The fishery of the European anchovy Engraulis encrasicolus in the Mediterranean needs several ecological approaches to be properly managed. As such, several surveys were carried out to study the ecology of larvae and juveniles of this species, which reproduces during the warmest period of the year (May through September) in the Gulf of Lions. In particular, we studied the late larvae (15 mm total length until metamorphosis), especially as other authors have focused on larvae below that size. Unexpectedly, we also collected anchovy late larvae during the December 2007 survey, whose range in size corresponded to a later spawning period than previously reported. Differences in the nutritional condition of these larvae were assessed by comparing indices of lipid composition and estimating growth rates from otolith measurements to provide information on the probability of survival between the two groups. The analysis of fatty acids, used as tracers of trophic relationships, indicates that these larvae fed mainly on zooplankton. Nutritional conditions of summer and late autumn larvae were very similar. In contrast, growth rates were higher for August larvae, probably due to the different temperatures in the two seasons. Our results are especially relevant in an ecological context where the increasing mean water temperatures in the Western Mediterranean could favor the extension of the anchovy spawning period up to late-Autumn months

This research was conducted within the European project SARDONE (FP6 e 44294). The authors gratefully acknowledge the collaboration of the IFREMER scientific staff and of the captain and crew of the RV L’Europe for their help during the cruises. We also thank the collaboration of Itziar Álvarez and Juan Pablo Beltrán in the analysis of the otoliths and Guiomar Rotllant and the people of IRTA for their guidelines regarding lipids extraction

10 pages, 6 figures, 3 tables

Peer reviewed