Éditeur(s) : Institut de Ciències del Mar de Barcelona, CSIC
Résumé : The main characteristics of the biology of bigeye scad were studied from commercial fishery catches around Reunion Island. Biometric relationships were calculated. The monitoring of size distribution, aggregated by month, allowed us to estimate the theoretical growth equation using the ELEFAN software. The von Bertalanffy growth parameters were adjusted with a seasonal modulation: L8 = 265 mm; K = 1.64 year-1; c = 0.068; ? = 0.38. The growth of the cohort was quite high during the austral summer (November-April) and decreased during the austral winter (May-October). The arrival of a new cohort with homogeneous small sizes (65 to 90 mm) in the fishery in November coincided with the disappearance of large individuals. A feature of the reproductive biology was that the sex ratio remained constant month by month and that there was no predominance of male or female even in the larger size classes. Fish were mature by April and the proportion of mature fish progressively increased until November, when the gonad-indices were the highest. The size at first maturity (L50) was reached at 215 mm (fork length). The largest specimens observed were 255 mm long (fork length). After reproduction, massive mortality occurred and few individuals survived.
Scientia Marina (0214-8358) (Institut de Ciències del Mar de Barcelona, CSIC), 2007-03 , Vol. 71 , N. 1 , P. 137-144

Droits : 2007 CSIC
http://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/2007/publication-2335.pdf
http://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00000/2335/

Résumé : Ce document présente l'état des principaux stocks exploités par les flottes françaises en termes de mortalité par pêche et de biomasse de reproducteurs. La situation fin 2010 (début 2011) par rapport aux points de référence (de précaution et Fmsy) est indiqué lorsque les indicateurs sont estimés et que les références sont définies. Les grandes tendances en matière d'évolution des mortalités et biomasses sont également indiquées.

Droits : 2011 Ifremer
http://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00035/14656/11956.pdf
http://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00035/14656/

Éditeur(s) : EDP Sciences
Résumé : Monitoring the abundance of green turtles (Chelonia mydas) is necessary to assess population trends and risks of collapse. This note presents a study aimed at comparing three techniques for the direct estimation of green turtle numbers in their foraging habitats (seagrass beds and reef flats). The experiment was carried out at Mayotte Island, Western Indian Ocean. The techniques involved were surveys by snorkel, and aerial surveys using a microlight aircraft and a paramotor. Each technique had shortcomings and advantages. While each technique provided estimations of turtle numbers only surveys by snorkel permitted identification of species and sex, whenever visibility and turtle behaviour permitted. Along the shorelines, and over foraging areas, the paramotor was found to be most suitable for direct estimations of turtle numbers. The major advantage of this technique lied in its capability to obtain a synoptic snapshot of turtle distribution over foraging areas. Linear surveys from a microlight aircraft are better suited to monitor foraging areas located further away from the shore.
Le suivi de l'abondance de tortues vertes (Chelonia mydas) est nécessaire pour évaluer l'évolution et éventuellement, le risque d'extinction des populations. L'objectif de cette expérience est de comparer trois techniques d'observation permettant l'évaluation directe de l'abondance totale de tortues vertes sur les aires d'alimentation (herbiers et platiers récifaux). L'étude a été conduite à l'île de Mayotte (ouest de l'océan Indien). Les techniques testées sont le comptage sous-marin et les comptages aériens à partir d'un ultra léger motorisé (ULM) et d'un paramoteur. Les limites de chaque technique utilisée ont été mises en évidence. L'abondance totale des tortues a été estimée par les trois techniques. Seuls, les comptages sous-marins ont permis de préciser des caractéristiques biologiques tels que l'espèce et le sexe, lorsque les conditions de visibilité et le comportement des tortues le permettaient. Le paramoteur paraît le plus adapté pour une estimation directe de l'abondance sur les aires d'alimentation situées à proximité immédiate de la côte. Cette technique permet de disposer d'un état de la répartition des tortues sur les aires d'alimentation à un moment donné. Pour les zones d'alimentation plus éloignées de la côte, l'usage de l'ULM est nécessaire pour réaliser les comptages à partir de transects linéaires.
Aquatic Living Resources (0990-7440) (EDP Sciences), 2005-04 , Vol. 18 , N. 2 , P. 193-198

Droits : EDP Sciences, IFREMER, IRD 2005
http://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/2005/publication-432.pdf
DOI:10.1051/alr:2005021
http://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00000/432/

