The spatial movements of yellowfin tunas around the fish aggregating devices which were anchored below 40 meters water with a VEMCO VR2 receiver were investigated using ultrasonic telemetry tags V9P (VEMCO VP9-2H-S256). The experiment was conducted in the Shiao-Liu-Chiu Island of Taiwan from July to September, 2007. A pair of VEMCO VR2 receivers was separated by 400 meter distances in west of south sea ,Taiwan. A total of 9 tagged fishes with different sizes were monitored for maximum 19 days. Preliminary results showed that juvenile fish stayed longer and closer within FADs than the adult fish. Fish could move vertically to as low as 160 meters at daytime. They avoid the surface water where the temperature reach 30oC. In nighttime, juvenile fish that has fork length smaller than 55cm generally moves to the surface mixed layer. On the horizontal movement, there are three types. A) fish stays at FADs site. B) Fish move in and out FADs sites for a few hours period. C) fish moves away from FADs site for a long times (maybe 2~3 days). Sometimes juvenile fish would have B) or C) moved away from the FAD devices during dawn and dusk, and back at daytime. But this would not occurred with large fish. We estimated the attraction radius of FADs at least 1 km.

Le comportement des thons tropicaux autour des objets flottants : De l'étude des comportements individuels et collectifs à l'étude du piège écologiqueLes recherches en halieutique ont pour objectif d'améliorer les connaissances sur le fonctionnement des populations de poissons afin de transférer celle-ci vers des outils de gestion. Ce travail de thèse repose sur un ensemble d'expériences et de modélisations destinées à approfondir notre compréhension générale du comportement associatif de poissons grands pélagiques avec des objets flottantes à la surface de l'océan. Notre objectif est de tester si les milliers d'objets flottants artificiels déployés par les pêcheurs (DCP - Dispositifs de Concentration de Poissons) constituent des pièges écologiques pour les thons tropicaux. Pour mener à bien ce travail, nous avons dans le premier chapitre caractérisé le comportement individuel de thons dans un réseau de DCP ancrés. L'analyse de données de marquage acoustique de 96 thons albacores (Thunnus albacares) (30-96 cm) à Hawaii montre que les thons présentent une plasticité comportementale forte face aux DCP qu'ils rencontrent mais également que le temps de résidence sous les DCP diminue avec la taille des individus. Afin de quantifier l'impact de l'augmentation de la densité de DCP il est essentiel de comprendre les mécanismes et les facteurs qui influencent les temps de résidences sous les DCP. Dans le second chapitre, des expériences de choix binaires suggèrent un rôle de la biomasse agrégée dans la formation, la maintenance et la dispersion des agrégations que forment les thons sous les objets flottants. La quantification de la dynamique des arrivées et des départs des poissons aux DCP permettra de valider les hypothèses que nous proposons concernant les mécanismes sociaux sous-jacents d'une part et d'autre part de tester l'influence de la qualité de l'environnement et de la densité de DCP sur les temps de résidences individuels et la distribution spatiale des populations. Dans le troisième chapitre, la comparaison de facteurs de condition de listaos (Katsuwonus pelamis) matures capturés en bancs libres et sous objets flottants dans une zone naturellement riche en objets flottants, et relativement peu impactée par le déploiement de DCP (Le Canal du Mozambique), nous a permis d'établir un point de référence essentiel pour estimer les effets des perturbations actuelles. Plus généralement, les résultats obtenus dans les différents chapitres tendent à conforter l'hypothèse d'un rôle social et non trophique des objets flottants dans l'écologie de thonidés. Les résultats obtenus durant cette thèse amènent à poser un regard nouveau sur l'hypothèse du piège écologique. Notre travail s'est principalement intéressé à un modèle biologique de choix, les thons tropicaux. Cependant le cadre théorique des questions abordées, les outils d'observations et les méthodes d'analyses