De nombreux prédateurs marins se nourrissent directement des prises des pêcheurs. Ces interactions, définies comme de la déprédation, engendrent des conséquences socio-économiques considérables pour les pêcheurs ainsi que des implications de conservation pour la faune sauvage. D’un côté, la déprédation endommage le matériel et augmente l’effort de pêche pour atteindre les quotas. D’un autre côté, la déprédation augmente le risque de mortalité des prédateurs marins (prise accidentelle ou rétorsion létale par les pécheurs). La pêcherie à la palangre est la plus impactée par la déprédation, principalement par les odontocètes, ce qui incite à trouver des solutions. La majorité des études se concentrant sur la déprédation s’est principalement basée sur des observations en surface, de ce fait la manière dont les prédateurs retirent les poissons sur les lignes reste confuse. Par ailleurs, l’impact de la déprédation sur le comportement des pêcheurs ainsi que les facteurs expliquant leur détectabilité n’ont reçu que peu d’intérêt. L’objectif de cette thèse est donc d’étudier ces problématiques par un suivi acoustique, une utilisation de balises et une approche en écologie comportementale humaine, en se concentrant sur la pêcherie palangrière française ciblant la légine australe (Dissostichus eleginoides) impactée par la déprédation des orques (Orcinus orca) et des cachalots (Physeter macrocephalus). Les capitaines ont été décrits comme recherchant leur ressource selon la théorie de « l’optimal foraging », mais avec des perceptions de la compétition et du succès de pêche qui divergent. Certains capitaines seraient ainsi plus enclins à remonter les palangres au plus proche et à rester sur une zone, même en présence de compétition, augmentant alors le risque d’interaction. L’acoustique des navires a révélé que certaines manoeuvres (marche arrière par exemple) propagent différemment sous l’eau. La manière dont les capitaines manoeuvrent leur palangrier influencerait ainsi leur détectabilité et donc leur risque d’interaction avec les prédateurs. D’autre part, l’utilisation de capteurs sur les palangres et les animaux a révélé que les orques et les cachalots sont capables de déprédater sur les palangres posées sur le fond marin. Ces observations laissent à penser que les odontocètes sont en mesure de localiser l’activité de pêche bien avant la remontée de la ligne, ce qui pourrait être expliqué par une signature acoustique spécifique du déploiement de la ligne. L’ensemble des résultats de cette thèse suggère que la déprédation sur les palangres démersales est très probablement sous-estimée. Cette thèse apporte également des éléments importants pour la lutte contre la déprédation, en montrant la nécessité de protéger les palangres dans l’intégralité du processus de pêche. / Many marine predator species feed on fish caught by fishers directly from the fishing gear. Known as depredation this interaction issue has substantial socio-economic consequences for fishermen and conservation implications for the wildlife. Costs for fishers include damages to the fishing gear and increased fishing effort to complete quotas. For marine predators, depredation increases risks of mortality (lethal retaliation from fishers or bycatch on the gear). Longline fisheries are the most impacted worldwide, primarily by odontocetes (toothed whales) depredation, urging the need for mitigation solutions to be developed. Most of studies assessing depredation have primarily relied on surface observation data, thus the way odontocetes interact with longlines underwater remains unclear. Besides, the way fishermen respond to depredation during fishing operations, or can influence their detectability to odontocetes, have been poorly investigated. This thesis therefore aimed at investigating these aspects through a passive acoustic monitoring, bio-logging and human ecology approaches, focusing on the French Patagonian toothfish (Dissostichus eleginoides) longline fisheries impacted by killer whales (Orcinus orca) and sperm whales (Physeter macrocephalus). Firstly, this thesis reveals that captains behave as optimal foragers but with different personal perception of competition and fishing fulfilment. Some captains would thus be more likely to stay within a patch or to haul closest longline even in presence of competition, suggesting these captains would show higher interaction rates. Additionally, the propagation of vessels’ acoustics varied depending on the type of manoeuvre (e.g. going backward vs. forward). The way captains use their vessels to navigate may therefore influence their detectability and so their depredation level. Secondly, loggers deployed on both the longlines (accelerometers) and odontocetes (GPS-TDR) revealed that killer whales and sperm whales are able to depredate on longlines while soaking on the seafloor. These observations suggest, therefore, that odontocetes can localise fishing activity before the hauling, which could be partially explained by specific acoustic signatures recorded during the setting process. Altogether, the results of the thesis suggest that depredation rates on demersal longlines are most likely underestimated. The thesis also brings some important insights for mitigation measures, suggesting that countermeasures should start from setting to hauling.

