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Estimation of target strength of Sardina pilchardus and Sardinella aurita by theoretical approach

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Abstract

The target strength (TS) patterns of Sardina pilchardus and Sardinella aurita at 38 and 120 kHz were estimated by a prolate-spheroid model, using measurements of swimbladder length and width. The ratio of swimbladder length to total length (TL) was similar in both species, however the ratio of swimbladder width to TL was smaller and more variable for S. aurita. Assuming a normal distribution of fish swimming orientation angle (θ fish) with mean ± standard deviation (SD) of 0 ± 10°, the normalized (by TL) average TS (b 20) was estimated to be −64.0 dB (38 kHz) and −65.2 dB (120 kHz) for S. pilchardus, and −66.2 dB (38 kHz) and −67.2 dB (120 kHz) for S. aurita. Compared with currently applied b 20 values at 38 kHz, our results under four different θ fish assumptions (0 ± 10°, 0 ± 15°, −5 ± 10°, and −5 ± 15°) were 6–9 dB higher for S. pilchardus and 5–7 dB higher for S. aurita. This suggests four- to eightfold overestimation risk for S. pilchardus and three- to fivefold overestimation risk for S. aurita when using the currently applied b 20 values.

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Acknowledgments

We thank the technicians of the Institut National de Recherche Halieutique (INRH) Agadir regional center for collection of fish samples in Agadir, Dr. Atsushi Kawabata for providing measurement data of E. japonicus, and the captain and crew of R.V. Al Amir Moulay Abdallah for keeping live S. pilchardus on board the vessel. The work was conducted under the Morocco–Japan cooperative project, “Capacity development of fisheries resource monitoring for the sustainable management of small pelagic resources in the Kingdom of Morocco” that involved cooperation between INRH and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA). We are also grateful for the scientific support provided by Hokkaido University throughout the project.

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Author notes

  1. Tadanori Fujino

    Present address: Center for International Collaborative Research, Nagasaki University, 1-12-4, Sakamoto, Nagasaki, Nagasaki, 852-8523, Japan

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institut National de Recherche Halieutique, Lot No 11 nouveau port, 80010, Agadir, Morocco

    Salaheddine El Ayoubi & Kamal Mamza

  2. Marino Forum 21, 5F Hagoromo-building, 1-5-2 Hatchobori, Chuo-ku, Tokyo, 104-0032, Japan

    Tadanori Fujino

  3. National Research Institute of Fisheries Engineering, Fisheries Research Agency, 7620-7 Hasaki, Kamisu, Ibaraki, 314-0408, Japan

    Koki Abe

  4. Research Center for Advanced Science and Technology, Tokyo University of Marine Science and Technology, 4-5-7 Konan, Minato-ku, Tokyo, 108-8477, Japan

    Kazuo Amakasu

  5. Field Science Center for Northern Biosphere, Hokkaido University, 20-5 Benten-cho, Hakodate, Hokkaido, 040-0051, Japan

    Kazushi Miyashita

Authors
  1. Salaheddine El Ayoubi
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  2. Kamal Mamza
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  3. Tadanori Fujino
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  4. Koki Abe
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  5. Kazuo Amakasu
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  6. Kazushi Miyashita
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Correspondence to Tadanori Fujino.

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Ayoubi, S.E., Mamza, K., Fujino, T. et al. Estimation of target strength of Sardina pilchardus and Sardinella aurita by theoretical approach. Fish Sci 82, 417–423 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12562-016-0986-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12562-016-0986-8

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