A key aspect of the sustainable management of commercially important fish stocks is the identification of the spatio-temporal dynamics of aggregation behaviour. A paradigmatic species is the greater amberjack, Seriola dumerili. This top-predator is an important commercial resource exploited by recreational and commercial fisheries in the western Mediterranean Sea. Despite its important ecological role in the ecosystem as a top predator, few studies address the ecological aspects of this large pelagic species. Greater amberjack is known to form aggregations during important stages of its life-history, making it highly vulnerable to overfishing with potential consequences to its conservation. To improve the limited knowledge on the aggregation areas of S. dumerili, this study used species distribution models with S. dumerili aggregation catches and environmental variables to predict such vulnerable events in space and time around the Balearic Islands for the first time. The GAM model suggested the possibility of a longer spawning period than previously predicted with aggregations located in coastal areas significantly influenced by shallower depths (<100 m), lower salinities, low chlorophyll concentrations, and small meridional and zonal current velocities. This study provides a framework for using fisheries-dependent data to create species distribution models that can provide essential information for the conservation and sustainable exploitation of greater amberjack.
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