Spawning and fecundity of two flounder species in the Hauraki gulf,New Zealand

Spawning grounds and spawning times of the sand flounder, Rhombosolea plebeia (Richardson), and the yellow‐belly flounder, Rhombosolea leporina Gunther, in the Hauraki Gulf are described. The occurrence of female fish at different stages of ovarian development at different stations during the year, the distribution of eggs in the plankton, and changes in ovary weight during the year were used as indicators of spawning grounds and spawning times.

The sand flounder was found to spawn in the waters to the east of Waiheke and Ponui Islands, at the northern end of the Firth of Thames, from June to November.

Yellow‐belly flounders spawned during September, October, and November, slightly to the south of the sand flounder spawning grounds in a belt extending from Tapu, on the eastern side of the Firth of Thames, north‐westwards towards Ponui Island.

Fecundity of both species was approximately proportional to the weight of the fish, or to the length cubed, and less than proportional to the ovary weight. The mean fecundity of sand flounders in the Hauraki Gulf varied from approximately 100,000 eggs in a fish of 18 cm to 500,000 in a 30 cm fish. That of yellow‐belly flounders varied from approximately 250,000 eggs in a fish of 30 cm to 1.25 million in a 45 cm fish.     

Spatial variability of the surf zone fish and macroinvertebrate community within dissipative sandy beaches in Oregon,USA

Habitat heterogeneity can influence biological communities by providing a diversity of areas that can be occupied by different species. Sandy beach surf zones are often considered homogenous environments; however, sand bars moved by currents and waves can produce trench‐like shapes or troughs that provide heterogeneity. The influence of habitat heterogeneity produced by sand movement is unclear despite the fact that surf zones are an important habitat for larval and juvenile fish and macrocrustaceans. To determine if, and how, the fish and macroinvertebrate communities present in trough and non‐trough or flat areas of Oregon surf zones differ, we compared species assemblages in both areas at three beaches adjacent to estuary mouths over 2 years. Troughs had different communities compared with flat areas, with higher total catch (mean ± SD = 123.2 ± 122.1 versus 43.6 ± 44.5 individuals × 100 m^?2) and taxon richness (6.7 ± 2.7 versus 4.0 ± 2.3 taxa); these differences were potentially due to water movement, prey availability and sediment size. The fish and macroinvertebrate communities did not vary between years but there were significant differences among beaches, with the most distinct community present at the only beach adjacent to an estuary without a jetty at its mouth, which was possibly due to higher species movement between the surf zones and estuary. Fish and macrocrustacean surf zone communities varied spatially within and among beaches in relation to habitat heterogeneity provided by sand movement and, potentially, the influence of adjacent habitats.     

Spatial, temporal and diel variations of fish assemblages at two sandy beaches in the Sepetiba Bay, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Fish assemblages from two beaches, one in the inner and the other in the outer Sepetiba Bay (latitude: 22°54′–23°04′S; longitude: 43°34′–44°10′W), Southeast Brazil, were sampled by beach seine net, simultaneously, on both seasonal and diel scales, between August 1998 and June 1999. Sites were selected to encompass different environmental conditions which reflect the two bay zones, thus providing a comprehensive assessment of the factors influencing surf zone fish assemblages, and their spatial, seasonal and diel variations. A total of 55 fish species was recorded, mostly young-of-the-year. Anchoa tricolor, Micropogonias furnieri, Gerres aprion, Diapterus rhombeus, Harengula clupeola, Atherinella brasiliensis and Mugil liza were numerically dominant and contributed to 95.2% of the total fish catches. Strong differences in fish assemblages were observed between the two areas, with higher number of species in the outer bay. Increases in fish numbers occurred in winter, while the highest biomass occurred in winter and summer. Transparency, followed by salinity, was responsible for most of the spatial variability and played an important role in structuring fish assemblages. Overall, diel patterns did not reveal any significant trends; however, if we consider each season separately, an increase in fish numbers during the day with peak at sunset was observed in winter, and a higher biomass occurred at night in winter and summer. Species preferences for various combinations of environmental variables are responsible for shifts in the structure and overall abundance of assemblages and dictated some patterns. The sciaenid M. furnieri, the second most abundant species, occurred only in the inner zone, being more abundant in winter. The species of Engraulidae were more abundant in the outer zone in winter/spring during the day. The gerreids G. aprion and D. rhombeus occurred mainly in summer. Overall, temporal fluctuations act more at a specific level than at a structural one, and may be linked to some particular stages of the fish life cycle, but do not significantly influence the spatial organization.     

