Sulcus and otolith outline analyses: complementary tools for stock discrimination in white croaker Pennahia argentata in northern Chinese coastal waters

This study analyzed and compared variations of the sulcus and otolith outlines of three geographic stocks(Huanghe(Yellow)River estuary(HHE),Jiaozhou Bay(JZB),and Changjiang(Yangtze)River estuary(CJE))of white croaker Pennahia argentata in northern Chinese coastal waters.The sulcus and otolith outline analyses via elliptical Fourier transform(EFT,i.e.,outline analysis)achieved an overall classifi cation rate of 80.4%and 87.2%,respectively.Based on a combination of sulcus and otolith shape indices(SIs)and two derivative ratios,a moderate discriminatory effi ciency of 64.7%was obtained.The results indicate that sulcus outline analysis could be used alone to discriminate white croaker stocks,and that both sulcus and otolith outline analyses discriminated the fi sh stocks at a higher classifi cation rate than the shape indices.The sulcus outline analysis provided complementary information to the whole otolith outline analysis for stock discrimination.Both the sulcus and otolith outline analyses effi ciently discriminated between the most geographically separated CJE and HHE stocks,indicating that they could be considered discrete stocks for fi shery management.