Long-term changes in landings of small pelagic fish in the eastern Adriatic - Possible influence of climate oscillations over the Northern Hemisphere

Abstract

In order to establish the connection between the hydroclimate variables and pelagic species, year-to-year fluctuations of small pelagic fish landings in the eastern Adriatic coast were compared to climatic fluctuations over the Northern Hemisphere and to salinity fluctuations in the Adriatic. Using this approach, basic climatic oscillations were determined for both hydroclimate and biological data. The main climate oscillation period was approximately 80 yr and an interrelation between climatic fluctuations over the Northern Hemisphere and small pelagic fish landing data was found. The results suggest a linkage between the advection of Levantine Intermediate Water, which is controlled by the pressure distribution over the wider area, and fish abundance in the Adriatic Sea.