The impact of climate change on the fish community structure of the eastern continental shelf of the Bay of Biscay

Type Article
Date 2005-10
Language English
Author(s) Poulard Jean-Charles1, Blanchard FabianORCID2
Affiliation(s) 1 : IFREMER, Dept Ecol & Modeles Halieut, F-44311 Nantes, France.
2 : IFREMER, Dept Sci & Technol Halieut, F-29280 Plouzane, France.
Source ICES Journal of Marine Science (1054-3139) (Elsevier), 2005-10 , Vol. 62 , N. 7 , P. 1436-1443
DOI 10.1016/j.icesjms.2005.04.017
WOS© Times Cited 63
Keyword(s) Groundfish surveys, Fish community, Climate change, Bay of Biscay
Abstract Many fish species are at the southern or northern limit of their distribution range tit the Bay of Biscay, where large-scale hydroclimatic changes have occurred in recent decades. We attempt here to identify the impact of these changes on the fish community of the eastern continental shelf of the Bay of Biscay. Data collected during 14 autumn groundfish surveys in 1973 and from 1987 to 2002 are used. The study area is between latitudes 48 degrees 30'N and 43 degrees 30'N while the depth ranges from 15 to 200 m. Annual abundance indices (number of individuals per km(2)) of 56 fish taxa present on average in at least 5% of the tows are computed. Multivariate analysis is used to detect temporal trends in these species' abundance indices. Assuming that increased water temperature may favour Subtropical species and hinder temperate ones, knowledge about the latitudinal distribution range is used to interpret time trends. Results show an increasing abundance trend with time for fish species having a wide distribution range in latitude (mainly subtropical ones), whereas the abundance of temperate and the least widely distributed species decreased steadily.
Full Text
File Pages Size Access
publication-824.pdf 15 630 KB Open access
Top of the page