Researchers detect that the turbidity of the Guadalquivir enhances the production of anchovies in the estuary

A team of researchers from the University of Seville, in collaboration with the University of Cádiz, has detected that the turbidity of the water, the amount of organic matter in suspension and the salinity gradient favors the breeding of anchovies in the Guadalquivir estuary. These conclusions are derived from a study that has compared the environmental conditions and the early life stages of fish in the four main estuaries of the Gulf of Cádiz (Bahía de Cádiz, Guadalquivir, Odiel-Tinto and Guadiana). The uniqueness of the Guadalquivir is such that its anchovy productivity is four times higher than that of the Guadiana. "High turbidity causes a greater availability of food in the trophic chain, increasing its high productivity and, therefore, its capacity as a breeding area for many species," the researcher at the University's Marine Biology Laboratory tells the Discover Foundation. from Seville Juan Miguel Miró, author of the study 'Environmental factors affecting the nursery ...