Submitted by Edisangela Bastos (edisangela@ufpa.br) on 2013-08-02T20:50:48Z No. of bitstreams: 2 Dissertacao_VariacaoSazonalEspacial.pdf: 9079879 bytes, checksum: ab975394f805d8c9ff868213c0ddb26e (MD5) license_rdf: 23898 bytes, checksum: e363e809996cf46ada20da1accfcd9c7 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Ana Rosa Silva(arosa@ufpa.br) on 2013-08-19T12:04:33Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 2 Dissertacao_VariacaoSazonalEspacial.pdf: 9079879 bytes, checksum: ab975394f805d8c9ff868213c0ddb26e (MD5) license_rdf: 23898 bytes, checksum: e363e809996cf46ada20da1accfcd9c7 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2013-08-19T12:04:33Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 2 Dissertacao_VariacaoSazonalEspacial.pdf: 9079879 bytes, checksum: ab975394f805d8c9ff868213c0ddb26e (MD5) license_rdf: 23898 bytes, checksum: e363e809996cf46ada20da1accfcd9c7 (MD5) Previous issue date: 1999 / A composição, abundância e freqüência de ocorrência das espécies de peixes demersais do estuário amazônico foram estudadas em três áreas delimitadas pelos estratos de profundidade de 5 — 10 m, 10 — 20 m e 20 — 50m. Os objetivos principais deste estudo foram de comparar a diversidade, abundância e distribuição das espécies de peixes demersais, nestas três áreas, durante um ciclo hidrológico, e avaliar a influência dos fatores ambientais sobre a estrutura da comunidade. As amostragens foram feitas a bordo de dois navios da frota industrial piramutabeira, com uma rede de arrasto sem porta, em seis cruzeiros com duração de quinze dias cada, divididos entre os períodos seco (entre março e abri1/97) e chuvoso (entre agosto e setembro/97). Foram capturadas 91 espécies em 237 amostragens, sendo que as famílias Sciaenidae e Ariidae foram as mais diversificadas, representando juntas 25% do número de espécies. Todas as espécies de arlideos com ocorrência na região foram muito abundantes. As espécies mais abundantes numericamente no inverno foram Macrodon ancylodon (Sciaenidae) (56,2%) e Brachyplatystoma vaillantii (Pimelodidae) (13,6%), e no verão Macrodon ancylodon (31%) e Stellifèr rastrifer (15,8) (Sciaenidae). Na área delimitada pelas isóbatas de 5 a 10 m (área 1), Brachyplatystoma vaillantii (Pimelodidae) e Macrodon ancylodon (Sciaenidae) foram as mais abundantes em ambos os períodos. O mesmo aconteceu para Macrodon ancylodon e Stellifer rastrifer (Sciaenidae) na área definida pelas isóbatas de 10 a 20 m (área 2), e para iviacrodon ancylodon (Sciaenidae) e Bagre bagre (Ariidae) na área delimitada pelas isóbatas de 20 a 50 m (área 3). As espécies mais freqüentes nas amostragens foram Macrodon ancylodon (Sciaenidae) (40,9%) e Anchoa spinifer (Engraulididae) (35%) no inverno, e Ivlacrodon ancylodon (Sciaenidae) (45,6%) e Anus grandicassis (Ariidae) (38,4%) no verão. Na área 1 Brachyplatystoma vaillantii e Brachypialystorna flavicans (Pimelodidae) tiveram maior freqüência de ocorrência nas amostragens, para os dois períodos; o mesmo acontecendo para Macrodon ancylodon (Sciaenidae) e Bagre bagre (Ariidae), na área 2; e para Macrodon ancylodon (Sciaenidae) e Anchoa spinifer (Engraulididae), na área 3. As espécies dominantes foram: Macrodon ancylodon (Sciaenidae), no inverno (56% dos exemplares coletados); e Macrodon ancylodon, Stellifér rastrifer (Sciaenidae) e Anus quadriscutis (Afiidae) no verão, que representaram 61% das capturas. Na área 1 dominaram Brachyplatystoma vaillantii (Pimelodidae) e Macrodon ancylodon (Sciaenidae) (73%), no inverno e, no verão, as duas espécies já citadas mais Anus grandicassis (Ariidae) (53%). Na área 2 foram dominantes apenas Macrodon ancylodon (Sciaenidae) (64%) no inverno, e Macrodon ancylodon e Stellifèr rastrifer (Sciaenidae) (53%) no verão e, na área 3, apenas il/lacrodon ancylodon (Sciaenidae) (70% no inverno e 49% no verão). Os padrões de distribuição foram principalmente influenciados pela salinidade. A área 1 apresentou a maior diversidade e eqüitabilidade