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<p>The distribution of Dwarf hake (<i>Merluccius productus</i>) along the continental shelf of Baja California Sur is closely linked to the seasonal structure and dynamics of regional water masses. During summer-autumn 2015, an unusually warm year influenced by the 2015–2016 El Niño, eleven fishing cruises and CTD casts were conducted to analyze the vertical and horizontal extent of Subarctic Water (SAW), Equatorial Subsurface Water (ESsW), Subtropical Surface Water (StSW), Transition Water (TrW), and Tropical Surface Water (TSW). We aimed to determine how these water masses structured the distribution of Dwarf hake during a warm anomaly year. Results showed that most hake occurred between 100 and 250&#xa0;m depth, coinciding with the upper limit of ESsW and the deepening of TrW during late summer and autumn. Interannual anomalies associated with El Niño resulted in warmer, more stratified conditions and a northward intensification of subsurface flow, which reduced hake presence south of Bahía Magdalena due to redistribution rather than population decline. Water masses acted as physical drivers that delimited favorable habitat conditions along the shelf, particularly the warm-influenced component of TrW, which expanded vertically during the warm peak. These findings emphasize the role of oceanographic variability in shaping short-term distributional responses of Dwarf hake and highlight the importance of integrating water-mass dynamics into fisheries assessments during anomalous climate events.</p>

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Water Masses and Summer–autumn Distributional Patterns of Dwarf Hake (Merluccius productus) in a Tropical-subtropical Transition Zone Off the Baja California Peninsula Pacific Coast

  • 期刊论文

  • 发表日期：

    2026年2月14日

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  • Uriel Rubio-Rodríguez,
  • María V. Morales-Zárate,
  • César A. Salinas-Zavala

摘要

The distribution of Dwarf hake (Merluccius productus) along the continental shelf of Baja California Sur is closely linked to the seasonal structure and dynamics of regional water masses. During summer-autumn 2015, an unusually warm year influenced by the 2015–2016 El Niño, eleven fishing cruises and CTD casts were conducted to analyze the vertical and horizontal extent of Subarctic Water (SAW), Equatorial Subsurface Water (ESsW), Subtropical Surface Water (StSW), Transition Water (TrW), and Tropical Surface Water (TSW). We aimed to determine how these water masses structured the distribution of Dwarf hake during a warm anomaly year. Results showed that most hake occurred between 100 and 250 m depth, coinciding with the upper limit of ESsW and the deepening of TrW during late summer and autumn. Interannual anomalies associated with El Niño resulted in warmer, more stratified conditions and a northward intensification of subsurface flow, which reduced hake presence south of Bahía Magdalena due to redistribution rather than population decline. Water masses acted as physical drivers that delimited favorable habitat conditions along the shelf, particularly the warm-influenced component of TrW, which expanded vertically during the warm peak. These findings emphasize the role of oceanographic variability in shaping short-term distributional responses of Dwarf hake and highlight the importance of integrating water-mass dynamics into fisheries assessments during anomalous climate events.