Éditeur(s) : Inter-Research
Résumé : We studied the foraging rhythms of green sea turtles Chelonia mydas on the seagrass beds of N'Gouja Bay, Mayotte Island (Comoros Archipelago) with acoustic transmitters and moored listening stations. We monitored 8 tagged turtles (4 probable males, 3 probable females and 1 immature), from 70 to 109 cm curved carapace length (CCL), for durations ranging from 5 to 92 d. The turtles exhibited a regular diel pattern: they foraged mainly during the day (on average 87% of seagrass detections were between 06:00 and 18:00 h) and rested on the inner reef slope during the night. Night time feeding activities were observed on the seagrass bed when the night light was high. The presence of turtles on the seagrass bed at night was significantly correlated with a night light index (r = 0.54, p = 0.002), which included both moon light and cloudiness indices. Behaviour of the only immature individual observed was similar to adult turtles, although it rested more frequently around noon. All turtles displayed a high fidelity to 1 foraging site within the seagrass bed. Acoustic transmitters and permanent listening stations are an appropriate technique for long-term behavioural studies of turtles, with no human interaction with turtles during tracking, and represent a suitable technique to assess the possible effects of environmental changes or human activities upon green turtle behaviour.
Marine Ecology Progress Series (0171-8630) (Inter-Research), 2006 , Vol. 306 , P. 295-302

Droits : Inter-Research 2006
http://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/2006/publication-3616.pdf
DOI:10.3354/meps306295
http://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00000/3616/

Éditeur(s) : Pêche thonière et dispositifs de concentration de poissons, Caribbean-Martinique, 15-19 Oct 1999
Résumé : Since a few years, the catches of pelagic fish by artisanal fishermen of Reunion Island have strongly increased. Manpower and investments have been constant through the maintenance of about 30 fads all around the island. The traditional techniques of fishing pelagic fishes have been adapted in order to maintain a high level of catches and ensure the income of the fishermen. This report describes different techniques to capture pelagic fish on fads such as drift fishing, dragnet fishing and longline fishing. Knowledge, professional experience of fishermen are the main factors in setting fads and sustaining adaptability. The strong relation between the knowledge of the fishermen and the techniques is discussed. Then, the strategies of fishing, influenced by the environmental and seasonal conditions, and the species, are analysed.Original Abstract: L'activite de la petite peche a l'ile de La Reunion connait, depuis quelques annees, une periode d'expansion rapide de la production de poissons pelagiques. Ce developpement est d'autant plus remarquable qu'il s'effectue, en ce qui concerne la peche professionnelle artisanale, a effectif et investissement presque constants. Il est essentiellement du a la mise en place et a l'entretien d'un parc d'une trentaine de dispositifs de concentration de poissons (DCP), places tout autour de l'ile. Les techniques traditionnelles de peche de poissons pelagiques ont ete adaptees a ce nouveau concept, mais elles doivent continuellement evoluer et s'adapter aux modifications comportementales des poissons, afin de maintenir un niveau de capturabilite assurant les revenus des pecheurs. Cette etude s'attache a decrire les techniques de peche a la derive, a la traine et aux palangres, employees pour la capture de poissons pelagiques sur DCP. Bien que difficile a evaluer, l'experience du pecheur est un facteur determinant dans la mise en uvre de ces techniques et en permet l'amelioration constante. L'imbrication etroite entre le savoir-faire du pecheur et les techniques est egalement abordee et discutee. Enfin, les strategies de peche, fortement influencees par les conditions environnementales, les saisons et les especes rencontrees, y sont analysees.

Droits : info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
http://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00042/15294/12652.pdf
http://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00042/15294/

Éditeur(s) : Inter-Research
Résumé : Situated in the north of the Mozambique Channel, Mayotte is the easternmost island of the Comoros Archipelago. From 1998 to 2005, Grande Saziley beach was monitored daily for green turtle Chelonia mydas nesting activity. Track surveys were monitored daily on 5 other adjacent beaches. Although nesting occurs throughout the year, nesting seasonality begins at the end of the wet season and intensifies during the dry season to reach an average nesting peak in June. In order to estimate the number of females nesting in the Saziley site and population trends over the study period, incubation success and number of nests per female and per season were estimated at 0.77 (±0.05 SD) and 3.03 (±0.37) respectively. With an average of 1545 nesting turtles per year (±439), the change in nesting numbers over the study period was so small that the population can be regarded as stable, with an estimated annual mean growth rate of 0.912, confirmation that this population is both stable and in good health. Added support for this argument is demonstrated by the fact that the annual carapace size distribution of nesting females is stable, meaning that the nesting green turtle population of Mayotte is not ageing or rejuvenating. After due consideration of data on other nesting sites in the southwest Indian Ocean, the data from Mayotte emphasizes the fact that the green turtle is not an endangered species in this region. Even if it is still illegally exploited and alterations occur in their different habitats, the green turtle populations of this region seem to have successfully survived all threats during the past century.
Endangered Species Research (1613-4796) (Inter-Research), 2007-10-10 , Vol. 3 , P. 273-282

