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Aggregations of bluefish Pomatomus saltatrix (L.) at Mediterranean coastal fish farms: seasonal presence, daily patterns and influence of farming activity

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Abstract

Bluefish, Pomatomus saltatrix (Linnaeus, 1766), is commonly observed close to Mediterranean open-sea fish farms. It usually preys on wild fish that are attracted to farms, but also on farmed fish by biting holes in sea cages net walls. In the current telemetry study, we found that the tagged bluefish stayed close to fish farms during spring and early summer. However, most of the tagged fish disappeared from the farms during autumn, when the sea water temperature dropped. When aggregating at farms, bluefish were present at deeper waters during day time, but moved closer to the surface during night time. In addition, periods when there was operational activity at the farms might influence on daily swimming depth of bluefish. Therefore, bluefish individuals seem to find an optimal foraging habitat around Mediterranean fish farms.

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Acknowledgments

We would like to thank the staff of Culmar and Basademar fish farms, as well as the voluntary anglers from the recreational fishing association “Pesca Responsable”, for their invaluable help and assistance in the field. The study was financed by the project “FatFish” (Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation; CTM2009-14362-C02-01). This research (specially handling and tagging) was conducted according to the Spanish regulations for the treatment and welfare of animals (Real Decreto 1201/2005, published in BOE num. 252, 21st October 2005).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Marine Science and Applied Biology, University of Alicante, P.O. Box 99, 03080, Alicante, Spain

    Pablo Arechavala-Lopez, David Izquierdo-Gomez & Pablo Sanchez-Jerez

  2. Norwegian Institute of Nature Research, Tungasletta 2, 7485, Trondheim, Norway

    Pablo Arechavala-Lopez & Ingebrigt Uglem

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  1. Pablo Arechavala-Lopez
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  2. David Izquierdo-Gomez
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  3. Ingebrigt Uglem
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  4. Pablo Sanchez-Jerez
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Correspondence to Pablo Arechavala-Lopez.

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Pablo Arechavala-Lopez and David Izquierdo-Gomez are considered as first authors

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Arechavala-Lopez, P., Izquierdo-Gomez, D., Uglem, I. et al. Aggregations of bluefish Pomatomus saltatrix (L.) at Mediterranean coastal fish farms: seasonal presence, daily patterns and influence of farming activity. Environ Biol Fish 98, 499–510 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10641-014-0280-5

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