Spatial and temporal distribution of the egg and larval stages of the european anchovy, engraulis encrasicolus (linnaeus, 1758) in relation to environmental conditions in the South-Eastern Black Sea

Abstract

Stock assessments are one of the most important stages of fisheries. The study focused on whether this region was a spawning area for anchovy stocks by investigating the abundance of anchovy eggs and larvae in the Southeastern Black Sea. During the 6-month vertical sampling process, a total of 2406 anchovy eggs, including 957 live eggs and 1449 dead eggs while a total of 502 anchovy larvae were also sampled during this process. In the study area, the mean densities were 237.38±141.67 eggs/m² and 49.20±28.97 larvae/m². No anchovy eggs or larvae were encountered during the first ichthyoplankton survey in May. During the sampling period, the most productive month in terms of eggs and larvae was determined as August (591.8±587.99 eggs/m2; 147.5±132.74 larvae/m2), and the highest sea water values were measured for surface water temperature (25.47°C), chlorophyll-a (2.02 µg/L), salinity (18.53‰) and dissolved oxygen (7.94 mg/L). Considering the results obtained, it was concluded that the Southeastern Black Sea is an important breeding ground for anchovy and that the abundance of eggs and larvae increased with rising temperature and nutrient levels.