Do bigger fish arrive and spawn at the spawning grounds before smaller fish: Cod (Gadus morhua) predation on beach spawning capelin (Mallotus villosus) from coastal Newfoundland

A relationship between body size and time of spawning has often been described for both pelagic and non-pelagic fish species that migrate for the purpose of spawning. The present study investigates this relationship for capelin (Mallotus villosus), a pelagic smelt-like species that spawns on the beaches of Newfoundland. Simple linear regressions were carried out separately for three groups of capelin: ovid females, spent females and males in three successive years (1982–1984). Bigger fish arrived near the spawning grounds first, for all three groups in all three years and was most obvious for female capelin. Analyses of stomach contents of Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua), an important predator of capelin in the Newfoundland area, showed a similar decrease in mean size of capelin throughout the capelin spawning season in June, July and August. Furthermore, analyses strongly suggest that early in the spawning seasons, when capelin abundance was high, cod selected for bigger capelin, whereas towards the end of the spawning seasons, when capelin abundance was low, cod did not show any size preference.     

Spontaneous locomotory activity of Galaxias vulgaris Stokell (Pisces: Salmoniformes)

Feeding of captive Galaxias vulgaris was found to be dependent on open‐water activity. It did not occur when fish remained beneath boulders. Pat'erns of spontaneous locornotory activity of individual fish were recorded to determine potential feeding times. The apparatus used to measure spontaneous locomotory activity is described. Fish were found to be active mainly at night for most of the year, but became predominantly diurnal during the spawning period.     

浙江三门湾鱼卵、仔稚鱼群聚结构时空变化研究

鱼卵和仔稚鱼在海洋生态系统能量传递中起重要作用,作为渔业资源的早期补充群体,其分布、群聚结构对评估渔业资源和保护渔业资源具有重要意义。为了解三门湾鱼卵、仔稚鱼群聚结构时空变化规律,对该海域鱼卵、仔稚鱼进行春、夏两季调查,分析了该海域鱼卵、仔稚鱼组成及群聚结构变化等特征。结果发现:(1)两季共鉴定出鱼卵、仔稚鱼8目21科40种,其中定性样品鱼卵、仔稚鱼8目21科36种,定量样品鱼卵、仔稚鱼4目11科24种;鱼卵优势种为斑鰶(Konosirus punctatus)、鲷科未定种(Sparidae)、蓝点马鲛(Scomberomorus niphonius)、鮻(Liza haematocheila)、舌鳎属(Cynoglossus spp.)、石首鱼科未定种(Sciaenidae)、小公鱼属(Stolephorus spp.);仔稚鱼优势种为鮻、孔虾虎鱼(Trypauchen vagina)、小公鱼属、细棘虾虎鱼属(Acentrogobius spp.)、缟虾虎鱼属(Tridentiger spp.)。(2)三门湾湾内与湾外鱼卵、仔稚鱼群聚的组成存在显著差异,且湾内密度均高于湾外,反映出优势种鱼类在产卵季对于水文环境(如海流、温度)的空间响应。(3)三门湾鱼卵、仔稚鱼的群聚组成季节波动明显,主要由鱼类产卵的季节节律以及以洄游习性等差异形成。结果表明,三门湾鱼卵、仔稚鱼群聚结构空间、季节差异明显,与历史资料相比,鱼卵、仔稚鱼资源从“年际”短时间尺度看已初步显现一定恢复态势。     

Do the shallow‐water habitats of a hypersaline tropical estuary act as nursery grounds for fishes?

