Fatty acid compositions of Ethmalosa fimbriata oocytes sampled inside the Sine Saloum estuary (Senegal)

Inversion of estuaries in the dry tropics (i.e. salinity increases upstream) in front of the backdrop of a globally changing climate forces migratory clupeid fish species to adapt quickly to modifications in their spawning habitats in order to ensure reproductive success. Hatching success and survival probabilities of marine fish eggs and early life stages are prone to impairment under high temperature and elevated salinity conditions. Essential fatty acids affect osmoregulation in marine fish early life stages and deficiencies can therefore be expected to cause elevated offspring mortality under hyperosmotic conditions, ultimately modifying a stock's reproductive potential.