Horizontal distribution of dominant pelagic fish eggs in West African waters

Early life stages of dominant West African pelagic fishes, most of which are commercially important, are rarely studied especially in Senegalese and Mauritanian coastal waters. The aim of the present study is to examine the horizontal distribution of pelagic fish eggs of Atlantic sardine (Sardina pi...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inInternational Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Studies Vol. 5; no. 6; pp. 340 - 348
Main Authors Badji, Luc B., Tiedemann, Maik, Fock, Heino O., Ndiaye, Papa, Jouffre, Didier
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published AkiNik Publications 2017
Subjects
Biodiversity and Ecology
Ecology, environment
Ecosystems
Environmental Sciences
Global Changes
Life Sciences
ATLANTIQUE
SENEGAL
AFRIQUE DE L'OUEST
MAURITANIE
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Summary:Early life stages of dominant West African pelagic fishes, most of which are commercially important, are rarely studied especially in Senegalese and Mauritanian coastal waters. The aim of the present study is to examine the horizontal distribution of pelagic fish eggs of Atlantic sardine (Sardina pilchardus), anchovy (Engraulis encrasicolus), sardinella (Sardinella aurita) and horse mackerels (Trachurus trachurus.) in late winter and summer. The two seasons revealed two contrasting environmental conditions. While in late winter a permanent upwelling shaped the environmental conditions, in summer a warm tropical influx of surface water towards Mauritania was observed. We collected fish eggs in both seasons along the shelf coasts of Mauritania and Senegal. These data were then related to the sea surface temperature obtained at each sampling position from a conductivity-temperature-depth (CTD) instrument. This study showed that eggs of most species are concentrated in the coastal waters in front the Banc d'Arguin, in Saint-Louis and along the Petite-côte of Senegal. Moreover, it has been shown that spatial distribution of fish eggs is controlled by several factors such as temperature and also by the role of the continental shelf-break, as a mechanism of retention of fish eggs and larvae.
ISSN:2394-0506
2347-5129