Modeling the dispersal of Cape hake ichthyoplankton

• Published in: Journal of plankton research Vol. 34; no. 8; pp. 655 - 669
• Main Authors: GARAVELLI, L, GRÜSS, A, GROTE, B, CHANG, N, SMITH, M, VERLEY, E, STENEVIK, E. K, KAPLAN, D. M, LETT, C
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford Oxford University Press 01-08-2012
• Subjects: Animal and plant ecology; Animal, plant and microbial ecology; Biological and medical sciences; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; General aspects; General aspects. Techniques; Marine; Merluccius capensis; Methods and techniques (sampling, tagging, trapping, modelling...); Sardinops; Synecology; PSW, South Atlantic, Agulhas Bank; South Africa; PSW, South Africa, Western Cape, Cape Columbine; ASE, South Atlantic, Benguela Current; Vertebrata; Plankton; Modeling; Zooplankton; Pisces; Dispersion
• ISSN: 0142-7873; 1464-3774
• DOI: 10.1093/plankt/fbs039

The two Cape hake species of the southern Benguela ecosystem, the shallow-water and deep-water hakes Merluccius capensis and M. paradoxus, are economically the most important marine resources in South Africa. Recruitment is a key process in the dynamics of marine organisms, yet very little is known about the early life history of Cape hakes, especially the location of spawning grounds and transport of eggs and larvae. For each species, ichthyoplankton dispersal off South Africa is simulated by coupling oceanographic simulations to an individual-based model in order to track virtual individuals. Results indicate that the most favorable spawning areas for transport to nursery areas are located off the south-western coast and the eastern Agulhas Bank, and highlight partly different drift routes followed by the two ichthyoplankton species off Cape Columbine. Transport from spawning to nursery areas is the highest in austral winter for a spawning depth ranging between 0 and 100 m. These modeling results are in broad agreement with available knowledge on the ecology of Cape hakes. The present work on Cape hakes complements previous modeling studies on anchovy and sardine in the same area. Taken together, these studies underline the correspondence between cross-shore (for hakes) or alongshore (for anchovy and sardine) transport mechanisms and the spawning strategies used by these key species of the southern Benguela ecosystem.