Reproductive success of the Argentine anchovy, Engraulis anchoita, in relation to environmental variability at a midshelf front (Southwestern Atlantic Ocean)

MARRARI, M.; S. SIGNORINI; C. MCCLAIN; M. PÁJARO; MARTOS; VIÑAS, M. D.; HANSEN, J.; DIMAURO, R; CEPEDA, G. D; BURATTI, C.

FISHERIES OCEANOGRAPHY

WILEY-BLACKWELL PUBLISHING, INC

Lugar: Londres; Año: 2013 p. 247 - 261

1054-6006

The mid-shelf front (MSF) of the Buenos Aires provincecontinental shelf in the Southwestern AtlanticOcean plays a central role in the pelagic ecosystem ofthe region acting as the main spring reproductive areafor the northern population of the Argentine anchovyEngraulis anchoita and supporting high concentrationsof chlorophyll as well as zooplankton, the main food ofanchovy. To investigate the influence of environmentalvariability on the reproductive success of E. anchoita,we analyzed a 13-yr time series (1997–2009) ofenvironmental data at MSF including chlorophylldynamics, as well as zooplankton compositionand abundance, ichthyoplankton distributions, andrecruitment of E. anchoita. Spring chlorophyll concentrationsshowed high interannual variability and weremainly influenced by changes in water temperatureand vertical stratification, which in turn control nutrientsupply to the surface. Chlorophyll dynamics (magnitude,timing, and duration of the spring bloom)explained most of the variability observed in E. anchoitarecruitment, most likely via fluctuations in theavailability of adequate food for the larvae. Our resultssuggest that satellite ocean color products can be valuabletools for understanding variability in ecosystemdynamics and its effects on the recruitment of fish.