Aspillaga, Eneko

Eneko Aspillaga is a postdoctoral researcher at the Mediterranean Institute for Advanced Studies (IMEDEA, CSIC-UIB). His research is mainly focused on the movement ecology of fishes and its consequences for the conservation of marine ecosystems. He is currently working on the application of high-resolution acoustic telemetry techniques and movement modelling techniques to unveil the behavioral variability within fish populations and how it is affected by recreational fisheries and environmental changes.

Eneko obtained his Ph.D. at the University of Barcelona under the supervision of Dr. Bernat Hereu (UB) and Dr. Frederic Bartumeus (Centre for Advanced Studies of Blanes, CEAB, CSIC), and it was focused on the movement ecology of fishes of commercial interest in relation to the protection measures of the marine reserve of Illes Medes (Catalonia, NW Mediterranean Sea). In the last years, he has been involved in several research and monitoring projects ion benthic and fish communities at Mediterranean marine protected areas, assessing the effectiveness of management actions and the impact of climate change.

Selected articles:

• Aspillaga, E.; Safi, K.; Hereu, B.; Bartumeus, F. (2019) Modelling the three dimensional space use of aquatic animals combining topography and Eulerian telemetry data. Methods in Ecology and Evolution 10(9): 1551–1557. DOI: 10.1111/2041-210X.13232
• Grane-Feliu, X.; Bennet, S.; Hereu, B.; Aspillaga, E.; Santana-Garcon, J. (2019) Comparison of diver operated stereo-video and visual census to assess targeted fish species in Mediterranean marine protected areas. Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology 520: 151205. DOI: 10.1016/j.jembe.2019.151205
• Aspillaga, E.; Zabala, M., Capdevila, P.; Rovira, G.; García-Rubies, A.; Hereu, B. (2018) Seguiment de les poblacions de peixos vulnerables a la activitat pesquera. Seguiment del medi marí al Parc Natural de Cap de Creus i al Parc Natural del Montgrí, les Illes Medes i el Baix Ter. Memòria 2018. Departament de Territori i Sostenibilitat, Generalitat de Catalunya. pp. 15–86. (Technical report, in Catalan). URL: http://hdl.handle.net/2445/131277
• Aspillaga, E.; Bartumeus, F.; Starr, R.M.; López-Sanz, À.; Linares, C.; Díaz, D.; Garrabou, J.; Zabala, M.; Hereu, B. (2017) Thermal stratification drives vertical distribution patterns of a coastal apex predator. Scientific Reports 7: 526. DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-00576-z
• Aspillaga, E.; Bartumeus, F.; Linares, C.; Starr, R.M.; López-Sanz, À.; Díaz, D.; Zabala, M.; Hereu, B. (2016) Ordinary and Extraordinary Movement Behaviour of Small Resident Fish within a Mediterranean Marine Protected Area. PLoS ONE 11(7): e0159813. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0159813

Contact: aspillaga@imedea.uib-csic.es