Journal article
Predictable spatiotemporal dynamics of a dense cuttlefish spawning aggregation increases its vulnerability to exploitation
ICES Journal of Marine Science, Vol.75(1), pp.221-234
01/01/2018
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Source: InCites
Abstract
The giant Australian cuttlefish, Sepia apama, forms a dense spawning aggregation at a single known location across its wide southern Australian distribution. After a rapid increase in fishing pressure on the aggregation in the late 1990s, a series of fishing closures were introduced before any biological information could be collected. We surveyed the habitats, timing, and spatial distribution of the spawning aggregation over 4 years, using underwater visual transects and passive tagging, to assess the suitability of the closures. We found that the annual aggregation was both temporally (April–August) and spatially (over 8 km of coastline) localized and predictable, with a consistent peak in abundances in late May–early June. Cuttlefish densities were generally highest over the shallow, broken bedrock habitat, which was more extensive in several sites left open to fishing. Although the original closure covered about 43% of the hard substrate, it accounted for only 23–37% of the total cuttlefish abundance. The extremely high densities recorded during this study verified that this is a massive spawning aggregation for cuttlefish species worldwide, and that it could be highly vulnerable to overexploitation in the absence of adequate protection, because it is so spatiotemporally predictable and localized.
Details
- Title
- Predictable spatiotemporal dynamics of a dense cuttlefish spawning aggregation increases its vulnerability to exploitation
- Creators
- Karina C Hall - South Australian Research and Development InstituteAnthony J Fowler - South Australian Research and Development InstituteMichael C Geddes - University of AdelaideJulian D Taylor - University of Adelaide
- Publication Details
- ICES Journal of Marine Science, Vol.75(1), pp.221-234
- Publisher
- Oxford University Press
- Grant note
- This study was completed while K. Hall was supported by an Australian Postgraduate Award Scholarship.
- Identifiers
- 991012927088502368
- Copyright
- © International Council for the Exploration of the Sea 2017. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com This article is published and distributed under the terms of the Oxford University Press, Standard Journals Publication Model (https://academic.oup.com/journals/pages/open_access/funder_policies/chorus/standard_publication_model) © International Council for the Exploration of the Sea 2017. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com
- Academic Unit
- National Marine Science Centre; Science; Faculty of Science and Engineering
- Language
- English
- Resource Type
- Journal article