Fish assemblages were studied in a hypersaline tropical estuary in Northeastern Brazil. A total of 104 species were collected by beach seine during the dry and rainy seasons of 2012. Two families, Atherinopsidae and Gerreidae, were numerically dominant in all zones of the estuary; juveniles of Atherinella brasiliensis, Eucinostomus argenteus, Lile piquitinga, Ulaema lefroyi, Lutjanus analis and Sphoeroides greeleyi contributed 77% of the total catch. The factors that best explained the fish abundance pattern were salinity and depth, which were related to spatial segregation. Species richness was lowest in the upper zone, an area with high salinity and shallow depth. The distinct roles of structurally different habitats (submerged macrophyte beds and mangrove prop‐roots) and the influence of physicochemical conditions in the middle zone of the estuary may influence taxonomic diversity. The middle zone of the estuary is the one most attractive to juveniles of reef species (Lutjanidae and Serranidae). The fish assemblages are clearly dominated by marine estuarine dependent species, highlighting the importance of the ecosystem as a nursery ground for marine species of the Brazilian coast.     

An examination of the trout population of five lakes near Rotorua,New Zealand

Five lakes, varying from 10 to 100 hectares in area and each containing an existing population of Salmo gairdneri, were gill‐netted and stocked with tagged fish each year from 1960 to 1965 to determine the effect of regular stocking on the size and numbers of fish present. There was little natural spawning of trout in most of the lakes. Growth in length and weight of tagged fish was computed and an annual estimate of population calculated from the netting returns. Appendices give details of the statistical analyses of the data.

Fish production has been correlated with the trophic status of the lakes as indicated by their temperature and oxygen content. There was no clear relationship between lake size and trout production but trout production decreased as the environment became more eutrophic. Results also showed a close inverse relationship between numbers supported and average weight achieved by the trout. It is concluded that the angling potential of local lakes can be maintained despite the eutrophication resulting from intensive agricultural development of the catchments. These lakes will produce large‐sized fish if the trout population is kept relatively small.

Loss in weight in brown and rainbow trout as a result of spawning activities in local lakes and streams was found to be similar. Both male and female fish lost between 22 and 40 percent of their weight over a spawning period. This probably accounted for the observed low‐condition factor among older fish in the lake populations.     

Larval fish distribution in shallow coastal waters off North Western Iberia (NE Atlantic)

Monthly sampling for ichthyoplankton was conducted at three stations very near to the coast (near to shore shallow stations before the surf zone in direction to the shoreline) of Atlantic northwestern Portugal within contrasting localities: rocky shore, in front of a sandy beach receiving an estuary and a fishing port with heavy anthropogenic impact. Sampling was conducted from August 2002 to October 2003, always at full moon, at low tide and high tide in daylight hours, at the water column using a 48 cm diameter plankton net with 335 μm mesh. Analysis of the physico-chemical parameters pointed out the spatial (horizontal) homogeneity of the sampling area. Fish larvae from 41 taxa belonging to 17 families were identified; Blenniidae, Labridae, Ammodytidae, Clupeidae, Gobiidae, Soleidae and Gobiesocidae were the most representative during the study period. Parablennius gattorugine, Ammodytes tobianus, Symphodus melops, Sardina pilchardus, Lipophrys pholis and Coryphoblennius galerita were the most representative species (percentage contribution to total abundance). Peak abundance of fish eggs occurred during May, June and August 2003 and fish larvae occurred during May and July 2003 and August 2002 and 2003; there was a pronounced winter/early spring (March 2003) peak in larval abundance dominated by the small sandeel A. tobianus. This study identifies the occurrence of a conspicuous assemblage of larval fishes at very nearshore shallow environments of a variety of species with different adult habitats: the fish larvae assemblage was dominated by intertidal species. The present study has shown that temporal and spatial variations in the larval fish assemblage are related to environmental conditions and biological dynamics: the results suggest that abiotic conditions mediate biotic parameters, and that both abiotic and biotic characteristics regulated the larval fishes at very nearshore shallow environments.     

