Éditeur(s) : Université Paris 6
Résumé : The aggregative behaviour of the dolphinfish (Coryphaena hippurus) is studied in order to improve our knowledge of the mechanism involved in the association of this species with the floating objects and to evaluate its potential impact in term of exploitation, targeted or not. This PhD thesis is composed of four chapters. Through an extensive analyze of the literature, the first chapter takes stock of the present knowledge on the FADs, on the aggregative behaviour of pelagic fish and on the dolphinfish. The second chapter deals specifically with the aggregative behaviour of the dolphinfish by the way of acoustic tagging of fish carry out during offshore campaigns around drifting FADs. The feeding habits of the dolphinfish around FADs are the main purpose of the third chapter. It is studied by the way of two complementary methods : stomach contains analysis of dolphinfish aggregated around several types of floating objects and underwater inventory of the marine fauna under these floating objects. Finally, the fourth and last chapter sums all the results and suggests a theory to explain the aggregative behaviour of the dolphinfish. We also try to estimate the possible consequences of this behaviour on the abundance and on the distribution of this species on a larger scale.
Le comportement agrégatif de la dorade coryphène (Coryphaena hippurus) est étudié dans le but de mieux comprendre le déterminisme de l'association de cette espèce avec les objets flottants et d'en évaluer les impacts potentiels en terme de sensibilité à l'exploitation halieutique, qu'elle soit ciblée ou non. Ce mémoire de thèse est organisé en quatre chapitres. A travers une analyse approfondie de la bibliographie, le premier chapitre présente un bilan des connaissances actuelles sur les DCP, l'agrégation des poissons pélagiques et la dorade coryphène. Le second chapitre traite plus spécifiquement du comportement agrégatif de la dorade coryphène. Il a été abordé à l'aide de marquages électroniques réalisés au cours de campagnes hauturières autour de DCP dérivants. Le comportement trophique de la dorade coryphène fait l'objet du troisième chapitre. Il est abordé par l'utilisation conjointe de deux méthodes d'investigation : l'analyse des contenus stomacaux de dorades coryphènes agrégées sous divers types d'objets flottants et la réalisation d'inventaires faunistiques sous-marins autour de ces objets flottants. Enfin, le quatrième et dernier chapitre synthétise l'ensemble des résultats obtenus, propose une théorie du comportement agrégatif de la dorade coryphène et tente d'évaluer les conséquences possibles de ce comportement sur la distribution et l'abondance de l'espèce à grande échelle.

Droits : info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
http://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/2004/these-323.pdf
http://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00000/323/

Éditeur(s) : Pêche thonière et dispositifs de concentration de poissons, Caribbean-Martinique, 15-19 Oct 1999 15-19 octobre 1999
Résumé : The Mediterranean small-scale fleet is highly adaptive, showing a dynamic fishing intensity and strategy, and exploiting seasonal abundant resources. In this area, the aggregatory behaviour under floats of juvenile fish has been used since ancient times to exploit oceanic migratory species such as dolphinfish (Coryphaena hippurus), using Fish Aggregating anchored Devices (fads). A total of 2 300 boats are engaged in this fishery from August to December, the main fishing areas being those around Malta, Tunisia, Sicily and Majorca. The fads ( arrow right m2) are made of different cheap floating materials, and are moored in fixed places, ranging from shore waters to areas 60 miles off the coast (1 500 m depth). Each boat deploys an average of 20 to 100 fads. The gears used are special surrounding nets without purse line, and traditional purse seine nets. The fishery exploits young-of-the-year dolphinfish (<6 months old), originated by a pre-spawning migration of adults from Atlantic waters. Their catches show high annual and monthly variability, depending on the recruitment and the accessibility of recruits to the fishery. Pilotfish (Naucrates ductor) and greater amberjack (Seriola dumerili) are also exploited in this fishery as by-catch. A total of about 1 000 metric tons of dolphinfish are yearly caught mainly in September-October. The fads are historically laid in August. Recently, the fads fishing period has increased in Sicily, and the fads are laid in July, so as to catch pilotfish and greater amberjak juveniles. In recent years, the interest for this fishing method and the study of these fisheries has increased in the Mediterranean. Though the market and its seasonality limit this exploitation, this fishery is economically profitable with good revenue.

Droits : Ifremer
http://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00042/15286/12672.pdf
http://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00042/15286/

Éditeur(s) : Pêche thonière et dispositifs de concentration de poissons, Caribbean-Martinique, 15-19 Oct 1999
Résumé : Approximately 4,000 petroleum (oil and gas) platforms exist in the northern Gulf of Mexico and form one of the world's most extensive de facto artificial reef systems. Collectively, these structures may comprise one of the largest fad (Fish Aggregating Device) arrays in the world, attracting surface and midwater pelagic fishes. The diverse composition of pelagic fish fauna at ngom platforms is described and includes valued species such as Thunnus albacares, Thunnus atlanticus, Coryphaena hippurus, Acanthocybium solandri, Rachycentron canadum, Seriola dumerili, Scomberomorus cavalla, and Decapterus punctatus. Petroleum platforms influence pelagic fishery resources and are an important component of the Gulf's commercial and recreational fishing industries. Reviewed literature revealed a sparsity of fundamental knowledge of densities, temporal and spatial occurrence, and fishing effort/catch rates of pelagic fishes at platforms. The role of Gulf petroleum platforms "as fads" is examined, possible mechanisms for aggregation are reviewed, and a synopsis of the author's preliminary findings on life history aspects of A. solandri and R. canadum from platforms is presented. It is proposed that platforms provide opportunities for the study of pelagic species to better understand the life history, ecology, behaviour, and habitat requirements of pelagic fishery resources in the Gulf of Mexico.

