This study investigates the influence of climate and environmental variability on key ecological processes affecting tropical tuna species—skipjack (Katsuwonus pelamis), yellowfin (Thunnus albacares), and bigeye (Thunnus obesus)— to advance the operationalization of Ecosystem Approaches to Fisheries Management (EAFM) in the Indian Ocean Tuna Commission (IOTC) and strengthen long-term sustainability and resilience of tuna fisheries in the Indian Ocean. Focusing on two IOTC candidate ecoregions—the Somali Current Ecoregion (SCE) and the Indian Ocean Monsoon Gyre Ecoregion (IOMGE)—this study characterizes their main oceanographic processes and analyzes key environmental drivers to assess their spatial and temporal influence on the ecological processes of tropical tunas. The results reveal significant spatial and temporal heterogeneity within and among ecoregions, highlighting the importance of monitoring region-specific environmental indicators to capture differential trends and responses of ecological processes of tuna species. The results establish a preliminary ‘Environment and Climate Change Effects’ section of regional Ecosystem Fishery Overviews (EFOs) for the two selected ecoregions to support integrated climate-driven fisheries management advice in IOTC.
promotor/supervisor feedback
nothing yet
