Insights Into the Relationship of Climate Events With the Distribution of Black Skipjack (Euthynnus lineatus) Catches in the Eastern Pacific

Abstract

The geographic distributions of marine species have been constantly changing, and current evidence suggests that climate variability may have a significant influence. In addition, vital features in search of the best habitat are prone to being caught incidentally and objectively by various fisheries. A historical database (2005–2021) of the tuna purse-seine fishery in the Eastern Pacific Ocean (EPO) was used in this study. This study aims to describe the environmental preferences and spatiotemporal distribution of bycatch black skipjack in the EPO using generalized additive models (GAMs). The results show that black skipjacks (BKJ) are caught as bycatch in all three types of sets made by the purse seine fleet in oceanic and coastal waters. The BKJ was affected by climate events such as El Niño and La Niña, which influenced its catchability and the expansion of its distribution up to 150° W through its presence on floating objects and environmental adaptability. Habitat preferences were shown towards warm waters (26°C–30°C) and areas of low atmospheric pressure (1005–1014 hPa) associated with the different physical oceanographic processes in the spring–summer months. This information contributes to the study of the behavior, movement, and habitat use of the species for fisheries management in both coastal and oceanic waters.