em relação ás outras. Na área 2 a riqueza de espécies foi maior e, na área 3, houve uma maior dominância. Três assembléias de peixes foram identificadas na região: uma composta de espécies de águas continentais que exploram as áreas rasas entre 5 a 20 m; outra é composta de espécies resistentes ao gradiente salino, com ampla distribuição no estuário, principalmente na faixa dos 10 a 20 m; e a terceira é composta de espécies marinhas que se distribuem pelas áreas mais profundas do estuário, desde os 10 até a faixa dos 50 m. / The composition, abundance and frequency of the demersal fish fauna from the Amazon estuary were studied in three areas which ones were defined as circumscribed within the isobath ranges of 5-10 m, 10-20 m and 20-50 m. The main objectives of this work were to compare the diversity, abundance and distribution of demersal fish fauna in these three areas during one hydrological cycle, and evaluate the infiuence of environmental variables on the community structure. Samples were taken on board of two piramutaba fishing vessels, using a bottom trawl net, for a given seasonal survey of six 15-day trips in the dry season (March and Apri1/97) and in the rainy season (August and September/97). A number of 91 species were caught in a total of 237 samples and Sciaenidae and Ariidae were the most diverse families, represented by 25% of total species. The Ariidae' species which ocurred in the area were very abundant. The most abundant species were Macrodon ancylodon (Sciaenidae) (56,2%) and Brachyplatystoma vaillantii (Pimelodidae) (13,6%) in the rainy season, and Macrodon ancylodon (31%) and Stellifer rastrifer (15,8%) (Sciaenidae) in the dry season. In area 1 Brachyplatystoma vaillantli (Pimelodidae) and Macrodon ancylodon (Sciaenidae) were the most abundant species in both periods, and the same occurred for Macrodon ancylodon and Stellifèr rastrifer (Sciaenidae) in area 2, and for Macrodon ancylodon (Sciaenidae) and Bagre bagre (Ariidae) in area 3. The most frequent species sampled were Macrodon ancylodon (Sciaenidae) (40,9%) and Anchoa spinifer (Engraulididae) (35%) in the rainy season, and Macrodon ancylodon (Sciaenidae) (45,6%) and Anus grandicassis (Ariidae) (38,4%) in the dry season. In area 1 Brachyplatystoma vaillantii and Brachyplatystoma flavicans (Pimelodidae) were the most frequent species, considering each period; the same was observed for Macrodon ancylodon (Sciaenidae) and Bagre bagre (Ariidae) in area 2, and Macrodon ancylodon (Sciaenidae) and Anchoa spinifér (Engraulididae), in area 3. The dominant species were: Macrodon ancylodon (Sciaenidae) in the rainy season (56% of the specimens collected); and Macrodon ancylodon, Stellifér rastrifer (Sciaenidae) and Anus quadriscutis (Ariidae) in dry season, which represented 61% of fishes caught. In area 1, Brachypiatystoma vaillantii (Pimelodidae) and Macrodon ancylodon (Sciaenidae), were dominant (73%) in the rainy season, and both of them together with Anus grandicassis (Ariidae) were dominant (53%) in the dry season. area 2 only Adacrodon ancylodon (Sciaenidae) was dominant (64%) in the rainy season, and Macrodon ancylodon and Stellifer rastrifèr (Sciaenidae) were dominant (53%) in the dry season. In area 3, just one species Macrodon ancylodon (Sciaenidae) was considered dominant (70% in the rainy season and 49% in the dry season). Distribution patterns were influenced by salinity. Area 1 presented the greatest diversity and evenness as compared with the others. Area 2 presented the greatest richness, and area 3 presented the highest dominance. Three communities were identified: one characterized by species from continental waters that explore shallow areas at depths of less than 20 m; another one formed by salinity resistant species, distributed through a wide range from the estuary, mostly in the area circumscribed within the isobath range of 10-20 m; and a third one with marine species distributed in areas at depths of 10 m to 50 m.

