Growth of a deep-water, predatory fish is influenced by the productivity of a boundary current system

Authors

Hoang Minh Nguyen, University of Western Australia
Adam N. Rountrey, The University Of Michigan
Jessica J. Meeuwig, University of Western Australia
Peter G. Coulson, Murdoch University, Western Australia
Ming Feng, Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation, Western Australia
Stephen J. Newman, Department of Fisheries, Western AustraliaFollow
Anya M. Waite, University of Western Australia
Corey B. Wakefield, Department of Fisheries, Western AustraliaFollow
Mark G. Meekan, Australian Institute of Marine Science, Western Australia

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

3-12-2015

Journal Title

Scientific Reports

ISSN

Electronic: 2045-2322

Keywords

Climate change, Leeuwin Current, Hapuku (Polyprion oxygeneios), Predatory fish, Deep water fish, Marine ecosystems

Disciplines

Aquaculture and Fisheries | Climate | Environmental Monitoring | Marine Biology | Natural Resources Management and Policy | Sustainability | Terrestrial and Aquatic Ecology

Abstract

The effects of climate change on predatory fishes in deep shelf areas are difficult to predict because complex processes may govern food availability and temperature at depth. We characterised the net impact of recent environmental changes on hapuku (Polyprion oxygeneios), an apex predator found in continental slope habitats (>200 m depth) by using dendrochronology techniques to develop a multi-decadal record of growth from otoliths. Fish were sampled off temperate south-western Australia, a region strongly influenced by the Leeuwin Current, a poleward-flowing, eastern boundary current. The common variance among individual growth records was relatively low (3.4%), but the otolith chronology was positively correlated (r = 0.61, p < 0.02) with sea level at Fremantle, a proxy for the strength of the Leeuwin Current. The Leeuwin Current influences the primary productivity of shelf ecosystems, with a strong current favouring growth in hapuku. Leeuwin Current strength is predicted to decline under climate change models and this study provides evidence that associated productivity changes may flow through to higher trophic levels even in deep water habitats.

Recommended Citation

Nguyen, H., Rountrey, A., Meeuwig, J. et al. Growth of a deep-water, predatory fish is influenced by the productivity of a boundary current system. Sci Rep 5, 9044 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1038/srep09044