Decreases in length at maturation of Mediterranean fishes associated with higher sea temperatures

Daphna Shapiro Goldberg, Itai Van Rijn, Moshe Kiflawi, Jonathan Belmaker

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

Fish size at maturation influences lifetime reproductive success and is an important parameter in managing stocks. Fish tend to reach maturity at a smaller size in warmer water; however, the generality of this pattern is a matter of controversy. The mechanisms by which temperature influences fish size at maturation are not well understood, particularly in natural populations, but may have broad implications if climate change continues to warm the seas. In this study, we use populations of 16 fish species across the Mediterranean Sea to evaluate the association between different temperature metrics and fish size at maturation, and to understand the variation among species. We found that both mean annual temperature and growing degree days (GDD) were the best supported environmental predictors of fish size at maturation. This suggests that the mechanisms affecting size at maturation may differ from those affecting maximum size, for which maximum temperature was the best predictor. Across species, we found that the effect of temperature is stronger for more active species, while other species-level predictors had limited influence. The correlation of fish size at maturation to specific temperature metrics should help fisheries and conservation programmes better predict the effects of climate change on fish populations.

Original languageAmerican English
Article numberfsz011
Pages (from-to)946-959
Number of pages14
JournalICES Journal of Marine Science
Volume76
Issue number4
DOIs
StatePublished - 1 Jul 2019

Keywords

  • climate change
  • ectotherms
  • fish growth
  • fisheries
  • growing degree days
  • temperature-size rule

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

  • Oceanography
  • Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics
  • Aquatic Science
  • Ecology

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