Climate change and other anthropogenic factors are reshaping fishing trends, which are expected to have significant impacts on aquatic food sources in the 21st century. Advancements in technology have enabled the digitization and real-time management of fishing vessel tracks and catch volumes, facilitating the accumulation of data to further scientific understanding of fisheries. Concurrently, leveraging fisheries data and analyzing it alongside atmospheric and oceanic environmental factors can aid in grasping the trends of fisheries under climate change and human activities, leading to the development of relevant adaptation strategies.
A research team composed of Associate Professor Chia-Yin Ko from the Institute of Fisheries Science at National Taiwan University (NTU), Professor Tai-Sheng Chiu from the Department of Life Science, and Dr. Wan-Ling Tseng from NTU's Institute of Oceanography and Institute of Environmental Change, in collaboration with Taiwan's Council of Agriculture Fisheries Agency and the Republic of China Overseas Fisheries Development Association, has established a database on the important far-offshore Argentine squid in Taiwan. By utilizing reported fishing data, they conduct research on spatiotemporal changes in fishing, providing crucial scientific evidence for fisheries ecology, economic development, food security, and marine conservation. This research has been published in the international journal "Environmental Research".
The study inventories the production of Argentine squid from 1998 to 2018, as an indicator of squid abundance, and integrates large-scale regional ocean analysis. They found a strong correlation between Argentine squid abundance and sea surface temperature in January to February and eddy kinetic energy in March to May. Colder sea surface temperatures and higher eddy kinetic energy contribute to increased squid abundance. However, further analysis of wind and heat fluxes indicates the atmospheric influence on the ocean, subsequently affecting marine organisms. The research team further suggests that the persistence of cold sea surface temperatures promotes squid abundance. Nevertheless, the increase in sea surface temperatures due to global warming may counteract the aforementioned increase in abundance, providing important information for fisheries ecological changes under climate warming scenarios.
This study's novel findings confirm the impact of atmospheric-oceanic interactions on marine organisms and fisheries. It is expected that spring squid abundance can be forecasted through seasonal forecasting systems in January to February. The study considers different life stages of Argentine squid, emphasizing the importance of early life stages, rapid growth of juveniles, and the migration phases before fishing season (approximately January to February) when they move southward, gradually shifting northward (approximately March to May). In the future, Associate Professor Ko's team will continue to refine large-scale biogeographical methods to contribute to marine fisheries ecology. Additionally, they will actively collaborate with interdisciplinary researchers in atmospheric and ocean sciences to explore more possibilities for fisheries prediction. The research team acknowledges the support of the Fisheries Agency and the National Science Council for this study.
Research: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0013935124003487
Source: https://www.ntu.edu.tw/spotlight/2024/2257_20240417.html