General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean - GFCM

TRANSBORAN project | Transboundary population structure of Sardine, European hake and blackspot seabream in the Alboran Sea and adjacent waters: a multidisciplinary approach

The research project “TRANSboundary population structure of sardine, European hake and blackspot seabream in the ALBORAN Sea and adjacent waters: a multidisciplinary approach” (TRANSBORAN project) was implemented between 2018 and 2021 to study whether the boundaries of the Alboran Sea geographical subareas were an appropriate spatial scale for assessment and management of the species, given that previous research on fish stock identification methods had revealed some inconsistencies between the spatial structure of biological populations and the definition of stock units used. 

The TRANSBORAN project was jointly carried by the FAO Mediterranean Regional Project CopeMed and the GFCM.  

OBJECTIVES

Support the sustainable management of western Mediterranean fisheries by applying a multidisciplinary approach to the study of the spatial structure and distribution of populations of sardine (Sardina pilchardus), European hake (Merluccius merluccius) and blackspot seabream (Pagellus bogaraveo) in the Alboran Sea (GSAs 1-3). 

RESULTS

  • Implemented a simultaneous sampling programme for sardine, European hake and blackspot seabream in the Alboran Sea as well as a multidisciplinary analysis (genetic, morphometry, meristics, parasites, microchemical and isotopic analysis of otoliths) which revealed differences in the metrics, genetics and chemical composition of fishes sampled;  
  • Identified the connectivity patterns between spawning and nursing areas via three high-resolution hydrodynamic models that simulated the dispersal of eggs and larvae of the three species under different conditions in the Strait of Gibraltar; 
  • Executed an oceanographic survey to couple hydrodynamic models with in situ geographical distribution of eggs and larvae to confirm coherence of model results; 
  • Conducted a preliminary analysis on possible new configurations of stock units against current GSA boundaries, including spatial analysis through multivariate statistical techniques, to verify the suitability of the spatial scale used for assessment and management of the three species. 

RESOURCES

CONTACT

Pilar HERNANDEZ

Fishery officer

 

With the financial support of:

The European Commission

Gobierno de España | Ministerio de Agricultura, Pesca y Alimentación