Abstract

MARTINEZ-PORCHAS, M. Studies on the distribution of the pacific sardine Sardinops sagax caeruleus (Clupeiformes: Clupeidae): History, present state and perspectives. Universidad y ciencia [online]. 2012, vol.28, n.3, pp.285-300. ISSN 0186-2979.

The pacific sardine (Sardinops sagax caeruleus) is one of the most important pelagic species in the north Pacific ecosystem; it also contributes significantly to the development of the fishing industry. However, this species has been characterized by a complex population dynamics, marked by natural collapses, overfishing, climatic phenomena and other aspects. For decades, the scientific community has tried to establish a distribution model for this species in order to design adequate fishing programs, avoid the overexploitation of the resource and even predict its behavior during a climatic phenomenon. The results of those efforts have been useful, but do not answer many questions and hypotheses. By using techniques of morphometry, mark and recapture data, genetics and others, it has been proposed that the sardine is distributed from the Gulf of California to Canada, grouped in different subpopulations that thrive in different environments. In order to carry out an adequate fishery, each subpopulation should be managed as a single stock; the problem is that no study indicates the geographic range of each subpopulation and the possible interactions among them. Thermoregulation studies, in particular, are a useful tool to establish the thermal limits of marine species, and may be interpreted as geographic limits. Having knowledge of the thermal behavior of the different sardine subpopulations would make it possible to build a more precise model of the distribution and interactions among the different subpopulations of the species.

Keywords : Thermal behavior; sardine distribution; sardine groups; sardine subpopulations; Sardinops sagax caeruleus; thermoregulation.

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