RT Journal Article
T1 Analysis of big game fishing catches of blue marlin (Makaira Nigricans) in the Madeira archipelago (Eastern Atlantic) and factors that affect its presence
A1 Martínez-Escauriaza Arias, Roi
A1 Pita Orduna, Pablo
A1 Gouveia, María Lídia Ferreira de
A1 Gouveia, Nuno Manuel Abreu
A1 Teixeira, Eduardo
A1 Freitas, Mafalda de
A1 Hermida, Margarida
K1 Sport fishing
K1 Macaronesia
K1 GAM
K1 Portugal
K1 Catch and release; seasonality
K1 Seasonality
AB The archipelago of Madeira (Portugal) is one of the main European big game fishing locations, where the main target species is the blue marlin (Makaira nigricans). Catch data for these fish were used to analyze their presence over the years, estimate their average weights, and calculate annual fishing success rates. The results showed a marked seasonal effect, with higher average catch rates in summer (June–July), suggesting a migration from the equatorial waters they inhabit at the beginning of the year to northern areas when the waters become warmer. The influences of some environmental factors were analyzed using generalized additive models, and it was observed that the occurrence of blue marlin may be influenced by water temperature, wind, rain, and atmospheric pressure. This fishery did not register a high mortality rate in blue marlin specimens due to the usual practice of catch and release; individuals captured in this fishery can be used as a source of information that allows for follow-up on the status of the blue marlin population in the region.
PB MDPI
SN 2071-1050
YR 2021
FD 2021
LK https://hdl.handle.net/10347/42816
UL https://hdl.handle.net/10347/42816
LA eng
NO Martinez-Escauriaza, R., Pita, P., de Gouveia, M. L. F., Gouveia, N. M. A., Teixeira, E., de Freitas, M., & Hermida, M. (2021). Analysis of Big Game Fishing Catches of Blue Marlin (Makaira nigricans) in the Madeira Archipelago (Eastern Atlantic) and Factors that Affect Its Presence. Sustainability, 13(16), 8975. https://doi.org/10.3390/su13168975
NO Roi Martínez-Escauriaza was financially supported by the Oceanic Observatory of Madeira Project (M1420-01-0145-FEDER-000001-Observatório Oceânico da Madeira-OOM). Margarida Hermida was financially supported by a postdoctoral grant from the Regional Agency for Development of Research, Technology and Innovation of Madeira (ARDITI), project M1420-09-5369-FSE-000001. Pablo Pita was funded by the Xunta de Galicia (RECREGES II project under Grant 1400 ED481B2018/017), by the H2020–European Comission project Atlantic ECOsystems assessment, forecasting & sustainability (AtlantECO, ref.2019-PI022), and EQUALSEA project ERC Consolidator, under Grant Agreement nº101002784 funded by the European Research Council. PP also acknowledges economic support of the Xunta de Galicia (Grupo de Referencia Competitiva GI-2060 AEMI, under Grant 1401 ED431C2019/11), and of the project Grupo de Trabajo sobre Pesca Marítima Recreativa en España, funded by the Fundación Biodiversidad of the Spanish Ministerio para la Transición Ecológica y el Reto Demográfico, co-funded by the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund.
DS Minerva
RD 6 jun 2026