Les espèces démersales représentent 50% des captures des pêcheries françaises du golfe du Lion, dont la plupart sont pleinement exploitées, voir surexploitées depuis plusieurs décennies. Cette thèse évalue la pertinence d'aires marines protégées (AMPs) comme outil de gestion et de conservation de ces populations. Jusqu'à présent de telles zones ont été uniquement mises en place le long des côtes pour protéger des espèces très peu mobiles. Le problème est plus complexe pour les espèces vivant en haute mer car leur habitat est plus large et plus diffus. Pour ce faire, la distribution spatiale de 12 espèces démersales exploitées clés ont été étudiées de 1994 à 2010, à l'aide d'observations scientifiques et d'outils statistiques ad hoc. Une approche géostatistique a permis de détecter des structures d'auto-corrélation spatiale pour l'ensemble des espèces, et de produire des cartes de distributions annuelles de chaque espèce. Ces distributions sont apparues très stables sur les dix-sept années, mis à part un phénomène d'expansion/ rétraction avec le niveau d'abondance totale sur la région. Par ailleurs une approche par modèle linéaire généralisé a révélé des associations importantes de ces espèces à un habitat stable dans le temps. Ces résultats sont en accord avec la théorie du bassin de MacCall selon laquelle l'association d'une espèce à un habitat est densité-dépendant, et l'augmentation de la densité d'individus dans une zone serait à l'origine de la colonisation d'habitats sub-optimaux. Protéger l'habitat optimal d'une espèce permettrait alors de constituer un habitat «source», si la zone est judicieusement choisie ; en effet le report de l'effort de pêche à l'extérieur de l'AMP peut au contraire rendre cette mesure inefficace voir délétère. Par ailleurs les populations adultes occupaient généralement des zones plus concentrées et incluses dans l'aire de répartition des juvéniles. Ces zones communes d'habitats essentiels (reproduction et nourriceries) peuvent être potentiellement intéressantes à protéger dans un cadre monospécifique. L'hétérogénéité observée des répartitions d'une espèce à l'autre implique l'instauration de zones très clairsemées, et rend la gestion difficile dans une cadre pluri-spécifique. Une zone de taille raisonnable a tout de même été identifiée, représentant 20% de la population de chaque espèce et représentative de la diversité des habitats de cette région. / Demersal species represent 50% of French fisheries catches in theGulf of Lions, most of which are fully exploited, or overfished for decades. This thesis evaluates the relevance of marine protected areas (MPAs) as a tool for conservation and management of these populations. So far these areas have been implemented only along the coast to protect the very few mobile species. The problem is more complex for deep sea species because their habitat is broader and more diffuse. To do this, the spatial distribution of 12 key demersal species exploited were studied from 1994 to 2010, with scientific observations and ad hoc statistical tools. A geostatistical approach allowed to detect spatial autocorrelation structures for all species, and produce maps of annual distributions of each species. These distributions appeared very stable over 17 years, apart from a phenomenon of expansion/ contraction with the level of total abundance in the region. In addition, a generalized linear model approach revealed significant associations of these species to a temporally stable habitat. These results are consistent with MacCall basin theory, according which habitat suitability is a density-dependent thus the increase of individuals in an area make them colonize sub-optimal habitats. An optimal habitat under protection could thus be "source" habitat, if the area is carefully chosen. Indeed reporting the fishing effort outside the MPA can instead make this measure ineffective or deleterious. The adult population were generally in more concentrated areas and included in the spatial range of juveniles. These common areas of essential habitat (breeding and nursery) may be potentially interesting to protect a single species . However, the heterogeneity of distributions of a species to another involves the introduction of very sparse areas, making the management difficult. However an area of ​​reasonable size has been identified, covering 20% ​​of the population of each species and representative of the diversity of bottom habitats in the region.

