@article{fdi:010046325,
  title = {{E}nvironmental control of the recruitment of sardines ({S}ardina pilchardus) over the western {S}aharan shelf between 1995 and 2002 : a coupled physical/biogeochemical modelling experiment},
  author = {{M}achu, {E}ric and {E}ttahiri, {O}. and {K}ifani, {S}. and {B}enazzouz, {A}. and {M}akaoui, {A}. and {D}emarcq, {H}erv{\'e}},
  editor = {},
  language = {{ENG}},
  abstract = {{F}isheries constitute an important economic sector for {M}orocco, where the species {S}ardina pilchardus represents the main landings. {I}n acoustic evaluations conducted along the {M}oroccan coast since 1995, the absence of juveniles in 1996 and 1998 and the collapse of the sardine stock between 1996 and 1997 represent the main events until 2002. {S}ardines are known to be microphageous planktivores and thus are sensitive to environmental variability. {A} biogeochemical model coupled to a hydrodynamic model ({ROMS}) was run over the {C}anary {C}urrent {S}ystem (1991-2002) to investigate the environmental factors that could have played a role in the variability of the sardine spawning. {A} grid refinement (1/12 degrees) centred on the {S}aharan {B}ank ({SB}) region was built to study the main spawning ground of sardines off northwest {A}frica. {T}he volume of the potential spawning habitat ({PSH}) of sardines was defined as a function of depth, temperature and salinity, which are included in the ranges 0-200 m, 15-21 degrees {C} and 35.8-36.8, respectively. {O}ur modelling frame was able to reproduce the seasonal cycle of temperature, phytoplankton concentration and {PSH} over the {SB}. {I}t also captured the warming associated with the negative index of the {N}orth {A}tlantic {O}scillation of 1995-1997 and allowed a description of the inter-annual variability of the {PSH}. {O}ur experiment shows that the volume of {PSH} was much reduced in 1996 compared to the other years. {T}he results suggest that the delay between high abundance of plankton and favourable spawning conditions is a good proxy for determining the recruitment failure of sardine in this oceanic region.},
  keywords = {{C}anary upwelling ; hydrodynamic and biogeochemical modelling ; plankton ; biomass ; potential spawning habitat ; recruitment ; {S}ardina pilchardus},
  booktitle = {},
  journal = {{F}isheries {O}ceanography},
  volume = {18},
  numero = {5},
  pages = {287--300},
  ISSN = {1054-6006},
  year = {2009},
  DOI = {10.1111/j.1365-2419.2009.00511.x},
  URL = {https://www.documentation.ird.fr/hor/fdi:010046325},
}