Utilization of A Bioluminescent Pattern in the Encircling Gillnet Fisheries

Abstract

To investigate the relationship between bioluminescent patterns and targeted fish species that cause this pattern, encircling gillnet sampling was conducted in shallow water (< 12 m) on moonless nights between February 2007 and December 2008 in the northern Aegean Sea, Turkey. The bioluminescent patterns of the targeted species Atlantic bonito, Sarda sarda, bluefish, Pomatomus saltatrix, and salema, Sarpa salpa were distinctive enough to identify the species. Although not a target species, round sardinella, Sardinella aurita, also exhibited a unique bioluminescent pattern to differentiate schools of that species from the other species. Bioluminescence “signature” of fish species was found to be an important tool in locating and identifying targeted fish species in the small scale encircling gillnet fisheries.