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Email the author (Login required) Environmental influence on the spatiotemporal distribution of dolphinfish (Coryphaena hippurus) catch rates off Cabo San Lucas Baja California Sur, Mexico
Submited: 2025-07-27 14:46:18 | Published: 2026-04-09 18:02:11
DOI: https://doi.org/10.3856/vol54-issue2-fulltext-3511
Abstract
Dolphinfish (Coryphaena hippurus) is an important target species for the sport-fishing fleet in the southern Gulf of California, Mexico. However, little is known about its spatial distribution, primarily due to the lack of georeferenced data. The main objectives of this study were to evaluate the effect of environmental variability on nominal catch rates (CRs) of dolphinfish and to infer their spatiotemporal distribution. The data used in this study includes the number of individuals caught and the geographic coordinates recorded by one of the main sport-fishing fleets operating out of Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. Generalized additive models were applied to explore the complex, non-linear effects of environmental (temperature and chlorophyll-a), physical (depth), spatial, and temporal (year-month) variables on CRs. The results suggest that sea surface temperature, location, depth, and temporal factors significantly influence dolphinfish CRs in the study area. Specifically, higher CRs are expected along the western coast in shallow warm waters during the summer-autumn period (August to November).