Diel and seasonal variability in the fish community structure of a mud‐bottom estuarine habitat in the Gulf of Mexico

We hypothesized that temporal variation in fish species composition and community structure in a low complexity habitat in the Pueblo Viejo Lagoon, Mexico, is influenced by diel light/dark cycles and tidal stage, and by seasonal changes in salinity and temperature. We collected a total of 17,661 individuals during 2‐h interval sampling over six bi‐monthly 24‐h sampling cycles representing 53 species, of which 11 (～20%) were previously unknown in the system. Diel variation indicated that significantly higher numbers of individuals and species were caught at night, whereas diversity and evenness were higher during the day. Species richness was significantly higher in July and January, whereas diversity and evenness peaked around May; both were correlated with temperature. Diel variation in species composition was influenced primarily by the light/dark cycle. Cluster analyses of each diel cycle separated fish assemblages from midday samples from those of nocturnal samples, separated by an extended wide transition period as fish moved at dawn and during the late afternoon/dusk. Significant shifts (as determined by MANOVA) in assemblage structure occurred between months. Canonical correspondence analysis showed that temperature and day/night effects were the most important environmental variables structuring the fish community. This constrained ordination also defined species with specific habitat preferences as follows: (i) diurnal, warm temperature species (mainly planktivores) (Brevoortia gunteri, Cetengraulis edentulus, Diapterus auratus, and Membras martinica); (ii) nocturnal, warm temperature species (mainly predators) (Citharichthys spilopterus, Cathorops melanopus, and Bairdiella spp.); and (iii) low temperature, diurnal species (Brevoortia patronus and Mugil curema) or those with twilight and nocturnal distributions (Anchoa mitchilli, the most numerically abundant species). Our results indicate that diel and seasonal changes in fish community structure were mainly related to day/night cycles and temperature regimes.     

Does beach seine fishery permanently alter macroinvertebrate communities and sediment characteristics in the Southern Caspian Sea?

The impacts of a beach seine fishery on macroinvertebrate communities and sediment characteristics were investigated in the Southwest Caspian Sea. Samples from a single impacted site that was regularly seined were compared with two control sites outside the fishing area. Benthic macroinvertebrates were sampled on four occasions: 6 months prior to the opening of the beach seine fishery (Time 1), 1 day immediately after the closing of beach seining (Time 2), 1 week after closing (Time 3), and 1 month after closing (Time 4). No significant differences were detected in total density, Shannon diversity, or evenness of the macroinvertebrate assemblages between impact and control sites. Unlike density, species richness increased significantly immediately after fishery closure at all sites. A significant difference was detected in the number of species between Time 2 and Time 3 at all sites and the number of species was reduced at Time 4 in all sites. Pontogammarids increased by twofold in the impact site 1 day immediately after closing beach seine fishery and leveled off toward the end of the closed season. The amplified density of pontogammarids 1 day after fishery closing at the impact site might be driven in part by an increase in sediment oxygen content resulting from disturbance of the sea floor. An alternative explanation is that the effect of fish predation on pontogammarids has largely been minimized at the impact site after 6 months of continuous fishing activity. No significant changes in the sedimentary organic content and chlorophyll‐a between the impact and control sites were observed during the courses of sampling; however, a significant change occurred between the average sedimentary pheopigment content of the control sites and that of the impact site. The conclusion from the present study is that beach seine fishery does not harm to benthic communities. The closed season also seemed to allow recovery to pre‐season levels of macroinvertebrate richness and sedimentary chlorophyll‐a.     

Nursery grounds of Tarakihi (Teleostei: Cheilodactylidae) around New Zealand

Nursery grounds of the tarakihi Cheilodactylus macropterus (Bloch & Schneider) were discovered in 1963–72 mainly off the south‐western coast of the North Island, in Tasman Bay, along the entire eastern coast of the South Island, and around the Chatham Islands. They occurred at depths of 20–100 m, and mostly between 10 km and 30 km from shore. The tarakihi nurseries had a dense and varied invertebrate bemthic epifauna dominated by sponges and small corals. Few signs of nurseries were found in. other New Zealand waters, in spite of the existence of major spawning grounds there. It is not known with which spawning grounds the various nursery grounds are linked.