développées sont assez génériques pour être appliqués aux autres espèces rencontrées sous les objets flottants. Cette recherche s'intègre plus généralement dans les problématiques visant à mieux comprendre les stratégies comportementales et la distribution des populations dans des environnements multi-sites. / Research in fisheries science aims at investigating the functioning of fish population with the objective of using this knowledge to propose sustainable management measures. This PhD thesis relies on a collection of experiments and modelling designed to further our knowledge on the aggregative behaviour of large pelagic fish with floating structures at the surface of the ocean. The overall objective is to test whether the thousands of man-made floating structures deployed by fishermen (also referred as Fish Aggregating Device –FAD) act as ecological traps for tropical tunas. To archive this main objective, it was first necessary to characterize the individual behaviour of tuna in a network of FAD. In the first chapter, the analysis of 96 acoustically tagged yellowfin tuna (Thunnus albacares) between 30-96 cm FL in the array of anchored FADs around Oahu (Hawaii, US) shows that individuals tuna exhibited behavioural plasticity while in the array and that behaviour around FAD is size dependent. In order to assess the impact of the increasing density of FAD, the major habitat modification, it is essential to understand the factors that influence the residence time at FADs. In the second chapter, binary choice experiments suggest that the aggregated biomass under the FAD play a role in the aggregative process. Nonetheless, quantification of arrival and departure dynamics of fish to FAD are required to validate the assumptions we proposed on the underlying social mechanism. Such model would, then, allow testing the effect of FAD density and environmental conditions on individual residence time and spatial distribution of population. In the third chapter, the comparison of skipjack tuna (Katsuwonus pelamis) condition between individual associated with logs and in free swimming schools in the Mozambique Channel, an area known to be naturally enriched with logs with few FADs, highlights the need for estimating reference points prior to assessing the impacts of anthropogenic modifications to habitats on animals.Combining the different chapters, our results tend to favour a social rather than a trophic role of floating objects in the ecology of tunas. More generally, we discuss what novel insight our results bring up on the ecological trap hypothesis. Tropical tunas represent an interesting model species on which we focused. However, the theoretical framework of the questions we addressed, the observation and analytical tools we developed are generic enough to be applied to the others species that are encountered around floating structures. In a broader extent, this work meets the general topic of studying behavioural strategies and distribution of population in multi-patch environment.

FundaÃÃo de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado do Cearà / O presente trabalho tem por objetivo a caracterizaÃÃo dos aspectos tecnolÃgicos e da composiÃÃo das capturas, complementados com estudos sobre o crescimento e a alimentaÃÃo das principais espÃcies na pesca de atuns e afins em cardumes associados no AtlÃntico Oeste Equatorial. Para tanto, foram acompanhados 109 desembarques em Areia Branca, RN, no perÃodo entre jun/2010 e mai/2013, assim como o embarque em nove cruzeiros de pesca no perÃodo entre fev/2011 e dez/2012. O estudo de idade e crescimento, foi realizado com base nas leituras de anÃis etÃrios nos espinhos dorsais e microincrementos diÃrios de otÃlitos de Thunnus albacares ajustados aos modelos de crescimento de von Bertalanffy, Gompertz e LogÃstico, os quais foram selecionados a partir dos valores de AIC (Akaikeâs Criterion Information). O estudo de alimentaÃÃo foi desenvolvido por meio da identificaÃÃo e avaliaÃÃo dos itens alimentares presentes no conteÃdo estomacal de T. obesus e T. albacares. Foram observadas 9 embarcaÃÃes, com comprimento total mÃdio de 13,4 m, as quais utilizam