiological condition, despite the fact that the unresponsive behavior was largely predominant. S. aurata larvae displayed a cautionary behavioral strategy, so the compensatory mechanisms to ensure metapopulation stability and resilience have to rely on their feeding plasticity and on being a batch-spawning species (i.e., diversified bet-hedging strategy) to compensate the lack of apparent behavioral plasticity.
- Reconstructing discards profiles of unreported catchesPublication . Leitão, Francisco; Baptista, Vânia; Erzini, KarimIn Portugal it has been estimated that unreported catches represent one third of total catches. Herein, information on landings and total unreported catches (discards) by commercial métier were disaggregated into high taxonomic detail using published scientific studies. Fish accounted for 93.5% (115493 t) of overall unreported catches per year, followed by cephalopods (2345 t, 1.9%) and crustaceans (1754 t, 1.4%). Sharks accounted for 1.3% of total unreported catches in weight (1638 t/y). Unreported taxa consisted mostly of the commercial landed fish species: Scomber colias, Boops boops, Trachurus picturatus, T. trachurus, Merluccius merluccius, Sardina pilchardus, Liza aurata and Micromesistius poutassou, which together accounted for 70% of the unreported discarded catches. The number of unreported/discarded species was highest in artisanal fisheries, followed by trawl and purse seine. In artisanal fisheries, L. aurata, S. colias, S. pilchardus, Trachinus draco and B. boops accounted for 76.4% of the unreported discards. B. boops, S. colias and S. pilchardus were also among the most discarded purse seine species, together with Belone belone accounting for 79% of the unreported catches. In trawl fisheries, T. picturatus (16%), M. merluccius (13%), S. colias (13%) and M. poutassou (13%) accounted for 55% of the trawl discarded unreported catches. The discarded species that most contribute to overall unreported catches are those that are most frequently landed and that most contribute to overall landings in weight.
- Influence of oceanography and larvae behaviour on recruitment of temperate fishes: the importance of physics-biology links to manage fisheries at a local scalePublication . Baptista, Vânia; Teodósio, Maria A.; Leitão, Francisco; Wolanski, EricA central question in the ecology of fishing resources is understanding the mechanisms behind recruitment variability. This thesis aimed to analyse the factors responsible for recruitment variability of two economically relevant species, in Portugal, white seabream (Diplodus sargus) and two-banded seabream (Diplodus vulgaris). The temporal variability in sea surface temperature (SST) was studied over specific regions of the Portuguese coast, along the last decades. The effects of changes in environmental variables and fishing pressure on these resources were evaluated, using a multi-model approach. Swimming capabilities of fish larvae and their behavioural responses to environmental cues, potentially relevant for the selection of nursery areas and recruitment, were determined using Ria Formosa coastal lagoon and white seabream as a case study. The analysis of SST during the period 1980-2010 showed a generalized warming along the Portuguese coast, with region- and season-variable tendencies. The effects of environmental and fishing variability on the landings were species-specific, and also varied depending on region and season. The swimming ability of white seabream larvae, as well as their exploratory activity, increased during ontogeny. However, this species did not select any of the environmental stimuli tested. The exploratory behaviour of white seabream larvae presented consistent individual differences throughout ontogeny, indicating that the personality traits emerge early in their life cycle.The integration of these results into an individual-based model showed that both the location of spawning sites and directional swimming capabilities are important determinants of the ingress success of white seabream into a nursery area, as the Ria Formosa lagoon. Thus, the integration of region- and season-specific oceanographic and fishing processes, as well as fish larvae behaviour and dispersion modelling, and supported climate change scenarios, are required for improving the estimates of fish recruitment.