Jumbo squid (Dosidicus gigas) landings in the Gulf of California related to remotely sensed SST and concentrations of chlorophyll a (1998–2012)

The jumbo squid Dosidicus gigas supports an important fishery in the central region of the Gulf of California, Mexico. However, in recent years, landings of this species in the port of Guaymas, Sonora has declined significantly. We examined monthly landing records from January 1998 through March 201...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Fisheries research 2013-01, Vol.137, p.97-103
Main Authors: Robinson, Carlos J., Gómez-Gutiérrez, Jaime, de León, David Alberto Salas
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animal, plant and microbial ecology
Applied ecology
Biological and medical sciences
Dosidicus gigas
Exploitation and management of natural biological resources (hunting, fishing and exploited populations survey, etc.)
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
Gulf of California
Invertebrates
Marine
Mollusca
Remote sensing
Upwelling
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Summary:The jumbo squid Dosidicus gigas supports an important fishery in the central region of the Gulf of California, Mexico. However, in recent years, landings of this species in the port of Guaymas, Sonora has declined significantly. We examined monthly landing records from January 1998 through March 2012 and related this record to monthly sea surface temperature (SST) and chlorophyll a from satellite imagery and coastal upwelling index (CUI) in the fishing area as proxies of inter-annual changes in the epipelagic habitat. Results indicate that jumbo squid catches were high between June 1999 and December 2004 (328,903t) associated with an extended period of prevailing cold SSTs (La Niña 1999) and high chlorophyll a concentrations with intense CUI. From January 2005 through March 2012, a progressive catches decrease; landings were about 31.8% of previous captures (104,829t). Decline is associated with a progressively warmer habitat with less chlorophyll a and considerably lower CUI. Six fishing surveys carried out into the central Gulf of California with jig sampling indicate that jumbo squid tend to be in regions with low SST and high chlorophyll a, confirming its association with cold and productive areas.
ISSN:0165-7836
1872-6763
DOI:10.1016/j.fishres.2012.09.006