Knowing where species are and understanding why is paramount for developing relevant and sustainable conservation and resource management strategies. The need for this information is becoming urgent as fishing activity, resource extraction and the impacts of coastal developments continue to put marine resources under increasing pressure. As logistical and financial constraints can restrict our ability to collect data in the marine environment, the ability to predict distributions based on known associations with different environmental variables would enhance our capacity to manage these resources. Before attempting to predict the distribution of species and groups of species, the underlying species-environment relationships must be examined to determine whether associations between species and the environment can: (i) be identified, (ii) be used to develop models that can accurately predict distributions, and (iii) are general enough to allow accurate predictions beyond the sampled area. Most studies to date have compared the composition of fish assemblages between sites to determine how different environmental variables influence distribution. While widely applied, these methods do not consider how individual species respond to multiple environmental gradients and they lack the ability to predict distributions across different combinations of variables along those gradients. This lack of prediction also limits our capacity to assess what marine biodiversity is presently threatened by global, regional, and local human pressures on marine ecosystems. '...' Thus, summarising and modelling species data at higher levels would result in models with poorer predictive accuracy and a loss of ecological information. The generality of the species-environment relationships defined by the models were assessed by evaluating the transferability of models between different areas. Models developed from data collected over a wider geographic extent could more accurately predict the distribution of species across a smaller spatial extent than vice versa. This indicated that while general theories of the ecology of temperate demersal fish can be defined, the actual patterns of distribution may vary from site to site, suggesting caution when using predictions beyond the sampled area for management purposes. Overall, species distribution modelling identified how different species and groups of species responded to the combined influence of multiple environmental gradients and was able to accurately predict distributions based on the defined associations. Their application has led to a greater understanding of the species environment relationships and will help to identify those areas that may be important for conservation. Their predictive ability will allow general predictions of distribution of fish species across unsurveyed areas and provides the ability to assess the potential impact from implementing different policy and management strategies.

Haul-by-haul steam trawler catch and effort data for 1918�23, 1937�43 and 1952�57, which covers a large portion of the history of steam trawling in the Australian South East Fishery, were examined in detail for the first time. There were 64,371 haul records in total. The catch-rate for all retained catch combined shows a strong decline overall, with a brief recovery during World War II, probably due to increased retention of previously discarded species. The fishing fleet moved to more distant fishing grounds and deeper waters as the catch-rate declined. The catch-rates of the main commercial species followed a similar pattern in a number of regions within the fishery. The catchrate of the primary target species � tiger flathead (Neoplatycephalus richardsoni) � dropped considerably from the early, very high, catch-rates. Chinaman leatherjacket (Nelusetta ayraudi) and latchet (Pterygotrigla polyommata) � species that were apparently abundant in the early years of the fishery � virtually disappeared from catches in later years. The appearance of greater catches of jackass morwong (Nemadactylus macropterus), redfish (Centroberyx affinis), and shark/skate during the war and afterwards was probably due to increased retention of catches of these species. The disappearance of certain species from the catch may be due to high fishing pressure alone, or to a combination of fishing pressure, changes in the shelf habitat possibly caused by the trawl gear, and environmental fluctuations. Catch-rates in weight per haul per species were standardised to annual indices of abundance using a log-linear model. Standardised annual index trends for flathead, latchet and leatherjacket indicate a strong to severe decline over the period covered by the data. All species showed seasonal patterns, but the peak season varied depending on the species. The distribution of standardised catch-rate by area also differed greatly by species, and no single area showed consistent differences across all species. Day trawls caught more flathead, redfish and latchet, while night trawls caught more morwong and leatherjacket. Moon phase had less influence on catch-rates than the other factors examined. Correlation of annual index trends with a number of annual mean environmental factors was examined and no strong correlations were found. Annual catches of the major commercial trawl species on the SE Australian shelf were estimated from recorded total trawl catches, catch species composition from subsamples and estimates of the rate of discarding. These annual catches, standardised indices of abundance and biological population parameters were used in single-species stock reduction models to estimate absolute biomass trends. Biological population parameters and the biomass estimates were used to calculate management reference point fishing mortality rates F0.1, Fspr30 and Fmsy. Results showed that simple plausible population models can be constructed that account for catches over the long period of time from 1915 to 1961. Simple mass-balance ecosystem models were built for the demersal community of the SE Australian shelf for 1915 and 1961 using the Ecopath software. Model inputs were consistent with a more comprehensive SE marine ecosystem model in development by CSIRO. The models demonstrate that biomass estimates produced by the single species stock reduction models can be consistently integrated into simple plausible massbalance ecosystem models. Modern stock assessments for the main commercial species in this fishery today mostly used data collected since about 1985. Abundance indices and total catch estimates from this study have been used in the most recent assessments for tiger flathead and morwong, allowing construction of the exploitation history for these species spanning almost 100 years. Use of the historical information has increased confidence in the estimates of the modern stock assessments � particularly management reference points, and has allowed us to quantify changes in fish abundance that have simply been documented anecdotally in the past.

