Resilience of Key Biological Parameters of the Senegalese Flat Sardinella to Overfishing and Climate Change

• DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0156143
• Publication Date: 2016-06-09T19:29:01Z
• Authors: Kamarel Ba; Modou Thiaw; Najih Lazar; Alassane Sarr; Timothée Brochier; Ismaïla Ndiaye; Alioune Faye; Oumar Sadio; Jacques Panfili; Omar Thiom Thiaw; Patrice Brehmer
• Keywords: 0106 biological sciences; 570; Conservation of Natural Resources; Science; Climate Change; Population Dynamics; Fisheries; 01 natural sciences; Animals; Sex Ratio; 14. Life underwater; Gonads; Fish biology; ACL; Reproduction; Q; Mauritania; R; Fishes; Adaptation, Physiological; Senegal; [SDE.BE] Environmental Sciences/Biodiversity and Ecology; Ovaries; 13. Climate action; fisheries; Africa; Medicine; Seasons; [SDE.BE]Environmental Sciences/Biodiversity and Ecology; Research Article

The stock of the Senegalese flat sardinella, Sardinella maderensis, is highly exploited in Senegal, West Africa. Its growth and reproduction parameters are key biological indicators for improving fisheries management. This study reviewed these parameters using landing data from small-scale fisheries in Senegal and literature information dated back more than 25 years. Age was estimated using length-frequency data to calculate growth parameters and assess the growth performance index. With global climate change there has been an increase in the average sea surface temperature along the Senegalese coast but the length-weight parameters, sex ratio, size at first sexual maturity, period of reproduction and condition factor of S. maderensis have not changed significantly. The above parameters of S. maderensis have hardly changed, despite high exploitation and fluctuations in environmental conditions that affect the early development phases of small pelagic fish in West Africa. This lack of plasticity of the species regarding of the biological parameters studied should be considered when planning relevant fishery management plans.