Droits : 2007 Inter-Research
http://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00018/12916/9873.pdf
DOI:10.3354/esr00053
http://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00018/12916/

Éditeur(s) : Inter-Research
Résumé : The green turtle Chelonia mydas is classified as endangered because of global declines over the past few centuries due to human exploitation and habitat destruction, particularly the loss of nesting areas. We used the number of tracks as an indicator of breeding female abundance at their nesting sites to study the seasonality and trends of turtles breeding at 3 islands in the SW Indian Ocean: Europa, Tromelin and Grande Glorieuse, over 20 yr. On Tromelin, tracks were counted along the entire nesting beach, but on Europa and Grande Glorieuse counts were limited to a proportion of the island. Europa and Tromelin exhibited similar seasonal patterns, with a well-defined peak during the wet season (November–February), compared to a dry season peak for Grande Glorieuse (March–June). The main season was significantly longer on Grande Glorieuse (288 ± 43 d) than on Europa (218 ± 60 d), with Tromelin intermediate (252 ± 43 d). There was greater variation in the start of a season compared to the median and end at all sites throughout the study. Approximately 7178 ± 3053 (n = 19) tracks were recorded annually on the entire nesting beach on Tromelin, compared with 1480 ± 666 (n = 19) on 16% of nesting beaches on Grande Glorieuse and 1361 ± 903 (n = 23) on 26% of beaches on Europa. The number of tracks has increased significantly on Europa (3% yr–1) and Grande Glorieuse (6% yr–1). The increasing number of nesting turtles illustrates the effectiveness of conservation measures on sites formerly exploited by humans.
Endangered Species Research (1613-4796) (Inter-Research), 2007-08-15 , Vol. 3 , P. 217-227

Droits : 2007 Inter-Research
http://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00018/12917/9874.pdf
DOI:10.3354/esr003217
http://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00018/12917/

Éditeur(s) : Elsevier
Résumé : The ability of captive-reared turtles to survive in the wild is not precisely known, nor are movements of immature turtles in the open ocean. To provide information on these issues, a satellite tracking experiment was conducted in the western Indian Ocean to monitor oceanic movements of immature green turtles. Two wild turtles and four captive-reared individuals were tracked. The latter had been displaced after birth from nesting sites to a distant rearing site. Wild turtles survived after release, but did not move far away from release site. We hypothesize that this resident behaviour may be explained by stage-specific habitat requirements. Captive-reared turtles survived after release and migrated over thousands of kilometres. Among these, the oldest immature turtles retrieved the foraging sites of their native population, with movement patterns similar to those displayed by adults. Observed movements may be linked to hydrographic conditions such as general oceanic circulation, sea temperature and thermal fronts. (C) 2003 Editions scientifiques et medicales Elsevier SAS and Ifremer/IRD/Inra/Cemagref. All rights reserved.
Aquatic Living Resources (0990-7440) (Elsevier), 2003 , Vol. 16 , N. 1 , P. 35-41

Droits : 2003 Ifremer/IRD/Inra/Cemagref. Published by Elsevier, Paris
http://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/2003/publication-573.pdf
DOI:10.1016/S0990-7440(03)00005-6
http://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00000/573/

