Summary

The habitats of populations of small, pelagic fish, especially anchovy and sardine, in the Benguela, California, Humboldt, and Kuroshio-Oyashio current systems, and in the NE Atlantic, are described and discussed in regard to future climate change. These stocks have been the primary concern of the Small Pelagic Fish and Climate Change (SPACC) program of International GLOBEC. Each of these regions and stocks has a unique set of climate and ocean conditions and their variability. However, they also share common characteristics. Spawning and development occurs within broad ranges of temperature (12–26 °C) and salinity (<30–36) and in regions of high plankton production, associated with either upwelling or freshwater. Often, sardine are more oceanic and anchovy more coastal, often associated with wind-driven upwelling and rivers. Sardine tend to make longer migrations between spawning and feeding regions than do anchovy. The habitat of most populations of small, pelagic fish expands when the population size is large and contracts when it is small, often into refugia. Climate change may affect populations of small, pelagic fish by causing poleward shifts in distribution due to warming, some of which have already occurred. Other potential effects are due to changes in winds, hydrology, currents, stratification, acidification, and phenology.

Introduction

Small, pelagic fish, especially anchovy and sardine, abound in many, productive regions of the world ocean. Their habitats include areas with coastal and oceanic upwelling and freshwater influence and can be characterized by both geography (properties of the coast and bottom) and hydrography (properties of the water). The effects of climate change, be it of natural or anthropogenic origin, on populations of small, pelagic fish, are mediated by their habitats.