Diel Variations in Demersal Fish Assemblages in the Strait of Sicily, 2017

The Strait of Sicily, central Mediterranean Sea, is the location for this dataset on day-night variations in demersal fish catches. It was created by Giacomo Sardo from a six-day trawl survey in September 2017 on the shelf-break off southwestern Sicily. The data includes catch rates for species like Parapenaeus longirostris, Trachurus trachurus, and Merluccius merluccius, analyzed for diel patterns.

Use Cases

• Modeling diel catch patterns of commercial species like Parapenaeus longirostris and Trachurus trachurus based on the described CPUE variations.
• Analyzing community structure differences between nocturnal and diurnal assemblages based on described metrics like species richness and evenness.
• Investigating the habitat use of visual bentho-pelagic predators (e.g., Illex coindetii) versus other species based on the described diel characterizations.

Strengths

• Data is derived from a dedicated six-day trawl survey with seven hauls per day, providing a structured sampling effort.
• Analysis includes statistical methods (ANOSIM, PERMANOVA) to identify distinct diel assemblages.
• Specific CPUE patterns are described for key commercial species, offering concrete biological insights.

Limitations

• The dataset is very small (16.5 KB), indicating limited scope or summary-level data rather than raw observations.
• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment for statistical modeling.

Provenance

Source

Giacomo Sardo, published on figshare.

Collection Method

Data was gathered via a trawl survey on the shelf-break (125–155 m depth) with hauls distributed between full daylight and complete darkness.

Time Range

September 2017.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-05-29 04:45:19; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Shelf-break off the southwestern coast of Sicily, Strait of Sicily, central Mediterranean Sea.