Modelling the spatial distribution of the yellowfin tuna, Thunnus Albacares in the Persian Gulf using a fuzzy rule-based classification

Abstract

Yellowfin tuna, Thunnus albacares, are the most important ecological and economic fishes in the Persian Gulf. In recent decades, their populations have faced overfishing, environmental problems and climate change. In this study, using some environmental variables affecting the habitat of tuna fish, i.e. sea surface temperature at night and day, reflection of 645 nm wavelength as a water turbidity, angstrom view of aerosol 443 to 965 nm, aerosol optic thickness at 869 nm, organic and inorganic particle carbon, photosynthetic active radiation, absorption by phytoplankton at 443 nm and chlorophyll- a concentration from 2002 to 2018, on the spatial distribution of yellow-fin tuna has been modelled by fuzzy rule-based classification. Over the years, the variables had different degrees of importance in the models. There was a great variation in the spatial distribution of the species from year to year.