Resilience of Key Biological Parameters of the Senegalese Flat Sardinella to Overfishing and Climate Change.
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.
Institut Sénégalais de Recherches Agricoles (ISRA)/Centre de Recherches Océanographiques de Dakar-Thiaroye (CRODT), Dakar, Sénégal.|Université Cheikh-Anta-Diop (UCAD)/Institut Universitaire de Pêche et d'Aquaculture (IUPA), Dakar, Sénégal.
Kamarel
K
Ba
Institut Sénégalais de Recherches Agricoles (ISRA)/Centre de Recherches Océanographiques de Dakar-Thiaroye (CRODT), Dakar, Sénégal.
Modou
M
Thiaw
Department of Fisheries, University of Rhode Island East Farm, Kingston, Rhode Island, United States of America.
Najih
N
Lazar
Université Cheikh-Anta-Diop (UCAD)/Institut Universitaire de Pêche et d'Aquaculture (IUPA), Dakar, Sénégal.
Alassane
A
Sarr
Institut Sénégalais de Recherches Agricoles (ISRA)/Centre de Recherches Océanographiques de Dakar-Thiaroye (CRODT), Dakar, Sénégal.|Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD), UMR 195 Lemar, Dakar, Sénégal.
Timothée
T
Brochier
Université Cheikh-Anta-Diop (UCAD)/Institut Universitaire de Pêche et d'Aquaculture (IUPA), Dakar, Sénégal.
Ismaïla
I
Ndiaye
Université Cheikh-Anta-Diop (UCAD)/Institut Universitaire de Pêche et d'Aquaculture (IUPA), Dakar, Sénégal.
Alioune
A
Faye
Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD), UMR 195 Lemar, Dakar, Sénégal.
Oumar
O
Sadio
Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD), UMR Marbec, Université Montpellier 2, Montpellier Cedex 5, France.
Jacques
J
Panfili
Université Cheikh-Anta-Diop (UCAD)/Institut Universitaire de Pêche et d'Aquaculture (IUPA), Dakar, Sénégal.
Omar Thiom
OT
Thiaw
Institut Sénégalais de Recherches Agricoles (ISRA)/Centre de Recherches Océanographiques de Dakar-Thiaroye (CRODT), Dakar, Sénégal.|Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD), UMR 195 Lemar, Dakar, Sénégal.
Patrice
P
Brehmer
D000222:Adaptation, Physiological; D000818:Animals; D057231:Climate Change; D003247:Conservation of Natural Resources; D005398:Fisheries; D005399:Fishes / Q000254:growth & development*; D011157:Population Dynamics; D012098:Reproduction / Q000502:physiology*; D012675:Senegal; D012744:Sex Ratio