The Tasman Bay nursery ground is 18–33 km wide and about 75 km long, with a surface area of about 2000 km². There is a rich demersal fish fauna (37 species were recorded) dominated by tarakihi, red gurnard Chelidonichthys kumu (Lesson & Garnot), snapper Chrysophrys auratus (Bloch & Schneider), and leathei'iacket Novodon convexirostris (Guenther). The young tarakihi occur at depths of 20–45 m and concentrate during winter in the warmer deeper water. They first appear in trawl catches in summer, towards the end of their first year (assumed birthdate is 1 March), and stay on the nursery until the age of 3 y. They occur in the deeper water off the nursery during their fourth and fifth year and depart during their sixth year, possibly for the spawning grounds off the west coast of the South Island. The mean lengths at the ages of 15, 27, and 39 months were 12.6, 18.0, and 24.0 cm respectively in 1970. There was some variation in growth rate within the nursery ground, but the age groups could nevertheless be recognised easily from, length frequency modes. Monthly modal lengths showed that growth slows down in winter. Evidence for fluctuations in year class strength was found; year classes 1966 and 1969 were weak and year class 1968 was strong.

The vulnerability of tarakihi less than 4y old to commercial New Zealand trawl gear is low, and the local fishing fleets do no serious damage to the habitat on the nursery grounds. However, a large part of the tarakihi nursery grounds off the east coast of the South Island lies outside the territorial fishing zone. Intensive fishing on these grounds by large foreign vessels using heavy trawl gear could have an adverse effect on the habitat of the young tarakihi in this region.     

春、秋季东海大桥海上风电场水域鱼类群落结构

为探明工程建设后东海大桥风电场水域鱼类群落结构特征,作者利用等级聚类和多元统计等方法对该水域鱼类种类组成、优势种及群落结构进行分析。春、秋季共发现18种鱼类,隶属6目9科15属;鲈形目鱼类所占比例最高(50%),其中又以虾虎鱼科鱼类最高(44.4%)。春季优势种为短吻红舌鳎(Cynoglossus joyneri)、棘头梅童鱼(Collichthys lucidus)、矛尾虾虎鱼(Chaeturichthys stigmatias)和孔虾虎鱼(Trypauchen vagina),秋季优势种为棘头梅童鱼、龙头鱼(Harpadon nehereus)和凤鲚(Coilia mystus);棘头梅童鱼为春、秋季共同优势种。等级聚类和非度量多维标序排序表明,东海大桥风电场水域鱼类群落可分为春季和秋季2个组群,相似性检验(ANOSIM)显示2个组群差异极显著(R=0.851,P0.01)。生物与环境相关分析(BIOENV)表明温度和盐度是影响东海大桥风电场水域鱼类群落结构的最主要环境因子,两者结合因子与鱼类群落的相关系数为0.791。本研究发现,东海大桥风电场水域是棘头梅童鱼、凤鲚、龙头鱼等多种鱼类的育幼和索饵场所,群落结构具有典型的季节特征。     

Protracted oogenesis and annual reproductive periodicity in the deep‐sea pennatulacean Halipteris finmarchica (Anthozoa,Octocorallia)

Halipteris finmarchica is one of the most common species of deep‐sea pennatulacean corals in the Northwest Atlantic; it was recently determined to act as a biogenic substrate for other species and as a nursery for fish larvae. Its reproductive cycle was investigated in colonies sampled in 2006 and 2007 along the continental slope of Newfoundland and Labrador (Canada). Halipteris finmarchica exhibits large oocytes (maximum diameter of 1000 μm), which are consistent with lecithotrophic larval development. Female potential fecundity based on mature oocytes just before spawning was ~6 oocytes · polyp^?1 (500–6300 oocytes · colony^?1); male potential fecundity was 16 spermatocysts · polyp^?1 (5500–57,400 spermatocysts · colony^?1). Based on statistical analysis of size‐probability frequency distributions, males harboured one cohort of spermatocysts that matured inside 8–11 months, whereas females harboured two distinct cohorts of oocytes; a persistent pool of small ones (≤400 μm) and a small number (~20%) of larger ones that grew from ~400 to >800 μm over a year. Despite this difference in the tempo of oogenesis and spermatogenesis, a synchronic annual spawning was detected. A latitudinal shift in the spawning period occurred from south (April in the Laurentian Channel) to north (May in Grand Banks and July–August in Labrador/Lower Arctic), following the development of the phytoplankton bloom (i.e. sinking of phytodetritus). Prolonged oogenesis with the simultaneous presence of different oocyte classes in a given polyp is likely not uncommon in deep‐sea octocorals and could hamper the detection of annual/seasonal reproduction when sample sizes are low and/or time series discontinued or brief.     

