Spatiotemporal patterns of fishing grounds of tuna longline fishery in the mid-eastern Pacific Ocean

The present study explored the seasonal and interannual patterns of fishing grounds of tuna longline fishery in the mid-eastern Pacific Ocean according to the catch data of tuna fishing( June 2009 to January 2012) from five vessels of Shanghai Jinyou Fishing Company,and examined the correlations between the catch and sea surface temperature( SST) obtained by satellite remote sensing. The results showed that the location of the central fishing ground shifted from the east in 2009 to the west in 2010 and 2011. In general,the catch rate of tuna and the optimal SST in the central fishing ground were higher in the El Nio year( 2009) than in the La Nia years( 2010- 2011). The optimum range of SST of fishing ground was 25- 30 ℃. It was found that the mean catch had a significant positive correlation with the mean monthly SST( P 0. 05).