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Gulf and Caribbean Research
Volume 19 | Issue 2
January 2007
Consequences of Ocean Scale Hypoxia Constrained Habitat for Tropical Pelagic Fishes
Eric D. Prince
National Marine Fisheries Service
C. Phillip Goodyear
DOI: 10.18785/gcr.1902.04
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Recommended Citation
Prince, E. D. and C. Goodyear. 2007. Consequences of Ocean Scale Hypoxia Constrained Habitat for Tropical Pelagic Fishes. Gulf and
Caribbean Research 19 (2): 17-20.
Retrieved from http://aquila.usm.edu/gcr/vol19/iss2/4
This Article is brought to you for free and open access by The Aquila Digital Community. It has been accepted for inclusion in Gulf and Caribbean
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Gulf and Caribbean Researcb Vol 19(2), 17-'1JJ, 2007
Manuscript received November 17, 2007; accepted March 6, 2007
CONSEQUENCES OF OCEAN SCALE HYPOXIA CONSTRAINED HABITAT
FOR TROPICAL PELAGIC FISHES
Eric D. Princel and C. Pbillip Goodyear2
INational Marine Fisheries Service, Southeast Fisheries Science Center, 75 Virginia Beach
Drive, Miami, Florida 33149 USA, E-11Ulil [email protected]
'1214 North Lalreshore Drive, Niceville. Florida 32578 USA
ABSTRACT Large areas of cold hypoxic water occur as distinct strata in the eastern tropical Pacific and Atlantic
oceans as a result of high productivity initiated by intense nutrient upwelling. Recent studies show that this stratum restricts the depth distribution of tropical pelagic marlins, sailfish, and tunas in the eastern tropical Pacific by
compressing the acceptable physical habitat into a narrow surface layer. This layer extends downward to a variable
boundary defined by a shallow thermocline, often at 25 In, above a barrier of cold hypoxic water. The depth distributions of marlin and sailfish monitored with electronic tags and mean dissolved oxygen (DO) and 1emperature
profiles show that this cold hypoxic environment constitutes a lower habitat boundary in the eastern tropical Pacific,
but not in the western North Atlantic. where DO is not limiting. However. hypoxia-based habitat compression has
not actually been demonstrated in the eastern tropical Atlantic Ocean, despite this region having similar oceanographic features to the eastern tropical Pacific. This paper explores the possibility that habitat compression of tropical pelagic fishes exists in the eastro tropical Atlantic and examines possible consequences of this phenomenon. We
used Atlantic-wide catches of yellowfin tuna (Thunnus albacares) as an example why habitat compression off west
Africa could even1ually affect the tolal Atlantic stock.
RESUMEN Extensas areas con aguas relativamente frias y bajo contenido de oxigeno (hypoxia) pueden ocurrir
en el Pacifico y Atlantico Tropical oriental como resultado de alta productividad biologica en zona de upwelling.
Estudios recientes demuestran que estos estratos restringen la distribucion vertical de species pelagicas tropicales
como los martines, pez vela y atones en el Pacifico tropical oriental al comprimir el habitat de estas especies a una
termoclina poco profunda, a menudo solo 25 m, sobre una barrera de agua fria y con bajo contentido de oxigeno.
Las distribuciones vertical de marlines y pez vela monitoreadas con marcas eletronicas y perfiles de oxigeno disuelto (00) y temperature muestran que este ambiente relativamente frio y bajo contenido de oxigeno constituye
una barrera del habitat en el Pacifico tropical oriental, pero no el Atlantico Norte occidental donde el 00 no es
limitante. La compresion del habitat basada en la hypoxia no se pudo demostrar en el Atlantico tropical oriental, a
pesar de que esta region tiene caracteristicas oceanograficas similares a las del Pacifico tropical oriental. Este documento explora la posibilidad de la existencia de habitats comprimidos para especies de peces tropicales y examina
las posibles consecuencias de este fenomeno. Utilizamos colectas de albacore (Thunnus albacores) como ejemplo
del efecto de la compresi6n del habitat en la parte oeste de Africa y su efecto en el stock del Atlantico.
Large areas of cold, oxygen-depleted (hypoxic) waters
are permanent features of the eastern tropical Pacific and
Atlantic oceans (!Ielly and Levin 2004), a result of intense
nutrient upwelling (Cusbing 1969, Diaz 2001). Here we
use electronic tags (Siebert and Nielson 2001) to show that
these cold, bypoxic strata compress the acceptable physical
habitat of marlin and sailfish into a shallow surface layer,
with important ecological and fisheries consequences.