diversas tÃcnicas de captura como a linha de mÃo, vara e linha, corrico e corso, com o uso de iscas artificiais e naturais. Os desembarques totalizaram 691.533 kg de pescado, dentre os quais, as espÃcies alvo foram a albacora bandolim e a albacora laje, sendo retidas tambem espÃcies como o dourado, agulhÃo negro, bonito-listrado, cavala empinge, peixe rei e ainda, ocasionalmente, espÃcies como espadarte e cangulo. Os valores de L ̅_∞ foram estimados em 175,13 e 171,6 cm para os dados observados e retrocalculados a partir dos espinhos dorsais e em 166,6; 171,14; e 155,38 cm respectivamente para os dados agrupados, para machos e fÃmeas a partir dos microincrementos diÃrios de otÃlitos. Os principais itens alimentares observados na dieta de ambos os predadores foram os peixes das famÃlias Myctophidae, Exocoetidae, Bramidae e Nomeidae, sendo observadas com menor frequÃncia os cefalÃpodes e os crustÃceos. Podemos concluir que os resultados obtidos fornecem informaÃÃes essÃnciais que ajudarÃo a compreender as atividades de pesca, bem como ampliarÃo os conhecimentos sobre a biologia das principais espÃcies capturadas. / The present study aims to characterize the technolo gical features and the catch composition, complemented with studies on the age a nd growth and feeding of the target species in the fishery for tunas in associated schools in the western equatorial Atlantic. For this purpose, a total of 109 landings by the fleet based on Areia Branca, RN, were observed in the period from June 2010 to M ay 2013, as well as on board in nine fishing cruises in the period from February 2011 to December 2012. The age and growth study was performed based on readings of age rings of the dorsal spines and daily microincrements present in the otolith of Thunnus albacares, adjusted to von Bertalanffy , Gompertz and Logistic growth models, which were selected based on their AIC (Akaike 's Information Criterion) valu es. The feeding study was developed through the identification and assessment of food items present in the stomach contents from T. obesus and T. albacares . The fleet consisted of 9 boats, with an average length overall of 13.4 m, which use various fishing techniques such as handline, rod and line and trolling, combined with natural baits or lures. Landings amounted 691,533 kg, from which, the target species were bigeye and yellowfin tunas, as well as bycatch, species such as dolphinfish, blue marlin, skipjack, wahoo, rainbow runner and, even occasionally, species such as swordfish and triggerfish. The values of L were estimated at 175.13 and 171.6 cm for the obser ved and backcalculated data from the dorsal spines and 166.6, 171.14 and 155.38 cm, respectively for the pooled data, males and females based on otolith daily microstructure. The main food items observed in the diet of both predators were the following fish families: Myctophidae, Exocoetidae, Bramidae and Nomeidae. Cephalopods and crustaceans were occasionally observed. We can conclude that results provide essential information that will ass ist in the understanding of fishing activities as well as expand the knowledge on the biology of the target species.

SILVA, Guelson Batista da. Dinâmica populacional e pesca de atuns em cardumes associados no Atlântico oeste equatorial. 2013. 155 f. : Tese (doutorado) - Universidade Federal do Ceará, Centro de Ciências Agrárias, Departamento de Engenharia de Pesca, Fortaleza-CE, 2013 / Submitted by Nádja Goes (nmoraissoares@gmail.com) on 2016-07-26T14:55:57Z No. of bitstreams: 1 2013_tese_gbsilva.pdf: 25046778 bytes, checksum: fc5e4863285fe78962906db438bfe4a9 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Nádja Goes (nmoraissoares@gmail.com) on 2016-07-26T14:56:11Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 2013_tese_gbsilva.pdf: 25046778 bytes, checksum: fc5e4863285fe78962906db438bfe4a9 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2016-07-26T14:56:11Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 2013_tese_gbsilva.pdf: 25046778 bytes, checksum: fc5e4863285fe78962906db438bfe4a9 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2013 / The present study aims to characterize the technolo