Karen Tunley PhD - Sole populations off South Africa

Environmental and physical impacts on sole (Austroglossus spp.) populations off South Africa.

The west coast sole (Austroglossus microlepis) and the Agulhas sole (A. pectoralis) are benthic flatfish which inhabit the muddy habitat on South Africa’s inner shelf. Both species were targeted by trawlers at the commencement of the trawl industry, and while the Agulhas sole continues to be a valuable targeted species in South Africa, the fishery for the west coast sole closed during the 1970s. This PhD explores the population dynamics and ecology of these two sole species using long-term demersal trawl survey data,  historical datasets and habitat data to be collected as part of this project. The project aims to further the understanding of the relationship between the sole and various physical and biological attributes of their muddy habitat, explore the relationship between river flows and the population of each species and assess the long-term impacts of fisheries relative to environmental variability on their abundance and distribution.