Very little data exist to characterize the habitat depths of
tropical pelagic billfishes and tunas, even though these features are critical for monitoring population abundance, We
investigated habitat depth of marlin and sailfish using popup
satellite arcbival tags (pSAT, Siebert and Nielson 2(01). We
monitored 19 billfish an aggregate of 801 d in western North
Atlantic habitats where dissolved oxygen (DO) concentrations are not limiting, and 13 billfish an aggregate of 429
d in the eastern tropical Pacific, where hypoxic conditions
are often as shallow as 25 m (Figure lA). We stratified the
amount of time spent by each fish, and its deepest dive dur-
ing successive 6 hr periods into strata of :;; 50
In,
> 50 In,
> 100 and > 200m. Pacific billfish remained within the shallowest strata, while Atlantic billfish were much more likely
to venture deeper (Figure lB, a & b), Our analyses showed
markedly different vertical habitat use (highly significant
P < 0.(01) in the two studies areas.
The spatial extents of acceptable habitats for some
estuarine and shallow demersal reef fishes are known
to respond to variation in DO (Eby and Crowder 2001,
Stanley and Wllson 2004). Our findings show this phenomenon also exists at a much larger scale for pelagic
fishes in the tropical oceans. In our Pacific study area, DO
levels (Fonteneau 1997, Prince and Goodyear 20061) of
17
PRINCE AND GooDYEAR
40
(A)
30
20
10
0
-100
-70
-60
-50
-40
-30
> 50
> 100
Depth (m)
> 200
(a)
Average maximum depth (m)
0
(C)
-80
50
(B)
-90
25
(b)
50
Time (5)
75
0
100
25
50
75
Records (%)
100
0
100
200
(a)
300
0
100
200
(b)
300
400
0.0
0.1
0.2
0.3
0.4
0.5
0.6
0.7
0.8
0.9
1.0
Time (% maximum duration at large)
Figare L (A) PadIk (A) andAo.ntic (8) buiD. dodf U f t I . . ddIned by the dUpI.............. of eIedrmic tap depIoyM OD. bilHllh
from poiIlt of ftleue (lrt.n) to when: the tep trPIumitted deta to the Argos IPteIlite system. (8) Proportion fI. time .t depth
(.) PDd. proportion fI. rrcords with drna to depth (b). Atlentic end Padllc biIUl!h are denoted by red and bllle, I'I'.8pectiYdf.
Solid ban lep:teseut ailIiIb. uul cn-............ ban dmote merliDL Error ben ere oae stenderd emu:. (C) Memnumobllernd
deptba of merlin (.) PDd. saiIIl!h (b) during!llCCa!in: 6-hr iDternIs efter me.e (PriIu:e IIIld Goodyeer 2006). PeciIic obaervetioos ere aboTe the Athmtic obllervatiomJ, lespeclite1y, 8IId llheded ereas denote Tariability (:t ODe abmdard error). Solid Iiaes
represent the '·hour averep mpyjmgm depths 'risited by eecb. species. Repria.ted with permiasioD. from the JODI'IIPI. of Fisheries
(lao.......phy lS(6),451-464, 2006.
18
'-..
10 ofoltrJ k _ ... , . . ... _
c.dooI .... _
r ' ....
apIoJ 15(11):4!l--44, aI6.
JIpN:l.1JI II'
. . . . 1JUlDQI
o
,
!
......n
5
IatlooAtIoIotk ... _
!" ...... i
- - .........
..mca, .... "·'ti
1.5 mllllIDCIIr.tUJoat 75 mdlllil dqJIh ~ 10 fiKm
IIIc icJwcr 1hrcohuld of MbiIat ..., for cae hoitic hiI11iIh
(Rprc Ie, • .1: b). CoIMndy. DO ~ nrcly fdL bcIDw
3.5 mill (Fn-'-'" 1m, Prince IUId Goodyar 2OOfi)
ad did DOt -wc-m coutraia vodicd hIbibd: U& of 0Ir
AiWlDcmmill Dr IIIIiIfiIh (FiJIIIC Ie). Thcc:tbUDcly ohdlow ~ of ~ hDtIt in II-. PIei!i<: IIIud:y ....
.n.m,; from autrieDt .PftllinI in u. ntIion ... ~
!lUI hi,ebl,. ~ ....ufJl4let to ... YIIq ..... nrface. We feel.1IIaI tillIIbiIIt w'" laoa flIcIlit ..... cloIet
pbyac.J. proUDIlJ of pwI ..... 1IDd prey iIIlbe _!WiIaI, wbIch WORld pI'O'ride .....Jwyw! fora&Ia& oppMaaiIieI
111M may C<lIIlriWIo 10 fuler p'OWIb. aDd iIrp_1izeI
of Ip5. precWon (BeKdIelJ 1980, PJ:iJIc:e aDd GoocI)'-
9
m
!hilt
'
..... o.-rr-FAO
. . . . .