gical features and the catch composition, complemented with studies on the age a nd growth and feeding of the target species in the fishery for tunas in associated schools in the western equatorial Atlantic. For this purpose, a total of 109 landings by the fleet based on Areia Branca, RN, were observed in the period from June 2010 to M ay 2013, as well as on board in nine fishing cruises in the period from February 2011 to December 2012. The age and growth study was performed based on readings of age rings of the dorsal spines and daily microincrements present in the otolith of Thunnus albacares, adjusted to von Bertalanffy , Gompertz and Logistic growth models, which were selected based on their AIC (Akaike 's Information Criterion) valu es. The feeding study was developed through the identification and assessment of food items present in the stomach contents from T. obesus and T. albacares . The fleet consisted of 9 boats, with an average length overall of 13.4 m, which use various fishing techniques such as handline, rod and line and trolling, combined with natural baits or lures. Landings amounted 691,533 kg, from which, the target species were bigeye and yellowfin tunas, as well as bycatch, species such as dolphinfish, blue marlin, skipjack, wahoo, rainbow runner and, even occasionally, species such as swordfish and triggerfish. The values of L were estimated at 175.13 and 171.6 cm for the obser ved and backcalculated data from the dorsal spines and 166.6, 171.14 and 155.38 cm, respectively for the pooled data, males and females based on otolith daily microstructure. The main food items observed in the diet of both predators were the following fish families: Myctophidae, Exocoetidae, Bramidae and Nomeidae. Cephalopods and crustaceans were occasionally observed. We can conclude that results provide essential information that will ass ist in the understanding of fishing activities as well as expand the knowledge on the biology of the target species. / O presente trabalho tem por objetivo a caracterização dos aspectos tecnológicos e da composição das capturas, complementados com estudos sobre o crescimento e a alimentação das principais espécies na pesca de atuns e afins em cardumes associados no Atlântico Oeste Equatorial. Para tanto, foram acompanhados 109 desembarques em Areia Branca, RN, no período entre jun/2010 e mai/2013, assim como o embarque em nove cruzeiros de pesca no período entre fev/2011 e dez/2012. O estudo de idade e crescimento, foi realizado com base nas leituras de anéis etários nos espinhos dorsais e microincrementos diários de otólitos de Thunnus albacares ajustados aos modelos de crescimento de von Bertalanffy, Gompertz e Logístico, os quais foram selecionados a partir dos valores de AIC (Akaike’s Criterion Information). O estudo de alimentação foi desenvolvido por meio da identificação e avaliação dos itens alimentares presentes no conteúdo estomacal de T. obesus e T. albacares. Foram observadas 9 embarcações, com comprimento total médio de 13,4 m, as quais utilizam diversas técnicas de captura como a linha de mão, vara e linha, corrico e corso, com o uso de iscas artificiais e naturais. Os desembarques totalizaram 691.533 kg de pescado, dentre os quais, as espécies alvo foram a albacora bandolim e a albacora laje, sendo retidas tambem espécies como o dourado, agulhão negro, bonito-listrado, cavala empinge, peixe rei e ainda, ocasionalmente, espécies como espadarte e cangulo. Os valores de L ̅_∞ foram estimados em 175,13 e 171,6 cm para os dados observados e retrocalculados a partir dos espinhos dorsais e em 166,6; 171,14; e 155,38 cm respectivamente para os dados agrupados, para machos e fêmeas a partir dos microincrementos diários de otólitos. Os principais itens alimentares observados na dieta de ambos os predadores foram os peixes das famílias Myctophidae, Exocoetidae, Bramidae e Nomeidae, sendo observadas com menor frequência os cefalópodes e os crustáceos. Podemos concluir que os resultados obtidos fornecem informações essênciais que ajudarão a compreender as atividades de pesca, bem como ampliarão os conhecimentos sobre a biologia das principais espécies capturadas.

