title: The use of a predictive habitat model and a fuzzy logic approach for marine management and planning.
abstract: Bottom trawl survey data are commonly used as a sampling technique to assess the spatial distribution of commercial species. However, this sampling technique does not always correctly detect a species even when it is present, and this can create significant limitations when fitting species distribution models. In this study, we aim to test the relevance of a mixed methodological approach that combines presence-only and presence-absence distribution models. We illustrate this approach using bottom trawl survey data to model the spatial distributions of 27 commercially targeted marine species. We use an environmentally- and geographically-weighted method to simulate pseudo-absence data. The species distributions are modelled using regression kriging, a technique that explicitly incorporates spatial dependence into predictions. Model outputs are then used to identify areas that met the conservation targets for the deployment of artificial anti-trawling reefs. To achieve this, we propose the use of a fuzzy logic framework that accounts for the uncertainty associated with different model predictions. For each species, the predictive accuracy of the model is classified as 'high'. A better result is observed when a large number of occurrences are used to develop the model. The map resulting from the fuzzy overlay shows that three main areas have a high level of agreement with the conservation criteria. These results align with expert opinion, confirming the relevance of the proposed methodology in this study.
authors.affiliation: UR 03AGRO1 Ecosystèmes et Ressources Aquatiques, INAT (Institut National Agronomique de Tunisie), Tunis, Tunisia ; UMR 212 Ecosystèmes Marins Exploités, IRD (Institut de Recherche pour le Développement), Sète, France.
authors.forename: Tarek
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Hattab
authors.forename: Frida
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Ben Rais Lasram
authors.forename: Camille
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Albouy
authors.forename: Chérif
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Sammari
authors.forename: Mohamed Salah
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Romdhane
authors.forename: Philippe
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Cury
authors.forename: Fabien
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Leprieur
authors.forename: François
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Le Loc'h
mesh_terms: D019540:Area Under Curve; D003247:Conservation of Natural Resources; D017753:Ecosystem; D017143:Fuzzy Logic; D005843:Geography; D019083:Mediterranean Region; D008962:Models, Theoretical; D012623:Seawater; D012767:Ships; D013045:Species Specificity