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Fisheries Monitoring in The Cabo Verde Region Using ERS Data

The aim of this study is the application of ERS data (ATSR2 and radar altimetry) to fisheries monitoring in the Cape Verde region. This work is being done in the scope of the ESA A03-265 project. The Cape Verde Archipelago lies under the influence of the southern portion of the Canarias Current, where it turns westward and becomes the North Equatorial Current. Cold and nutrient-rich waters upwelled at the Western African coast are transported south-westward along this current system. However, due to the seasonal north-south migration of the current system, the south-eastern region of the islands can be affected by the Equatorial Countercurrent. Two very different water masses meet forming a large scale frontal system in the vicinity of the archipelago. These frontal zones are potentially favourable for the aggregation of large pelagic highly migratory fish species. The knowledge of the front location and variability has a great socio-economic importance for the local fishing industry, as well as in the support of global stock management of these species. Using maps of sea surface topography and sea level anomalies derived from satellite altimetry and maps of sea surface temperature from ATSR2, the general features of the ocean circulation in the study area have been investigated. Due to the fact that Cape Verde region has very cloudy conditions, the synergy of microwave and infra-red data is of great importance for this study. The methodology used in this analysis and the results obtained so far are presented. Future work involves the use of in situ data to validate satellite derived information and the investigation of the relationships between fishing success and the ocean conditions measured by satellite and in situ methods. The ultimate goal will be the development of an operational methodology for the location of potential favourable areas for the concentration of large pelagic fish in the area of local fishing fleet activity.