Spawning habitats of Cape horse mackerel (Trachurus capensis) in the northern Benguela upwelling region

Spawning habitat preference of horse mackerel, an important commercial fish species in Namibia, was studied off the Namibian coast using data collected during surveys conducted during 2000-2005. To assess spawning habitat preference two approaches were adopted: modelling the distribution of eggs and larvae using a generalized additive model, and assessing the link between the distribution of eggs (larvae) and the distribution of the environmental variables using the empirical cumulative distribution function. Horse mackerel were found to spawn over a wide range of environmental variables, indicating that they are robust to environmental changes. Taking into account the large-scale warming experienced in the Benguela Current Large Marine Ecosystem and the expected future changes in the environment with climate change, the result of this study is important towards assessing the possible consequences of climate change.