Depuis le milieu des années 1990, l’utilisation de Dispositifs de Concentration de Poissons (DCP), des objets artificiels spécifiquement mis à l’eau pour agréger des bancs de poissons, est devenue de plus en plus importante pour la pêche au thon tropical à la senne. Cette utilisation massive des DCP, qui s’accompagne d’une utilisation massive de dispositifs de suivi comme les balises GPS et les balises échosondeurs, est aujourd’hui source d’inquiétude pour les stocks de thons, les prises accessoires mais aussi pour le fonctionnement des écosystèmes pélagiques. Cependant, les modalités d’utilisation des DCP et des balises GPS qui servent à les suivre restent mal connues, ce qui complique considérablement l’évaluation et la gestion des impacts de ces pratiques de pêche. Afin d’améliorer les connaissances actuelles de la pêcherie, les positions des balises GPS utilisées par les 3 armements français dans les océans Atlantique et Indien, constituant une part significative des DCP utilisés dans ces deux océans, ont été analysées. Ces données ont été combinées avec des multiples sources d’information : les livres de bord, les trajectoires VMS des senneurs français ainsi que des entretiens avec les patrons français. Elles nous permettent de mieux comprendre les stratégies de mise à l’eau des DCP et des balises, d’estimer le nombre d’objets flottants utilisés par les flottes de senneurs dans les océans Atlantique et Indien, de mesurer la contribution des DCP et des navires auxiliaires à l’efficacité de pêche des senneurs, d’identifier des destructions potentielles d’habitats par les DCP échoués and pour finir de proposer des solutions de gestion pour la pêcherie. Les résultats montrent une grande saisonnalité dans les mises à l’eau des deux océans, une croissance rapide du nombre de balises GPS au cours des 7 dernières années puisqu’elle est multipliée par 4.2 dans l’Océan Indien et 7 dans l’Océan Atlantique, des dommages possibles causés à des écosystèmes côtiers fragiles avec une probabilité d’échouage de l’ordre de 10% et finalement une augmentation de l’efficacité de pêche entre 2003 et 2014 de l’ordre de 3.8-18.8% dans l’Océan Atlantique et 10.7%-26.3% dans l’Océan Indien. Les entretiens avec les capitaines des senneurs soulignent la nécessité d’une gestion plus efficace de la pêcherie, avec entre autres l’instauration de quotas, une régulation de la capacité de la flotte de senneurs et un meilleur suivi des navires auxiliaires. Les résultats obtenus constituent les premières étapes nécessaires à une meilleure gestion de la pêche sous objet flottant / Since the mid 1990s, the use of drifting Fish Aggregating Devices (dFADs) by purse seiners, artificial objects specifically designed to aggregate fish, has become an important mean of catching tropical tunas. In recent years, the massive deployments of dFADs, as well as the massive use of tracking devices on dFADs and natural floating objects, such as GPS buoys, have raised serious concerns for tropical tuna stocks, bycatch species and pelagic ecosystem functioning. Despite these concerns, relatively little is known about the modalities of GPS buoy tracked objects use, making it difficult to assess and manage of the impacts of this fishing practice. To fill these knowledge gaps, we have analyzed GPS buoy tracks provided by the three French fishing companies operating in the Atlantic and the Indian Oceans, representing a large proportion of the floating objects monitored by the French fleet. These data were combined with multiple sources of information: logbook data, Vessel Monitoring System (VMS) tracks of French purse seiners, information on support vessels and Local Ecological Knowledge (LEK) of purse seine skippers to describe GPS buoy deployment strategies, estimate the total number of GPS buoy equipped dFADs used in the Atlantic and Indian Oceans, measure the contribution of strategies with FOBs and support vessels to the fishing efficiency of tropical tuna purse seiners, identify potential damages caused by lost dFADs and finally to propose management options for tropical tuna purse seine FOB fisheries. Results indicate clear seasonal patterns of GPS buoy deployment in the two oceans, a rapid expansion in the use of dFADs over the last 7 years with an increase of 4.2 times in the Indian Ocean and 7.0 times in the Atlantic Ocean, possible damages to fragile coastal ecosystems with 10% of GPS buoy tracks ending with a beaching event and an increased efficiency of tropical tuna purse seine fleets from 3.9% to 18.8% in the Atlantic Ocean over 2003-2014 and from 10.7% to 26.3% in the Indian Ocean. Interviews with purse seine skippers underlined the need for a more efficient management of the fishery, including the implementation of catch quotas, a limitation of the capacity of purse seine fleets and a regulation of the use of support vessels. These results represent a first step towards better assessment and management of purse seine FOB fisheries.