Chapter 17
North Atlantic Oscillation Effect
on the Biology and Fisheries of Tuna Species
in the Alboran Sea
José Carlos Báez, Ignacio de Loyola Fernández, and Juan Antonio Camiñas
17.1 Introduction
Tunas and tuna-like species are considered highly migrating species (HMS) (Joseph
1977; Maguire et al. 2006). The Mediterranean Sea is a spawning area for many of
these HMS (Karakulak et al. 2004; Druon et al. 2011; Reglero et al. 2012). The
Alboran Sea is an important hotspot for tuna species (Báez et al. 2009). Moreover,
the Alboran Sea shows important productive areas where the tuna species are
concentrated (Sabatés and Recasens 2000; Alemany et al. 2010), and, for this reason,
the Alboran Sea has been an important fishing area for tuna species since ancient
times.
According to the data available in IDAPES (2020) and ICCAT (2020), the four
main target species of tunas and tuna-like species in the North Alboran Sea, in the
open sea, are Atlantic bonito (Sarda sarda), bullet tuna (Auxis rochei), bluefin tuna
(Thunnus thynnus), and little tunny (Euthynnus alletteratus) (Fig. 17.1). On the other
hand, according to ICCAT (2020), the main four species in the South Alboran Sea of
the tuna fisheries in the open sea are Atlantic bonito (Sarda sarda), bullet tuna (Auxis
rochei), bluefin tuna (Thunnus thynnus), and plain bonito (Orcynopsis unicolor)
J. C. Báez (*)
Instituto Español de Oceanografía, Centro Oceanográfico de Málaga, Fuengirola (Málaga),
Spain
e-mail: josecarlos.baez@ieo.es
I. de Loyola Fernández
Departamento de Biología Animal, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Málaga, Málaga,
Spain
J. A. Camiñas
Asociación Herpetológica Española, Madrid, Spain
e-mail: juan.caminas@herpetologica.org
© Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2021
J. C. Báez et al. (eds.), Alboran Sea - Ecosystems and Marine Resources,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-65516-7_17
577
North Atlantic Oscillation Effect
on the Biology and Fisheries of Tuna Species
in the Alboran Sea
José Carlos Báez, Ignacio de Loyola Fernández, and Juan Antonio Camiñas
17.1 Introduction
Tunas and tuna-like species are considered highly migrating species (HMS) (Joseph
1977; Maguire et al. 2006). The Mediterranean Sea is a spawning area for many of
these HMS (Karakulak et al. 2004; Druon et al. 2011; Reglero et al. 2012). The
Alboran Sea is an important hotspot for tuna species (Báez et al. 2009). Moreover,
the Alboran Sea shows important productive areas where the tuna species are
concentrated (Sabatés and Recasens 2000; Alemany et al. 2010), and, for this reason,
the Alboran Sea has been an important fishing area for tuna species since ancient
times.
According to the data available in IDAPES (2020) and ICCAT (2020), the four
main target species of tunas and tuna-like species in the North Alboran Sea, in the
open sea, are Atlantic bonito (Sarda sarda), bullet tuna (Auxis rochei), bluefin tuna
(Thunnus thynnus), and little tunny (Euthynnus alletteratus) (Fig. 17.1). On the other
hand, according to ICCAT (2020), the main four species in the South Alboran Sea of
the tuna fisheries in the open sea are Atlantic bonito (Sarda sarda), bullet tuna (Auxis
rochei), bluefin tuna (Thunnus thynnus), and plain bonito (Orcynopsis unicolor)
J. C. Báez (*)
Instituto Español de Oceanografía, Centro Oceanográfico de Málaga, Fuengirola (Málaga),
Spain
e-mail: josecarlos.baez@ieo.es
I. de Loyola Fernández
Departamento de Biología Animal, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Málaga, Málaga,
Spain
J. A. Camiñas
Asociación Herpetológica Española, Madrid, Spain
e-mail: juan.caminas@herpetologica.org
© Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2021
J. C. Báez et al. (eds.), Alboran Sea - Ecosystems and Marine Resources,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-65516-7_17
577