@article{fdi:010061465,
  title = {{V}alidation of a fish larvae dispersal model with otolith data in the {W}estern {I}ndian {O}cean and implications for marine spatial planning in data-poor regions},
  author = {{C}rochelet, {E}. and {C}habanet, {P}ascale and {P}othin, {K}. and {L}agabrielle, {E}rwann and {R}oberts, {J}. and {P}ennober, {G}. and {L}ecomte-{F}iniger, {R}. and {P}etit, {M}ichel},
  editor = {},
  language = {{ENG}},
  abstract = {{T}he pelagic larval period is probably the least understood life stage of reef fish, yet the processes of larval dispersal and settlement exert a strong influence on the persistence of reef fish populations. {A} thorough understanding of these processes is essential to determining whether distant populations are connected and how to adapt management plans to patterns in connectivity. {M}anagers may erroneously assume that local populations are isolated when they are actually replenished by distant reefs beyond their jurisdiction. {R}esearchers increasingly rely on numerical hydrodynamic models that simulate the spatio-temporal dispersal of larvae by ocean currents to elucidate these connections and guide marine spatial planners, yet relatively little work has been done to validate these models with empirical data. {I}n this study, we tested a dispersal simulation model against in situ observations of young post-larval fish to investigate a whether larvae settling at {L}a {R}eunion (in the western {I}ndian {O}cean) might have originated at {M}auritius, 200 km distant. {F}irst, we collected post larval specimens of honeycomb grouper ({E}pinephelus merra) shortly after an episodic mass settlement that occurred in 2002 at {L}a {R}eunion. {U}sing sclerochronology, we established the age of the fish from their otoliths. {F}inally, we simulated dispersal of larvae from {L}a {R}eunion, {M}auritius, and other reefs in the region by ocean currents using a 20 {E}ulerian advection-diffusion model driven by current velocities derived from satellite remote sensing. {T}he simulation suggested that larvae spawned at la {R}eunion were carried away from the island while larvae spawned at {M}auritius were carried to {L}a {R}eunion. {T}he otolith-derived ages of the fish were compatible with this hypothesis, when we accounted for the time required for larvae to drift from {M}auritius to {L}a {R}eunion. {T}he combined results suggest a dispersal connection from {M}auritius to la {R}eunion. {T}o best maintain populations of adult reef fish at {L}a {R}eunion, managers should protect stocks spawning at {M}auritius. {A}lthough more study is needed to characterize patterns of regional connectivity and account for seasonal and inter-annual variations in these patterns, the example presented here demonstrates the possibility of distant connections in the western {I}ndian {O}cean. {W}e urge managers in the region to look beyond their own jurisdictions, view their jurisdictions as part of a connected network, and undertake a collaborative approach to protecting the network as a whole.},
  keywords = {{OCEAN} {INDIEN}},
  booktitle = {},
  journal = {{O}cean and {C}oastal {M}anagement},
  volume = {86},
  numero = {},
  pages = {13--21},
  ISSN = {0964-5691},
  year = {2013},
  DOI = {10.1016/j.ocecoaman.2013.10.002},
  URL = {https://www.documentation.ird.fr/hor/fdi:010061465},
}