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Identification of sea bass (Dicentrarchus labrax) nursery areas in the north-western Mediterranean Sea

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  03 June 2009

V. Dufour ,
M. Cantou  and
F. Lecomte
V. Dufour*
Affiliation:
Ecole Pratique des Hautes Etudes, Section des Sciences de la Vie et de la Terre, 47 rue de Lille 75007 Paris Institut des Sciences de l'Evolution, UMR 5554 CNRS, Université de Montpellier II, place Eugène Bataillon 34000 Montpellier Station Méditerranéenne de l'Environnement Littoral, 1 quai de la daurade, 34 200 Sète
M. Cantou
Affiliation:
Station Méditerranéenne de l'Environnement Littoral, 1 quai de la daurade, 34 200 Sète
F. Lecomte
Affiliation:
Institut des Sciences de l'Evolution, UMR 5554 CNRS, Université de Montpellier II, place Eugène Bataillon 34000 Montpellier Station Méditerranéenne de l'Environnement Littoral, 1 quai de la daurade, 34 200 Sète
*
Correspondence should be addressed to: V. Dufour, Ecole Pratique des Hautes Etudes, Section des Sciences de la Vie et de la Terre, 47 rue de Lille 75007 Paris email: vincent.dufour@ephe.sorbonne.fr
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Abstract

Nursery areas of European sea bass (Dicentrarchus labrax, L.) were investigated from spring 2005 to summer 2006 in areas along the French Mediterranean coast of the Gulf of Lion. Nurseries were identified by the presence of settling individuals of sea bass and young juveniles. These nurseries represent different types of sheltered shallow habitats, both natural such as coastal lagoons, estuaries, and artificial such as marinas. Settlement occurred from April to June during both years. The number of settling individuals varied between sites from just a few individuals to several thousand. In one given site, settlement also varied between 2005 and 2006. The size distribution of sampled individuals revealed that several pulses arrived in each nursery. At this stage, sea bass already exhibited a strong orientation capacity but a limited swimming ability. The magnitude of sea bass settlement in marinas requires better environmental management of such artificial areas.

Keywords

identificationsea bass nursery areasnorth-western Mediterranean Sea
Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom , Volume 89 , Issue 7 , November 2009 , pp. 1367 - 1374
Copyright
Copyright © Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom 2009

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