EFFECTS OF SEASONAL-VARIATIONS IN METEOROLOGY AND OCEANOGRAPHY ON THEBRAZILIAN SARDINE FISHERY

Seasonal variations in meteorological and oceanographic processes in t he South Brazil Eight were studied to assess their influence on the Br azilian sardine Sardinella brasiliensis fishery. According to its envi ronmental characteristics, the South Brazil Eight was divided into thr ee sectors. The northern and southern sectors were similar during the spring and summer, showing areas of coastal upwelling and low rainfall rates. The middle sector was characterized by the presence of low-sal inity coastal waters in the inner shelf and by high rainfall. During a utumn and winter, the middle and southern sectors were similar, both b eing under the influence of sub-Antarctic waters. Multiple regression analyses showed significant correlation between environmental data and catches, although at a lower level in the northern sector (r(2) = 0.5 7). In the middle and southern sectors, environmental data were highly correlated with the catches (r(2) = 0.90 and 0.84). The sardine landi ngs in the middle sector are principally affected by meteorological pa rameters, and in the south by oceanographic ones. In the middle sector , an inverse correlation between landings and rainfall is shown, while in the south, landings are positively correlated with salinity and se a temperature. The conclusion is that the seasonal landings of the Bra zilian sardine within the South Brazil Eight are influenced by the dis tribution of less saline waters, the coastal waters and sub-Antarctic waters.