| Several small pelagic fish species contribute remarkably to world catch. Their populations are, however, characterized by large biomass fluctuations strongly affecting fisheries. The fishing gears and methods used to capture small pelagics have evolved to exploit the highly developed shoaling behavior of these species. Hence, faced to modern fishing this gregarious behavior becomes a disadvantage for fish. Fish behavior may be affected by environmental conditions and by fishing, at the same time that behavior impacts fishing. In this study, we seek to characterize the aggregative systems of small pelagic fishes inhabiting the Bay of Biscay by analyzing "acoustic images", defined as the group of echoes (planktonic layers, shoals, isolated targets) detected... |