Droits : info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
http://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00042/15301/12633.pdf
http://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00042/15301/

Éditeur(s) : Pêche thonière et dispositifs de concentration de poissons, Caribbean-Martinique, 15-19 Oct 1999
Résumé : For most fisheries, increasing the local production of pelagic fish is the main objective of Fish Aggregating Devices (fads). This does not rule out the existence of a larger-scale impact, especially on the migratory behaviour of fish. The analysis of data collected during 25 experimental fishing surveys around Martinique between 1995 and 1997 has led to the hypothesis that fads influence the migratory behaviour of young dolphinfish. Unlike recent studies of dolphinfish migration in the Caribbean, which tend to show an annual migration pattern with a seasonal passage through the French West Indies, the experimental fishing surveys done over more than a year on a monthly basis on a single cohort, show that the migratory pattern of part of the regional stock could be disrupted. This analysis has made it possible to estimate an average growth rate for this species during the first year of life.

Droits : info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
http://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00042/15321/12635.pdf
http://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00042/15321/

Éditeur(s) : Actes de colloques Ifremer, Tahiti, French Polynesia, 20 Feb - 4 Mar 1989, n°9, chap. 42, pp.445-459
Résumé : The mahimahi, Coryphaena hippurus , has excellent potential for aquaculture due to its fast growth (2 kg at 6 months, 9 kg at 1 year), good food conversion efficiency (30%, wet weight), high fecundity with natural captive spawns (200,000 eggs/female/2 days year round for a 1 year old female), and high price (US$ 9.00/kg wholesale in Hawaii).

Droits : info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
http://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/1989/acte-1473.pdf
http://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00000/1473/

Éditeur(s) : Elsevier
Résumé : As top predators of pelagic food webs, large fish naturally bioaccumulate mercury (Hg). Determining Hg burdens in commercialized fish is essential considering the concern about effects of contaminants on human health and the legal thresholds that are therefore set for local consumption and/or exportation. Total Hg levels were measured in the muscular tissue of 183 fish of five commercially important species from the tropical zone of the Western Indian Ocean. All individuals were measured and sexed in order to study the impregnation of Hg with size and sex within each species. Values of Hg found in this part of the Indian Ocean were comparable to Hg in muscular tissue of the same species studied in other areas. The highest Hg levels were noted in Swordfish (Xiphias gladius) caught in waters surrounding Reunion Island (3.97 +/- 2.67 mu g g(-1) dry weight). Following the Swordfish, in decreasing order of Hg content, were the Yellowfin Tuna (Thunnus albacares) and the Skipjack (Katsuwonus pelamis), then the Common Dolphinfish (Coryphaena hippurus) and the Wahoo (Acanthocybium solandri). In the North of the Mozambique Channel, Swordfish had higher Hg levels than Yellowfin Tunas, and Dolphinfish exhibited intermediate Hg levels. The size of a fish was a determining factor of its Hg burden, as was the species. Differences in size-normalized Hg levels were observed between the two study zones for Swordfish and Common Dolphinfish. Sex, in contrast, did not influence Hg levels suggesting that females and males have similar feeding habits. The muscular Hg levels presented here suggest that consumers of fish originating from the Western Indian Ocean should limit themselves to one Swordfish based meal per week, or one fish meal a day if they choose to eat tuna or Common Dolphinfish. (c) 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
The Science of The Total Environment (0048-9697) (Elsevier), 2006-08 , Vol. 366 , N. 2-3 , P. 688-700

Droits : 2006 Elsevier
http://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/2006/publication-1862.pdf
DOI:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2006.02.006
http://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00000/1862/

Éditeur(s) : Pêche thonière et dispositifs de concentration de poissons, Caribbean-Martinique, 15-19 Oct 1999
Résumé : In the Sicilian fisheries, the swordfish (Xiphias gladius, Linnaeus 1758), caught from March to December with several gears which vary according to season, represents one of the most important economic resources. The size composition changes depending on the gear used, the way it is operated, the fishing area and season. The gears used for swordfish fishing (long-lines "for swordfish", drift-nets, harpoons as operated by typical boats named "feluche") mainly catch adult specimens. From August to December, a high number of very young swordfish specimens (1.5 to 4.5 kg) is also caught as by-catch during the albacore (Thunnus alalunga, Bonnaterre 1788) fishing which is carried out by a special long line and hooks only 3 cm long. It was observed that in the same season, fishing areas and with boats of similar type, the fishing of dolphin-fish (Coryphaena hippurus, Linnaeus 1758), using Fish Aggregating Devices (FADs) and purse seine, is hardly practised in spite of the resource availability swordfish. With the present work, which can be regarded as an initial approach to the problem of diversifying and managing fishing effort of swordfish, albacore and dolphin-fish, their fisheries are examined and discussed, not overlooking the economic aspect, by considering weather a reallocation of fishing effort among the previously said resources might avert the risk of swordfish stock depletion.

Droits : info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
http://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00042/15299/12659.pdf
http://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00042/15299/