Patterns of variability in ichthyoplankton occurrence and abundance in Biscayne Bay,Florida

Within-day variability in ichthyoplankton and microzooplankton abundances was examined at a single station in Biscayne Bay using replicate tows of 61-cm bongo nets and Niskin bottles to determine if patchiness occurred on the 10–1000 m scale and on the minutes to hours time scale. Fish eggs and larvae often were patchy but copepod nauplii, the predominant food of larvae, usually were randomly distributed at the scales examined and over the 3.15 m-depth water column. Mean patchiness index values were of similar magnitude for fish eggs and larvae but fish eggs were patchy more often than were larvae. Individual taxa of larvae had extremely high patchiness index values on some dates. Variability in fish egg catches often reflected increasing or decreasing abundance trends during the 2.5h sampling period while fish larvae catches often appeared to be clumped within the repetitive series of tows. There was no tendency for patchiness to be correlated among taxa on collection dates nor was it correlated with abundances or wind speeds. Patchiness indices of bay anchovy Anchoa mitchilli eggs and larvae were not significantly correlated, indicating little concordance in tendency to be aggregated, suggesting that distributions were influenced by biological processes related to spawning of adults and behaviour of larvae, in addition to physical processes. Although ichthyoplankton patchiness often did exist at the 10–1000 m scale, on many days ichthyoplankton was uniformly or randomly distributed. Copepod nauplii were abundant ($\text{x}\text{=90.41}{}^{\mathrm{?1}}$), randomly distributed on most dates, and apparently readily available as fish larvae food in Biscayne Bay.     

Diet of mid-Atlantic Sowerby's beaked whales Mesoplondon bidens

The first mid-Atlantic diet of Mesoplodon beaked whales is presented, from ten Sowerby's Mesoplodon bidens stranded in the Azores region between 2002 and 2009. This doubles the worldwide number of stomachs sampled, and reveals new feeding habits for this species. The mean number of prey items per stomach was 85±89 (range: 12–238), with fish accounting for 99.3% and cephalopods contributing less than 1% of total prey. Fish otoliths from 15 families and cephalopod lower mandibles from three families were identified, representing 22 taxa. The diet consisted mainly of small mid-water fish, the most numerous being Diaphus sp., Lampanyctus sp. and Melamphaidae species. Myctophids were present in all stranded individuals, followed by Diretmidae, Melamphaidae and Opisthoproctus soleatus, while the remaining fish species were scarce or single occurrences. Consistency of diet in four different years reveals a divergence from all previous records in continental areas, where mainly neritic and shelf-break benthopelagic fish species have been reported. Mid-Atlantic Sowerby's beaked whales' showed dietary plasticity, feeding on the most abundant mid-water groups occurring between 0 and750 m. Trophic level from prey numerical frequency was estimated at 4.4±0.46.     

Fish populations of the Avon‐Heathcote estuary

Characteristic organisms are tabulated, and the substrate conditions briefly described for seven habitats in the Avon‐Heathcote Estuary, Christchurch, New Zealand. Temperatures and water movements within the estuary are outlined.

From April 1965 to April 1966, samples were collected by short otter‐trawl shots, gill netting, beach seine hauls, and dip netting; the limitations of the gear are noted. The distributions and movements are recorded for nine fish species : sand flounder, Rhombosolea plebeia (Richardson) ; yellow‐bellied flounder, Rhombosolea leporina (Hutton) ; common sole, Peltorhamphus novae‐zeelandiae (Gunther) ; ye'llow‐eyed mullet Aldrichetta forsteri (Cuvier and Valenciennes); kahawai, Arripis trutta (Bloch and Schneider); spotty, Pseudolabrus celidotus (Bloch and Schneider); cockabully, Tripterygion nigripenne (Cuvier and Valenciennes) ; common bully, Gobiomorphus basalis (Gray); and globe fish, Spheroides richei (Freminville).

Length‐frequency distributions showed that most of the nine species of fish used the estuary as a feeding area for adults and as a nursery area. Only two species did not migrate to and from the sea.

