Acoustic assessment and distribution of anchovy, sardine and chub mackerel in ICES Subdivision 9a South during the ECOCADIZ-RECLUTAS 2021-10 Spanish survey (October 2020) with notes on the distribution of other pelagic species. Preliminary information.

• Main Authors: Ramos, Fernando, Córdoba-Sellés, María del Pilar, Tornero, Jorge
• Format: Report
• Language: English
• Published: 2021
• Subjects: Pesquerías; Centro Oceanográfico de Cádiz; Gulf of Cadiz; Acoustic-trawl surveys; Pelagic fish resources; Recruitment; Spatial distribution; pelagic fish; surveys; distribution; species; Acoustic data; North Atlantic
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10508/16182; http://hdl.handle.net/10261/324520

The present working document summarises a part of the main results obtained during the ECOCADIZ-RECLUTAS 2021-10 Spanish (pelagic ecosystem-) acoustic survey. The survey was conducted by IEO between 21st October and 07th November 2021 in the Portuguese and Spanish shelf waters (20-200 m isobaths) off the Gulf of Cadiz (GoC) onboard the R/V Ramón Margalef. The survey suffered a ten-day delay in relation to the usual starting dates, resulting in ending dates very close to the starting ones of the WGACEGG meeting. Therefore, no acoustic estimates were available at the time of WG meeting. The survey’s main objective is the acoustic assessment of anchovy and sardine juveniles (age 0 fish) in the recruitment areas of the GoC. The 21 foreseen acoustic transects were sampled. A total of 18 valid fishing hauls were carried out for echo-trace ground-truthing purposes. This working document only provides information on the results of these hauls in terms of species-specific occurrences, yields in numbers and weight, size ranges, mean size and mean weight in catches.