Studies on the eggs and larvae,ofSardinella aurita (Cuv. & Val.) in the fishing grounds of Southern Fujian and the Taiwan Bank

In this paper, the morphological characters of eggs and larvae ofSardinella aurita (Cuvier & Valenciennes), its spawning ground, spawning seasons and spawning conditions have been studied. Sardinella aurita likes to breed in the upwelling area and selects the Waixie fishing ground as its main spawning ground. The months from February to September are its spawning seasons, reaching its peak in April. In the main spawning ground, the temperature of the surface layer was found to be 24.4–25.2°C, the salinity 33.87–34.07%. and the depth of water between 34–60m. The distribution of the larvae is closely related to the distribution of plankton, the path of migration of adult fish, and the current direction of the water system. In order to protect fishery resources, it is necessary to prohibit catching the spawning fish in the Waixie fishing ground in April, and the catching of immatures from March to June. This paper was published in Chinese inOcean. Limn. Sinica 14(3): 240–248, 1983.