Length‐weight relationships for eight species showed that weight was a function of length approximately cubed, and that the exponential equation could be used to predict weight from length.

Regressions of caudal fin length on standard length for four species gave a positive correlation (r = +0.95). Relative proportions of body length to caudal fin length were related to habitat; fish of benthic habits had proportionally shorter caudal fins than pelagic fish.     

黄海南部小黄鱼洄游分布及种群结构特征

Monthly fishery survey data of the small yellow croaker Larimichthys polyactis in the southern Yellow Sea from2003 and 2013 were employed to evaluate the variation in the resource distribution and biological characteristics(especially body length and sex ratio) in the population on a decadal scale.The results indicated that the small yellow croaker migrated from the Shawai fishing ground to the Dasha fishing ground in spring and was mainly distributed in the central and western parts of the Dasha fishing ground in April and May.Larimichthys polyactis in the Dasha fishing ground migrated eastward to offshore wintering grounds in autumn and reached the central Dasha fishing ground in October and November.The small yellow croaker entered the western waters of the Shawai fishing ground in winter.A large number of age 0+ fish occurred in the Shawai and Jiangwai fishing grounds in October of 2003 and 2013.The body lengths of the spawning stock and wintering stock in 2013 were larger than those in 2003,and the monthly sex ratios(female to male) were significantly less than 1 in both years.The monthly distribution of this fish in the southern Yellow Sea was consistent with a previous finding that "the stock migrated between the wintering grounds in the west of Jeju Island and the Lüsi spawning grounds" but tended to move more northward,with the spawning grounds extending outward.In the past decade,body length variation experienced a decline after an increase,rather than a steady decrease.The sex ratio in the single-stick stow net showed a tendency to increase over the decade,but was either less than or more than 1 depending on the fishing gear;therefore,further studies should be conducted to determine the sex structure.     

Migratory behaviour of spawning rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) in the Tongariro River,New Zealand,after habitat alteration

The movements of 92 adult rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) from Lake Taupo into the Tongariro River, New Zealand, were monitored using radio‐telemetry every 3 days during the main spawning period between May and November 2003. This study repeated one previously conducted in 1995. Differences in spawning site preference and resting locations between 1995 and 2003 probably reflect differences in the nature of the river as a result of major natural floods that occurred in 1998. Average migration times were slower than in 1995 and the correlation between flow and mean daily movement was less distinct owing to the dry and settled weather during July and August, although fish did respond to freshets when they occurred. Peak movement occurred between 1600 and 2000 h NZ Standard Time with no movement occurring between midnight and 0400. Fish adjusted their movement in response to changing photoperiod. Nineteen fish were observed above the mouths of natal tributary streams for several weeks in the main river stem before entering these tributaries.     

Fish assemblages across the marine to low salinity transition zone of a temperate estuary

This 3-year study provides a large-scale perspective of fish assemblage structure across an ocean–estuarine ecotone, given range of salinity encountered (0.1–32) based on sampling at 12 stations along 40 km from the Mullica River (river), Great Bay (bay), and the adjacent inner continental shelf (ocean) in southern New Jersey. Otter trawl (4.9 m, 6 mm mesh) collections were dominated by young-of-the-year of most of the 49 species encountered. Species richness and abundance appeared greatest in the ocean, decreased (with an increase in inter-station variability) in the bay, and appeared to increase again towards the uppermost river stations. The same areas contained three non-discrete, but identifiable, fish assemblages based on Detrended Correspondence Analysis. Members of the Triglidae and Stromateidae characterized the ocean and bay, whereas representatives of the Percichthyidae and Ictaluridae characterized the river. Several species, including Anchoa mitchilli and Cynoscion regalis, exhibited a ubiquitous distribution across the sampling area. Further analyses with Canonical Correspondence Analysis identified salinity and geographic distance, among the variables examined, as the most important determinants in shaping the assemblages. Other contributors included habitat heterogeneity and water depth. In summary, these observations indicate that large-scale patterns in the structure of this estuarine fish assemblage are primarily a result of individual species' responses to dominate environmental gradients, as well as ontogenetic migrations, whereas smaller-scale patterns appear to be the result of habitat associations that are most likely driven by foraging, competition, and/or predator avoidance.