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Estuarine nurseries for marine fish : Connecting recruitment variability with sustainable fisheries management

Filipe Martinho (CFE – Centre for Functional Ecology, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal)
Henrique N. Cabral (Centro de Oceanografia, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisboa, Portugal)
Ulisses M. Azeiteiro (CFE – Centre for Functional Ecology, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal and Department of Exact Sciences and Technology, Universidade Aberta, Porto, Portugal)
Miguel A. Pardal (CFE – Centre for Functional Ecology, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal)

Management of Environmental Quality

ISSN: 1477-7835

Article publication date: 8 June 2012

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Abstract

Purpose

Estuaries and shallow coastal areas are among the most productive ecosystems in the world, being recognized as important nursery areas for marine fish. The aim of this paper is to provide a comprehensive overview of the causes and consequences of recruitment variability in marine fish, contributing to ecosystem‐based management strategies of estuarine and coastal areas.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors conducted a literature review, exploring the role of estuaries as nursery areas for marine fish, and analyzed the connectivity between estuaries and coastal areas, the main processes driving recruitment variability in marine fish during their pelagic (larval) and estuarine residency (juveniles) phases, and how it can be translated into variable coastal stocks.

Findings

Recruitment variability in marine fish is still one of the most important issues in marine fisheries ecology. In this paper, the authors demonstrate the potential of several processes for inducing variability in recruitment, including density‐independent mechanisms such as temperature, hydrodynamics, river flow and large‐scale factors, as well as density‐dependent processes, related with food abundance, competition and predation. Lastly, the authors evaluated the connectivity between estuaries and the ocean, and how this relationship can influence coastal stocks in the future. The main findings were analyzed in the context of climate change, which has been demonstrated to influence marine life at the individual, population and ecosystem levels.

Originality/value

This paper is a valuable tool for marine researchers and stakeholders, since it summarizes some of the most important processes that drive recruitment variability in marine fish, and how this information can be used for establishing sustainable ecosystem management programmes.

Keywords

Citation

Martinho, F., Cabral, H.N., Azeiteiro, U.M. and Pardal, M.A. (2012), "Estuarine nurseries for marine fish : Connecting recruitment variability with sustainable fisheries management", Management of Environmental Quality, Vol. 23 No. 4, pp. 414-433. https://doi.org/10.1108/14777831211232236

Publisher

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Emerald Group Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2012, Emerald Group Publishing Limited

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