Éditeur(s) : Blackwell science
Résumé : Patterns of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) variation were used to analyse the population genetic structure of southwestern Indian Ocean green turtle (Chelonia mydas) populations. Analysis of sequence variation over 396 bp of the mtDNA control region revealed seven haplotypes among 288 individuals from 10 nesting sites in the Southwest Indian Ocean. This is the first time that Atlantic Ocean haplotypes have been recorded among any Indo-Pacific nesting populations. Previous studies indicated that the Cape of Good Hope was a major biogeographical barrier between the Atlantic and Indian Oceans because evidence for gene flow in the last 1.5 million years has yet to emerge. This study, by sampling localities adjacent to this barrier, demonstrates that recent gene flow has occurred from the Atlantic Ocean into the Indian Ocean via the Cape of Good Hope. We also found compelling genetic evidence that green turtles nesting at the rookeries of the South Mozambique Channel (SMC) and those nesting in the North Mozambique Channel (NMC) belong to separate genetic stocks. Furthermore, the SMC could be subdivided in two different genetic stocks, one in Europa and the other one in Juan de Nova. We suggest that this particular genetic pattern along the Mozambique Channel is attributable to a recent colonization from the Atlantic Ocean and is maintained by oceanic conditions in the northern and southern Mozambique Channel that influence early stages in the green turtle life cycle.
Molecular Ecology (0962-1083) (Blackwell science), 2007 , Vol. 16 , N. 1 , P. 175-186

Droits : 2007 Blackwell
http://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/2007/publication-2185.pdf
DOI:10.1111/j.1365-294X.2006.03122.x
http://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00000/2185/

Éditeur(s) : Oxford Univ Press
Résumé : The impact of the fishing effort exerted by a vessel on a population depends on catchability, which depends on population accessibility and fishing power. The work investigated whether the variation in fishing power could be the result of the technical characteristics of a vessel and/or its gear or whether it is a reflection of inter-vessel differences not accounted for by the technical attributes. These inter-vessel differences could be indicative of a skipper/crew experience effect. To improve understanding of the relationships, landings per unit effort (lpue) from logbooks and technical information on vessels and gears (collected during interviews) were used to identify variables that explained variations in fishing power. The analysis was undertaken by applying a combination of generalized additive models and generalized linear models to data from several European fleets. The study highlights the fact that taking into account information that is not routinely collected, e. g. length of headline, weight of otter boards, or type of groundrope, will significantly improve the modelled relationships between lpue and the variables that measure relative fishing power. The magnitude of the skipper/crew experience effect was weaker than the technical effect of the vessel and/or its gear.
Ices Journal Of Marine Science (1054-3139) (Oxford Univ Press), 2011-11 , Vol. 68 , N. 10 , P. 2252-2263

Droits : 2011 International Council for the Exploration of the Sea. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved.
http://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00049/16043/15172.pdf
DOI:10.1093/icesjms/fsr150
http://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00049/16043/

Résumé : Après la réalisation du projet de recherche DMX1 (Indicateurs biologiques et écologiques pour une gestion durable des stocks de poissons DéMersauX profonds d’intérêt halieutique à La Réunion), un second projet de recherche DMX2 va débuter en 2014. L'un des intérêts de ce projet est d'obtenir des premiers résultats de croissance des espèces profondes de l'île de la Réunion. Dans le cadre de la préparation de cette étude de croissance, des essais de faisabilité d’estimation de l’âge ont été réalisés sur des otolithes de vivaneau rubis (Etelis carbunculus) par le pôle national de sclérochronologie de l’Ifremer de Boulogne-sur-Mer. Les échantillons ont été prélevés par l’Ifremer de la Réunion en 2013 (David Roos). Ce rapport de faisabilité a permis de montrer que les otolithes entiers d'Etelis montrent des structures, tout comme la méthode de brûlage sans apporter toutefois de gain dans l'interprétation des structures. Il faut néanmoins noter qu’il s’agit ici de petits individus, qu’il serait donc loin d’être exclus que cette méthode présente ses limites avec des individus de plus grandes tailles étant donnée la difficulté de lisibilité du bord marginal de l’otolithe. De même, les résultats obtenus à partir des coupes transversales sont peu concluants. Le long du plus grand axe de lecture, il est possible de retrouver les structures identifiées lors de l’observation de l’otolithe in toto par un jeu de polissage long et laborieux. Quant à l’axe d’interprétation situé le long du sulcus comme stipulé dans la bibliographie, celui-ci révèle un nombre de structures important, difficilement imputable à une formation calcique annuelle. Cependant, ces premiers tests peuvent être aisément améliorés avec, tout d’abord, une identification précise de l’espèce concernée, ainsi qu’un un nombre d'échantillons plus important, représentatif de l’étendue en taille du vivaneau rubis. Il sera important, avant d'estimer l'âge de cette espèce, de valider la périodicité de formation des structures de façon à interpréter ces structures comme anneaux de croissance annuels et ensuite d'établir un schéma d'interprétation reproductible des différents types de structures existantes.

Droits : 2014 Ifremer
http://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00180/29160/27568.pdf
http://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00180/29160/