Rising temperatures increased recruitment of brown tiger prawn (Penaeus esculentus) in Moreton Bay (Australia)

TL;DR

This study shows that rising temperatures have led to increased recruitment of brown tiger prawns in Moreton Bay, with temperature and spawning stock biomass being key influencing factors.

Contribution

It is the first to quantify the impact of temperature on brown tiger prawn recruitment in a subtropical region using long-term data.

Findings

Temperature explains 35% of recruitment variability.

Spawning stock biomass explains 33% of recruitment variability.

Rising temperatures have increased prawn recruitment in the study area.

Abstract

Abiotic factors are fundamental drivers of the dynamics of wild marine fish populations. Identifying and quantifying their influence on species targeted by the fishing industry is difficult and very important for managing fisheries in a changing climate. Using multiple regression, we investigated the influence of both temperature and rainfall on the variability of recruitment of a tropical species, the brown tiger prawn (Penaeus esculentus), in Moreton Bay which is located near the southern limit of its distribution on the east coast of Australia. A step-wise selection between environmental variables identified that variations in recruitment from 1990 to 2014 were best explained by a combination of temperature and spawning stock biomass. Temperature explains 35% of recruitment variability and spawning stock biomass 33%. This analysis suggests that increasing temperatures have increased recruitment of brown tiger prawn in Moreton Bay.