Repositorio Digital Marítimo, Fluvial y Costero

Arcos, Dagoberto and Cubillos, Luis and Nuñez, Sergio. (2004). Effects of El Niño 1997-1998 on main pelagic fisheries of the south-center zone of Chile. El Niño-La Niña 1997-2000. Sus Efectos en Chile.. pp. 153-177.

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Abstract

Biological changes observed in the pelagic fish populations off central-south Chile: sardine (Strangomera bentincki), anchovy (Engraulis ringens) and jack mackerel (Trachurus symmetricus), are analyzed by considering probable effects of the 1997-98 El Niño event. This event caused physical changes in the coastal and oceanic habitat off central-south Chile, determining negative effects on the reproductive activity and on the condition factor of the females of sardine and anchovy. The 1997 cohort of sardine presented the lowest recruitment in the 1990s, and also the average length-at-age of this cohort was larger than the rest of cohorts. The growth and recruitment of anchovy were not significantly affected by El Niño, a situation that could be explained by the most opportunistic rol of this species in the region. In the case of jack mackerel, the spatial distribution pattern of the population was affected by the pre-Niño and El Niño conditions, by producing an alteration in the migration path of juveniles to the nursery ground located usually into the north of 30º S. Probably, the fishing intensity during the previous years to the 1997-98 El Niño increased the alteration in the spatial pattern of the population. A restoration of the spatial pattern of jack mackerel could take several years because new year classes should “rediscover” the nursery ground located into the norte of 30º S. This hypothesis has serious consequences for the jack mackerel fishery.

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Item Type:	Article
Uncontrolled Keywords:	Peces pelágicos. Evento El Niño. Pacífico Suroriental (Chile). Variabilidad ambiental. Pesquerías pelágicas
Geographical coverage :	Chile
Depositing User:	Alianza Regional del Sistema Mundial de Observación de los Océanos (GOOS) para el Pacífico Sudeste - GRASP
ISSN:	956-235-024-X
Official URL:	http://www.cona.cl/pub/detalle_cientifica.php?pub=...

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