Sampling Area
The area (Fig. 1) is under the influence of three water masses: Tropical Water (TW) with temperature (T) >20ºC and salinity (S) > 36.4; Central Southern Atlantic Water (CSAW) with T < 20ºC and S < 36; and Coastal Water (CW), which is a mixture of continental and saltwater with low salinity (T > 20°C and S < 36). The inner area of the shelf is primarily consisted by CW; however, in the outer portion of the shelf, the upper portion is consisted by TW, whereas the lower portion is mainly composed by CSAW. In the summer, CSAW enters in the intermediate and internal shelves with fluctuating intensities causing resurgences (Castro; Miranda 1998).
In relation to its fauna, the marine Southeast-South Brazilian region is a section of the Argentinian Zoogeographic Marine Province, which is delimited in the North by Cabo Frio (22ºS) and by the Valdez Peninsula in Argentina (42°S) in the South. It represents a region of the faunal transition containing both tropical and temperate species of fishes in addition to the endemic ones (Figueiredo, 1981).
Source of the available material
The fish and their otoliths were collected during various fishing surveys conducted on the Brazilian continental shelf and slopes between 22ºS and 34ºS:
- The REVIZEE Program - “Evaluation of the Sustainability Potential of the Living Resources in the Exclusive Brazilian Economic Zone” (BRASIL, 2006) performed between 1996 and 2005 between 100 and 1200 m deep;
- ECOSAR II and III Projects - “Brazilian Sardine Hydroacoustic Projects” (MADUREIRA; ROSSI-WONGTSCHOWSKI, 2005) conducted in 2005 between 10 and 500 m deep;
- Integrated Project (Projeto Integrado – PI) - “Rational utilization of coastal ecosystems in the Brazilian tropics - State of São Paulo” (PIRES-VANIN et al., 1993; ROSSI-WONGTSCHOWSKI; PAES, 1993; ROCHA; ROSSI WONGTSCHOWSKI, 1998) conducted between 1985 and 1988 between 10 and 75 m deep;
- ECOSAR IV, V, VI and VII Project - “Brazilian Sardine Hydroacoustic Project” developed in 2008, 2009 and 2010 between 30 and 100 m deep (CERGOLE; DIAS- NETO, 2011);
- OGX I, II, III and IV Project - “Acoustics prospection, eggs, larvae and adult fish surveys in an area undergoing oil drilling” (OGX; IO-FURG; IOUSP, 2013) and,
- Araçá Bay (BA) I, II, III, IV and V Project. “Biodiversity and functioning of a subtropical coastal ecosystem: support for integrated management”, developed between 2010 and 2014.
- Araçá Bay (BA-PM) I, II, III and IV Project. “Ichthyofauna composition and abundance of tide pools at Araçá Bay, São Sebastião (SP) and their space-temporal patterns” – surveys on tide pools, developed in 2014.