Marine and coastal ecosystems are subject to diverse and increasingly intensive anthropogenic activities, making understanding cumulative effects critically important. However, accurately accounting for the cumulative effects of human impacts can be difficult, with the possibility of multiple stressors interacting and having greater impacts than expected, compounding direct and indirect effects on individuals, populations, communities and ecosystems. Assessment of multiple stressors therefore requires extensive scientific research that directly tests how single or multiple ecological components are affected by stressors, both singly and when combined, and as a consequence, cumulative effects assessments are now increasingly included in environmental assessments. Currently, there is a need to assess these at larger spatial scales, with additional research also urgently needed on the responses of ecological components, processes and functions to single and cumulative stressors. As cumulative environmental impacts could be better addressed by regional stressor effects assessments that combine methods for predicting multiple pressures on ecosystem recovery alongside degradation, this study used several separate approaches that can be used in parallel to give support for local management measures. I tested four completely different methods - a range of multi-metric indices, a food web model (Ecopath), a predictive model (Ecosim) and a Bayesian Belief Network model. Each approach was tested and compared in two shallow water estuarine systems, in Scotland and England, initially concerning the impact of nutrient enrichment and subsequent recovery and was followed by an investigation of how the addition of multiple stressors (nutrient levels, temperature and river-flow rates) would impact the future state of each system. The response to stressors was highly context dependent, varying between and within geographic locations. Overall, each of the four different approaches complemented each other and gave strong support for the need to make big reductions in the pressures and to consider trade-offs between impacting pressures. The models and tools also indicate that in order to reach an improved overall environmental state of each ecosystem, a focus on nutrient reductions are likely to be the most effective of the controls on stressors explored and that cumulative effects of the management of nutrient inputs and increased water temperatures and river-flow are likely to exist.

L'aquaculture et la pêche impactent l'environnement, les ressources et le fonctionnement des écosystèmes. L’un des enjeux en écologie est de placer ces activités anthropiques dans un cadre de développement durable. Afin de quantifier et de limiter ces impacts, différentes méthodes d’évaluation environnementale ont vu le jour. L’Analyse de Cycle de Vie (ACV) est une méthode pertinente pour évaluer le bilan environnemental d'un produit en prenant en compte l’ensemble de ses étapes de vie, "du berceau à la tombe", depuis l’extraction des matières premières et leurs transformations pour l'élaboration du produit, jusqu’à la fin de vie. Cette thèse porte sur l’adaptation de l’ACV au domaine de l'aquaculture et de la pêche en Tunisie. Son objectif est d'explorer les perspectives offertes par cette méthodologie afin de mieux caractériser le fonctionnement des systèmes de production de poissons et leur lien avec l’environnement. Cette étude a montré que les pratiques aquacoles et la production d'aliment de poisson sont les contributeurs majeurs aux impacts environnementaux, ceci est expliqué par l'utilisation de farine et d'huile de poisson dans la fabrication de l'aliment. Les résultats ont également montré que les impacts du chalutage de fond sont proportionnels à la quantité de carburant nécessaire pour la production. Ce travail a permis d'étudier et comparer les impacts environnementaux de l'activité aquacole et de la pêche au chalutage de fond en Tunisie. Les résultats de cette thèse ont un intérêt pour les gestionnaires en proposant des voies d'amélioration et des recommandations stratégiques de gestion pour améliorer les deux secteurs afin de les placer dans un contexte de développement durable. / The main goal of ecology is to place human activities within a framework of sustainable development by enhancing their economic benefits, their social attractiveness and their environmental performances. Ecosystems that support fisheries and aquaculture are subject to several alterations of significant relevance to their functioning and to their abilities to provide goods and services. Therefore, the long-term sustainability of fishing and aquaculture is a major concern from an environmental and ecological viewpoint. Both activities carry risks of negative environmental impacts because of its close relation with the immediate environment. To better understand environmental impacts and ensure the sustainability of fishing and aquaculture, it is necessary to develop an integrative sciencebased approach to impact assessment. Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) has emerged as a robust method to estimate potential environmental impacts associated with a product. It allows the assessment of environmental impacts “from cradle to grave”, taking into account all stages of a product’s life. This thesis focuses on the adaptation of LCA to demersal trawling and aquaculture in Tunisia. The goal is to explore how LCA improves the environmental evaluation of seafood production systems and how it helps to better understand their links with the environment. Results revealed that rearing practices and fish feed were the greatest contributors to the impacts studied due to the production of fish meal and oil and the low efficiency of feed use. The study also showed that impact intensity of demersal trawling was proportional to the amount of fuel consumed. LCA is a valuable tool for assessing how to improve environmental sustainability of demersal trawling and aquaculture.

La zone économique exclusive Mauritanienne est le siège d’upwelling et constitue une zone de transition où cohabitent des espèces d’affinités tempérée et tropicale. Pour comprendre le comportement spatio-temporel des assemblages démersaux du point de vue de leur composition, structuration, distribution de probabilité et diversité face aux préoccupations écologiques. Les facteurs abiotiques contribuent à la structuration des assemblages démersaux persistants au cours du temps. Les effets de la pêche étaient relativement faibles. Les trajectoires temporelles entre les assemblages et les conditions environnementales ont été mises en évidence pour certaines années et des zones. Dans les types d’habitats, un groupe minoritaire d’espèces très agrégatives obéissant au modèle de distribution en log-séries de Fisher et un autre majoritaire peu ou pas du tout agrégatives obéissant au modèle de distribution binomiale négative tronquée ont été identifiés. La diversité spécifique peut être divisé en deux groupes distincts et complémentaires : la richesse spécifique et l'autre associé à l’équitabilité. Un seul composant de la diversité ne peut donc pas représenter la diversité des poissons démersaux de la zone étudiée. Les GLM des indices complémentaires ont montré essentiellement un effet temporel et l’interaction Année-Strates bathymétriques. Aucun effet de l’effort de pêche n’a été observé sur la richesse spécifique, ni de la concentration en chlorophylle sur l’équitabilité. Ce travail pourrait fournir aux gestionnaires et aux scientifiques des connaissances complémentaires sur la dynamique spatio-temporelle des assemblages démersaux exploités dans des écosystèmes d’upwelling. / The Mauritanian exclusive economic zone is the seat of an upwelling phenomenon and constitutes a transition zone where species of temperate and tropical affinities coexist. To understand the spatio-temporal behavior of demersal assemblages from the point of view of their composition, structure, distribution of probability and diversity faced to ecological concerns. Abiotic factors contribute in the structuring of persistent groundfish assemblages over time. The fishing effects were relatively low, although significant in some years and in some specific geographic areas. Temporal trajectories between groundfish assemblages and environmental conditions have been highlighted for some years and in some specific areas. In each type habitats, two species groups were identified: a minority group of species very aggregative well fitted by Fisher’s log-series distribution and another majority of species little or not aggregative well fitted by the truncated negative binomial distribution. Diversity indices analyzed reveal that this set can be split into two distinct and complementary groups: a group associated with the species richness and another group associated with evenness. One component of diversity may not represent the diversity of the groundfish in the study area. GLMs of complementary indices showed essentially a temporal effect and Bathymetric strata-Year interaction. No effect of fishing effort was observed on the species richness and neither was the concentration of chlorophyll a on the evenness. This work could provide managers and scientists to further knowledge on the spatio-temporal dynamics of groundfish species assemblages exploited in upwelling ecosystems.