CD.
II»;
'
,
'-tn."' 1000
,~
tivilJ -'. ·''''iuhitity. TIIiI YIIIBonbility ia
pudac-
~J'
for bJC*h IIpCIlicIIikc blue ....1iD Ihat ~
iIJM:r 1IIlc:r-.cr. 10 fiIhiBa; ....mHty Ibm !he tcp:t opecica, Cr'., ydIcJrin. _
(GoodycK 2005).
AJlu,'Ih the cuIcnI AIbnIic baa maar at: tile wac
~
"'*"'l1Qlllhil: :r..tur.. of II-. ......... tnlpieal I'IIci&:
(,Fo-=_ 1997, ~ UId Clood:,_ 2(06). AIIIIDtic
bbitaI eompreIaion of trcpical peIap: fIIbN hu )"It 10
be duc....tecl will empiIicd data (J'riDce IIIICI GoocJy.2(06). If bJpcWa-buecl hIbibd: 001111'11 II dON ezlIl
ia !be - * I I Ar1atic, II» qgeIIioa. beo' I: II dill
!
.. IUDe of cmca:D ill !be
WMem
DIII'III. AIIaalIc? TIle
1aIu .... !0IIII CommIII!'" fir die Couea.1tioD of AliIIUic
Taau (lCCATj 1IIIIIII"'I rellowb _ II ,1OIal AIiIII1ic
IIIOCk _ dlillIIOClr. _ _ ~I ia coIIiraed, hi.
"""-
We !me dlIo::!:mftd iIIIIlIII quIIIiIaIiw: erldeD::e !lilt
die dcph<:A1hc ~Ioobit.l firbillfilhil "'In. OLU
ia IIIIr cu&cm Pacllic IIhIcly .... a... dz waI<n NIri.
pm, by ~ Iagiqrcnllllhllt~.,..,..
IICI:IMty l1li buill oidc. oflbeAllalic (Fipft 3)..M....,.
of u.... IIpIOCicI ..., Uudy fully e>plritcd II[ CMriiohM,
iacnucd wbnbility of yc1hJwfilI hula ill IDIIp<CIICd
bbiIat 011' w..t AfriI:a DIIIIid -..ny dcct tile cnIirc
AtIuIlI:.. We """lMId Ihat 1hia difIW:u:e ia • ~
of IIIc IlIIId hypoxic _
lIIIdcdyiJIJ liz IIIooIlcJw 1IIcr-
lIII!cline in tile .-an PacifiI:, IIIlt ~ in 1IIc wmc:r:..
North AtImtic. 'I1Ic ....., ......;.."".,,1.01 rc.tmca tIIIt
limit occcpt.blc hIbiIat In • -r oJ.ikJw' ....r.cc IaJa"
. . , make liz fiIbca DIIllC YIIIncnblc to aplnjtwtjnn ..
mI-,., by .... ~ oftnlpiW pQp: Uipj.:k IIId
~ lPain thNIo .... (Pipno 2), Wheq ... blbilllt
.......,-
ThcBiDfillhFu
ill eomptlIIIMd iIIto • II*Iow nrftrIee lay.. III!. . . filll,.
ezp3IOd to bi&blY em' t nmce com ruc:h • pIIDl!
10 1bi1 """k.
19
h'i"" NppIIItcd CPO'11lIKIIrlbuIiDa
lodJ, 01.. 1910. SIze""" poaib1c odpI ol_AIlom:
..u&IIL l'lIIIaJ...n.do. 71:1OS-JOl.
CulUc. D. 1961i1. Up. DIo, - ' IIIlI prrdard.. PAD MIlL.
Tedmicall'lpcr No. 40 p.
DIo&, J. it. 2001. o..mcw otbypodaoroad doe wodL Joamol
Ptm_nrwl QIIIlIty lO(2):27S-211.
Pby. L.A. _ l..B. Cmordcr. 2002. HypoDa-boocd bIbM
Pm II. doe Nc:uoe iUm:.-..y: . . - ""
' ..
obIttI bllocbnianl noIdaoe dIreolIoIdI. 0 =. . . . . Joamol
otHday AqaIIic SdoIIoc: S\l:9S2-96S.
F
• A 1997. Ada ollrClpicll _ !dab. WodoI
...... -.1 ..... _
II OKSTOM ~ Pma Ccdc:I,
F-,1!l2p.
GocHl)o ..... C.P. 200!i. AIlom: lIluc IIIIIdbt. - ' yellDwIII.
C I
he ~ .... nJ.nbIIIlJ to IIIlIiltc 1IIOrIIlItJ.
A_m •• Amy Sodety 1Iympw""" 25:219-224.
r
'"'""'*
-=
20