Size-dependent, Spatial, and Temporal Variability of Juvenile Walleye Pollock (Theragra chalcogramma) Feeding at a Structural Front in the Southeast Bering Sea

Abstract. The waters surrounding the Pribilof Islands are an important nursery ground for juvenile walleye pollock (Theragra chalcogramma), an important forage fish in the pelagic food web of the productive Bering Sea shelf region. The diet of juvenile pollock was studied in two consecutive years along a transect line crossing from a well‐mixed coastal domain, through a frontal region to stratified water farther offshore. Variability in stomach fullness was high and evidence for increased feeding intensity in the front was weak. Prey diversity and prey size generally increased with increasing fish size, shifting from predominantly small copepods to larger, more evasive prey items such as euphausiids, crab megalopae and fish. The diet of the fish reflected changes in the relative abundance of copepods and euphausiids in the prey fields between years. Juvenile pollock showed increased feeding rates at dusk, and stomach fullness as well as prey condition were generally lowest just before sunrise; however, the proportion of euphausiids increased in the diet of pollock caught at night, suggesting that some food was also ingested during darkness. Juvenile pollock and their euphausiid prey both vertically migrated above the thermocline at night, although each had a different daytime depth.     

鱼耳石碳氧同位素在黄、渤海小黄鱼种群识别中的应用

Oxygen and carbon isotope ratios(δ~(18)O and δ~(13)C) in otoliths were used to identify the stock structure of small yellow croaker,Larimichthys polyactis.Otoliths were collected from fish at five locations across the Yellow Sea and the Bohai Sea representing most of their distributional range and fisheries areas.The significant differences in the isotopic signatures showed that the five locations could be chemically distinguished and clearly separated,indicating stock subdivision.Correlation of δ~(18)O and δ~(13)C values suggested that population of L.polyactis could be divided into the Bohai Sea group,the southern Yellow Sea group and the central Yellow Sea group.Discriminant analysis of δ~(18)O and δ~(13)C values demonstrated a high significant difference with 85.7% classification accuracy.The spatial separation of L.polyactis indicated a complex stock structure across the Yellow Sea and the Bohai Sea.These results indicate that optimal fisheries management may require a comprehensive consideration on the current spatial arrangements.This study has provided further evidence that measurement of the stable isotopes ratios in otolith can be a valuable tool in the delineation of fishery management units.     

福建省台山列岛周边海域的渔业资源群落结构特征

根据2012年5月（春季）、8月（夏季）、11月（秋季）和2013年2月（冬季）在台山列岛的拖网定点调查数据,对该海域渔业资源种类组成、优势种、物种多样性、资源密度（质量及数量密度）的空间分布及其季节变化等群落结构特征进行分析研究。结果表明,共记录台山列岛渔业生物136种,隶属于18目63科98属,其中鱼类80种,虾类16种,蟹类28种,口足类3种,头足类9种;优势种共有22种,口虾蛄（Oratosquilla oratoria）是唯一四季共同的优势种;Shannon Wiener种类多样性指数（H′）全年平均值为2.88（范围：2.80～2.95）,Pielou均匀度指数（J′）全年平均值为0.69（范围：0.65～0.72）,Margalef丰富度指数（D）全年平均值为6.99（范围：5.76～7.69）,夏季群落多样性较高;从渔业资源质量平均密度看,春、夏季最大值都出现在05站点,分别为640.70 kg/km²和1 039.31 kg/km²,秋季最大值出现在03站点,为1 187.48 kg/km²,冬季最大值出现在04站点,为683.24 kg/km²,从渔业资源数量平均密度看,春、夏季最大值都出现在05站点,分别为170.68×10³尾/km²和123.69×10³尾/km²,秋季最大值出现在01站点,为119.71×10³尾/km²,冬季最大值出现在04站点,为133.27×10³尾/km²。总体来说,台山列岛周边海域渔业资源物种较多,种间分布均匀,群落结构稳定。     

Recruitment of shrimp (Pandalus borealis) in the Barents Sea related to spawning stock and environment

The shrimp spawn in autumn, and the females carry their eggs as out roe until spring when the larvae hatch. Within a period of 2 months the shrimp larvae settle to the bottom. It has been claimed that the year-class strength probably is determined during the larval phase. Today's assessment and forecast of the shrimp stock productivity and potential fishing yields are weak. This is partly due to poor knowledge on population dynamics from hatching until the shrimp are caught in the fishery at the age of 3 or 4 years. We, therefore, here identify the most important abiotic and biotic factors that affect recruitment in addition to spawning stock biomass. Since 1995, a net attached to the underbelly of the survey trawl used at the annual cruise in the Barents Sea has caught juvenile shrimp. The abundance of settled shrimp larvae varies in time and space. The recruitment to the fishery has been quite stable with the exception of the 1996 year-class, which was observed as 1-year-olds but has not been registered since. The temporal pattern of the three youngest year-classes is studied in relation to abiotic factors such as sea temperature, ice index and North Atlantic Oscillation, as well as biotic factors such as spawning stock biomass and presence of copepods, euphausiids and predating cod. Recruitment indices and factors identified by the Spearmann correlation to be significantly correlated with recruitment were used as input in a principal component analysis (PCA) and a generalized additive model (GAM) was applied. Abundance of 1-year-old shrimp is positively correlated to spawning stock biomass the previous year and to temperature of the previous winter, and negatively correlated with the number of 1-year-old cod. Two-year-old shrimp show significant correlation with temperature, whereas there is a strong negative correlation with euphausiids. Three-year-old shrimp are significantly correlated with the number of 2-year-old shrimp the previous year but negatively correlated to temperature at sampling time. This is probably due to less overlap with the main predator cod when cold. Ricker functions indicate an increased density-dependent mortality with age. When predicting the recruitment of shrimp to the fishery, the spawning stock biomass, the abundance of cod and euphausiids, as well as the temperature should be included.