@article{fdi:010091261, title = {{D}irect assessment of tropical tuna abundance from their associative behaviour around floating objects}, author = {{B}aidai, {Y}. and {D}upaix, {A}. and {D}agorn, {L}aurent and {G}aertner, {D}aniel and {D}eneubourg, {J}. {L}. and {D}uparc, {A}ntoine and {C}apello, {M}anuela}, editor = {}, language = {{ENG}}, abstract = {{M}anaging populations of wild harvested species requires the ability to regularly provide accurate abundance assessments. {F}or most marine species, changes in abundance can only be monitored indirectly, using methods reliant on harvest-based indices, with significant inherent limitations surrounding the estimation and standardization of harvest effort. {T}ropical tunas are some of the most exploited marine species in the world and are among several species in critical need of alternative methods for estimating abundance. {A}ddressing this concern, we developed the {A}ssociative {B}ehaviour-{B}ased abundance {I}ndex ({ABBI}), designed to provide direct abundance estimates for animals, which exhibit an associative behaviour with aggregation sites. {I}ts implementation in the western {I}ndian {O}cean on skipjack tuna ({K}atsuwonus pelamis), yellowfin tuna ({T}hunnus albacares) and bigeye tuna ({T}hunnus obesus), revealed similar trajectories in their relative abundance. {T}he {ABBI} stands as a potentially promising alternative to enhance traditional tropical tuna stock assessments methods, as well as a new opportunity to assess the abundance of other wild species that display an associative behaviour with physical structures found in their natural environment.}, keywords = {direct abundance index ; associative behaviour ; tropical tunas ; echosounder buoys ; {OCEAN} {INDIEN}}, booktitle = {}, journal = {{P}roceedings of the {R}oyal {S}ociety {B} : {B}iological {S}ciences}, volume = {291}, numero = {2029}, pages = {20241132 [11 ]}, ISSN = {0962-8452}, year = {2024}, DOI = {10.1098/rspb.2024.1132}, URL = {https://www.documentation.ird.fr/hor/fdi:010091261}, }