Preliminary study on the effect of habitat conditions on production of small pelagic fish in the middle Adriatic sea.

This study aims to describe the reproductive cycle of small pelagic fish in the Central Adriatic Sea and investigate if environmental factors influence intra- and inter-annual reproductive trait variations. Biological data were collected from mid-water pelagic trawl commercial catches landed in Ancona in 3 different years (2001, 2011, 2022). Environmental data were obtained from the Copernicus Marine Environment Monitoring Service. Results showed that anchovy and sardine spawning intensity, denoted by the gonadosomatic index, did not exhibit any inter-annual changes. Regarding sardine, the negative correlation between gonadal development and temperature confirms its preference for cold waters to spawn. Conversely, a positive correlation with chlorophyll a suggests a reproductive strategy to ensure food availability for juvenile stages. These are the outcomes of a preliminary study; further analysis on a longer time series could help to deepen the effects of habitat conditions on reproduction of small pelagics in the Adriatic Sea.