Abstract
We used generalized additive mixed models to analyze data on striped marlin (Tetrapturus audax) catches in Baja California sport fisheries (1987-1989) to investigate the relative importance of lunar phase, sea surface temperature (SST), El Niño/Southern Oscillation (ENSO) index, and vessel effects on catch per unit effort (CPUE). The results indicate that the moon phase has no or little (<1% of variance explained) influence on CPUE. In contrast, both SST (10%) and ENSO (6%) influenced CPUE positively. While most of the variation in CPUE remains unexplained (53%), the vessel identity explained small (ca. 1.5%) but significant amount of variance in CPUE. Hence, sport fishermen wishing to maximise their striped marlin catches would best plan their trips on the basis of weather conditions and boat/crew identities, rather than on the basis of lunar phase.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 190-194 |
Number of pages | 5 |
Journal | Fisheries Research |
Volume | 93 |
Issue number | 1-2 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - 1 Sep 2008 |
Externally published | Yes |
Keywords
- CPUE
- GAM
- Lunar periodicity
- Periodic regression
- Striped marlin