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Marine Ecology Progress Series

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MEPS 623:25-37 (2019)  -  DOI: https://doi.org/10.3354/meps13026

Environmental effects on the spatiotemporal variability of purpleback flying squid in Xisha-Zhongsha waters, South China Sea

Jing Yu1,*, Qiwei Hu1,2, Danling Tang3, Pimao Chen1

1South China Sea Fisheries Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences; Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Fishery Ecology and Environment, Guangzhou 510300, PR China
2Shanghai Jiao Tong University, School of Oceanography, Shanghai 20030, PR China
3Guangdong Key Laboratory of Ocean Remote Sensing, State Key Laboratory of Tropical Oceanography, South China Sea Institute of Oceanography, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510301, PR China
*Corresponding author:

ABSTRACT: The purpleback flying squid Sthenoteuthis oualaniensis is an important ecological and fishery species in the South China Sea (SCS). This study investigated environmental effects on the spatiotemporal variability of S. oualaniensis in Xisha-Zhongsha waters, SCS, using generalized additive models (GAMs); results showed that 43.06% of the total variation in S. oualaniensis catch per unit effort (CPUE) was explained by these factors. Based on the stepwise GAMs, the most important factor was sea surface temperature (SST), with a contribution of 14.80%, followed by longitude, month, chlorophyll a (chl a) concentration, and latitude, with contributions of 8.8, 5.94, 5.90, and 3.09%, respectively. Year and sea surface height anomaly (SSHA) each had a slight influence on the model, explaining approximately 2.97 and 2.10% of the variation in S. oualaniensis CPUE, respectively. S. oualaniensis was mainly distributed between 14-18°N and 110-115°E, where SSTs were 27-28.5°C, chl a concentrations were 0.11-0.15 mg m-3, and at the periphery of eddies where the SSHA was close to 0 m. Analysis of the center of gravity for S. oualaniensis showed that the population shifted southwards by 2° latitude in the spring of 2008, during La Niña conditions. The findings of this study can help to better the understanding of the movement of S. oualaniensis in Xisha-Zhongsha waters and promote better fishery management under a changing climate.


KEY WORDS: Sthenoteuthis oualaniensis · Environmental effects · Spatiotemporal variability · Generalized additive models · Xisha-Zhongsha waters


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Cite this article as: Yu J, Hu Q, Tang D, Chen P (2019) Environmental effects on the spatiotemporal variability of purpleback flying squid in Xisha-Zhongsha waters, South China Sea. Mar Ecol Prog Ser 623:25-37. https://doi.org/10.3354/meps13026

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