Mega scale patterns of ‘loco’ catches along the Chilean coast: from coastal oceanography to improved scientific advice for management

YANNICELLI, B.; LETELIER, J.; J. GONZÁLEZ; ORENSANZ, J.M.; PARMA, A.M.

Las Palmas, Gran Canaria

Simposio; Symposium Eastern Boundary Upwelling Ecosystem; 2008

We compared the mega-scale spatial pattern of loco catches from the BER and AMERB periods along the Chilean coast between 20 º to 45º S, and analyzed their relationship with coastal topography, mean coastal chlorophyll-a (Chl-a) concentration, and landings of loco’s main prey items. Over 60% of the total declared BER landings could be associated to geo-refererenced fishing locations through a port-sampling program conducted by Chile’s Fisheries Development Institute (IFOP). Georeferenced information abot landings from the AMERBs were extracted from annual reports provided by the Chilean Under-secretariat of Fisheries. Topography was evaluated through an index of coastal convolution, calculated as the linear length of coast per 0.063 degree of latitude from N to S. Chl-a concentration was estimated from weekly 4×4 km Modis-Aqua images. Chl-a values from the coast to 20 km offshore were integrated for each latitudinal pixel and then averaged between 2002-2007. Catches by fishing location of the barnacle Astromegabalanus psittacus and the tunicate Pyura chilensis (main prey items of loco) were available from IFOP’s port sampling program. [texto continua]