Investigation of tropical eel spawning area in the South-Western Indian Ocean: Influence of the oceanic circulation

In the South-Western Indian Ocean (SWIO), four eel species of the genus Anguilla (i.e. Anguilla bicolor bicolor, Anguilla nebulosa labiata, Anguilla marmorata and Anguilla mossambica) were identified, while their respective oceanic spawning area remained unknown. Based on collected larvae, glass eel captures and hydrodynamical conditions, previous studies raised the hypothesis that the eel spawning area might be common to all of those freshwater eel species, and located East of Madagascar. An original modeling approach, based on backward simulations, is developed to assess how the ocean circulation in the SWIO determines the location of the spawning areas and whether a common spawning area for each recruitment site where glass eels were found is possible. We use a hydrodynamical model, which reproduces realistically the 3D open ocean circulation in the region, associated with a Lagrangian model that calculates the possible migration pathways of larvae, represented by passive particles. Some biological parameters, provided by previous otolith microstructures analysis, are taken into account to constrain our simulations. Results suggest the existence of a common spawning area located between 13°S and 19°S and westwards of 60.5°E, although these boundaries vary on the interannual timescale. Salinity fronts were reported beside the boundaries, reinforcing this assumption. We explore the impact of hydrodynamic conditions on recruitment and migration durations from three specific regions within the common spawning area. They all allow migration to each recruitment sites consistent with duration estimated from otolith microstructure analyses. Nevertheless, there is substantial variability on intra-seasonal to interannual timescale in simulated migration durations and arrival success, with specific amplitude to each recruitment site and spawning location.