Early life history traits of chub mackerel Scomber japonicus in the Oyashio water revealed by otolith microstructure

Information on survival and growth during the early life stage is essential to understand the mechanism of interannual variations in fish recruitment.Chub mackerel Scomber japonicus is a commercially important pelagic fish widely distributed in the northwestern Pacific.Its catch showed large fluctuations with changes in distribution and migration under climate change and strong fishing.We determined the hatch dates and growth rates of young-of-the-year of chub mackerel through otolith microstructure using samples collected in the Oyashio water in autumn 2018.Results show that the ages of young chub mackerel ranged between 120 and 180 d,and the estimated hatch date lasted from midJanuary to late May with a peak from mid-March to mid-April.Average otolith daily increment width during the early life stages(from hatching to 25 d)showed an increasing trend.Chub mackerel grows slowly in the first 10 d,and then grows faster during the 10thto 25thd.Three groups with dissimilar growth histories and migration routes were identified using unsupervised random forest clustering analysis,but all eventually converge on the same nursery ground.The faster growth of young-of-the-year chub mackerel leads to better recruitment due to the hypothesis of growth-dependent mortality.Most chub mackerels hatched in March and April,the spawning period is longer and earlier,which could lead to strong year classes.These findings on population composition and life history traits of young-of-the-year of chub mackerel provide valuable information on its recruitment processes during the period of stock recovery.

Simulation Study on the Interannual Variation of the Transport and Distribution of Chub Mackerel (Scomber japonicus) Larvae and Juveniles Using Individual-Based Model

An individual-based model of Scomber japonicus in the East China Sea(ECS)was developed to simulate the effects of physical environment on the transport and distribution of eggs,larvae and juveniles of S.japonicus from 1978 to 2013.The results showed that there were interannual differences in the transport and distribution of eggs,larvae and juveniles of S.japonicus in the ECS due to different physical environments from 1978 to 2013,and this difference was extremely obvious in some specific years.The current in the drift path of eggs and juveniles controlled and affected the transport process and distribution characteristics.In April,the distribution of eggs and larvae was mainly controlled by the Taiwan Warm Current(TWC).The number of eggs and larvae transported into the northeastern waters of the ECS was positively correlated with the intensity of TWC.In May,it was mainly regu-lated by the TWC and the Tsushima Strait Warm Current(TSWC).In June,the number of larvae and juveniles entering the Tsushima Strait and the Pacific Ocean was determined by the TSWC.In general,in the years with high number of larvae and juveniles into the Tsushima Strait,the catch of 0-year-old S.japonicus was also higher.In addition,the number of larvae and juveniles entering the Tsushima Strait in El Niño years was less than that in La Niña years.In July,the transport was mainly controlled by the Kuroshio Current(KC),and the eddy within the KC strongly affected its distribution.

Simulation of the distribution,growth,and survival rate of chub mackerel larvae and juveniles in the East China Sea

In the East China Sea(ECS),chub mackerel Scomber japonicus constitutes an important coastal-pelagic fishery resource that is mainly exploited by Chinese,Japanese,and Korean light-purse seine fisheries.Because the early life history of chub mackerel plays a significant role in its recruitment,we developed an individual-based model to study the distribution,growth,and survival rate of chub mackerel larvae and juveniles in the ECS to improve our understanding of the chub mackerel population structure and recruitment.Our results show that as body length rapidly increases,the swimming capacity of chub mackerel larvae and juveniles improves quickly,and their spatial distribution depends more on their habitat conditions than the ocean currents.Correspondingly,the juveniles from the central and southern ECS spawning ground are scarcely recruited into the Japan/East Sea(JES)or the western Pacific Ocean,but a significant proportion of juveniles from the northern ECS spawning ground still enter the JES and there are exchanges between the stocks in the ECS and JES.Thus,it seems more reasonable to assess and manage the chub mackerels in the ECS and JES as a stock.The water temperature and ocean primary production in the ECS are two important factors influencing the chub mackerel habitat conditions and their spatial and temporal distribution are significantly different as the spawning time changes.Therefore,the spawning time and location play an important role in the growth and survival rate of the larvae and juveniles.Generally,when chub mackerel spawns at the southern ECS spawning ground in March,the larva and juvenile growth and survival rate is relatively high;as spawning time moves forward,higher growth and survival rates would be expected for the chub mackerel spawned coastward or northward.For specific spawning sites,early or delayed spawning will reduce the survival rate.

Effects of Climate Variability on Habitat Range and Distribution of Chub Mackerel in the East China Sea

Spatio-temporal distribution of chub mackerel Scomber japonicus is strongly susceptible to climate variability.In this study,a weighting-based habitat suitability index(HSI)model was established to assess the impacts of Pacific Decadal Oscillation(PDO)on habitat range and distribution of S.japonicus in the East China Sea(ECS)using vertical water temperature at depths of 2.5 m,25 m and 50 m.Results showed that the optimal HSI model selected from ten weighting scenarios can yield reliable predictions.Correlation analysis revealed a significant negative relationship between the PDO index and water temperature anomaly at different depths.The water temperatures at three different layers on the fishing ground of S.japonicus tended to be low in the warm PDO phase and high in the cold PDO phase,respectively.The range of suitable habitats and its spatial distribution exhibited large differences between the warm and cold PDO regimes.During a warm PDO phase,vertical water temperature became cool,and the monthly preferred water temperature at each depth for S.japonicus shifted southeastward.Consequently,habitat quality dramatically decreased,and suitable habitat ranges also reduced and moved southeastward.Conversely,in a cool PDO phase,with the warmer vertical water temperature and northwestward shift of the preferred water temperature,the suitable habitats enlarged and migrated in the same direction.Our findings indicate that the PDO produced significant impacts on habitat range and distribution of S.japonicus in the East China Sea.