@article{fdi:010094412,
  title = {{T}una aggregation dynamics in an array of anchored fish aggregating devices ({AFAD}s)},
  author = {{T}hambithurai, {D}avide and {J}auharee, {A}. {R}. and {B}aidai, {Y}. and {F}orget, {F}abien and {D}upaix, {A}. and {A}dam, {M}. {S}. and {D}agorn, {L}aurent and {C}apello, {M}anuela},
  editor = {},
  language = {{ENG}},
  abstract = {{T}ropical tuna species are among the world's most commercially important fish. {N}umerous industrial and artisanal fisheries in developing countries target them using artificial floating structures ({F}ish {A}ggregating {D}evices or {FAD}s). {A}lthough tunas' associative behaviour with such structures is well known to fishers, knowledge of how they interact with {FAD}s remains fragmentary. {U}sing echo-sounder buoy data attached to {FAD}s, we assessed tuna aggregation dynamics within an array of anchored {FAD}s (a{FAD}s) in the {M}aldives-one of the world's leading tuna fishing nations-over two years (2017-2018). {P}redictions of tuna presence and absence from a random forest model showed good accuracy when evaluated against semi-quantitative logbook data (78 %) but performed poorly with phone survey data (similar to 49 %). {O}ccupancy at a{FAD}s exceeded 60 % in both years, peaking above 80 % each {A}pril. {T}his suggests {FAD} density is low enough for continuous use by tuna, the population is large enough to sustain occupancy, or both. {A}ggregations' continuous residence time (a{CRT}) averaged 7.96 days, while continuous absence times (a{CAT}) averaged 3.89 days. {B}oth metrics followed exponential distributions, suggesting the underlying biological process is time-independent and memoryless. {S}patial autocorrelation showed partial correlation in tuna absence among a{FAD}s, despite some local effects, supporting previous findings that a{FAD}s in the {M}aldives do not function as a network. {T}hese findings highlight the value of echo-sounder buoy data, offering robust aggregation metrics and insights into tuna behaviour that could inform fisheries management.},
  keywords = {{T}ropical {T}unas ; {F}ish {A}ggregating {D}evices ({FAD}s) ; {P}ole-and-{L}ine ; {S}patial ; {E}cology ; {F}isheries {M}anagement ; {A}coustic monitoring ; {MALDIVES} ; {OCEAN} {INDIEN}},
  booktitle = {},
  journal = {{F}isheries {R}esearch},
  volume = {288},
  numero = {},
  pages = {107462 [10 p.]},
  ISSN = {0165-7836},
  year = {2025},
  DOI = {10.1016/j.fishres.2025.107462},
  URL = {https://www.documentation.ird.fr/hor/fdi:010094412},
}