Effects of the North Atlantic Oscillation on Spanish catches of albacore, Thunnus alalunga, and yellowfin tuna, Thunnus albacares, in the North–east Atlantic Ocean

• Main Authors: Rubio, C. J., Macías, D., Camiñas, J. A., Fernández, I. L., Báez, J. C.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Museu de Ciències Naturals de Barcelona 2016-06-01
• Series: Animal Biodiversity and Conservation
• Subjects: Climate oscillation; Pelagic migratory species; Fisheries; North Atlantic
• Online Access: http://abc.museucienciesjournals.cat/files/ABC_39-2_pp_195-198.pdf
• ISSN: 1578-665X

Tuna are highly migratory pelagic species (HMPS) with great importance in commercial fishing. Several authors have highlighted the effect of climatic oscillations such as the NAO (North Atlantic Oscillation) on HMPS. This paper analyzes the effects of the NAO on two HMPS: albacore, Thunnus alalunga, and yellowfin tuna, Thunnus albacares. Fishing data from the Spanish fleet operating in the North Atlantic area were obtained from the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) database. The results show a positive correlation between the NAO index and the Catch per Unit Effort (CPUE) for both albacore and yellowfin tuna, depicting a potential effect on their capturability.