Changes in the ‘Mean Temperature of the Catch’: application of a new concept to the North-eastern Aegean Sea

Abstract

      Two trawl surveys in the Northeastern Aegean Sea, conducted in 1997 and 2007 yielded a catch composition which, when re-expressed through the new concept of ‘mean temperature of the catch’ (MTC) yielded an MTC increase of 0.25 0^C per decade, which is higher of the global MTC increase rate between 1970 and 2006, but slightly lower than the observed temperature increase in the Northeastern Aegean region, i.e., 0.26 0^C per decade. The result confirmed that global warming is impacting fisheries catch in the Northeastern Aegean Sea, and can be used for adaptation of regional fisheries management plan.