Predation dynamics of mackerel on larval and juvenile anchovy: is capture success linked to prey condition?

We tested whether the predation dynamics of chub mackerel Scomber japonicus and spotted mackerel S. australasicus on young anchovy Engraulis japonicus relates to individual growth characteristics of the prey and could account for the growth-selective survival predicted by recruitment hypotheses. Juvenile and adult mackerel were sampled along with their young anchovy prey field in 2004 (juvenile mackerel and larval anchovy) and 2005 (adult mackerel and juvenile anchovy) off the Pacific coast of Honshu, Japan. The recent 5-day mean growth rate of larval and juvenile survivors and prey found in the stomach of mackerel was estimated from the otolith microstructure. No significant difference was found between the recent growth of larval or juvenile survivors and that of preyed individuals. We conclude that despite a relatively small body size, the high activity level and predation skills displayed by mackerel prevent fast-growing larvae and early juveniles from benefitting in terms of the expected survival advantage over slow-growers. Hence, growth-selective predation mortality of larval fish would depend on the feeding ecology of the predator rather than predator size. Selection for fast growth is more likely to occur under predation pressure from invertebrate organisms and small pelagic fish specialized on zooplankton, such as herring and anchovy.     

Biological investigations of anchovy and some selected fish species caught during the R／V “Bei Dou”surveys 1984—1999

IntroductionProductivity of an ecosystem may be measured in terms of structure,abundance and growth of keyspecies.Stock structure,measured as age or size composition in a given stock may indicate whether the stockis in a state of growing,stable or declining.Individual growth may be measured in terms of annual growth ofindividual age groups and maturity of key species will similarly reflect the potential of the species to copewith the influence of a changing environment of predators and human i…     

Fluctuations of abundance and survival rate during the egg and larval stages of Japanese anchovy Engraulis japonicus in the Seto Inland Sea (1980–2007)

In order to understand the processes affecting early survival of the Japanese anchovy Engraulis japonicus population in the Seto Inland Sea, we examined the monthly fluctuations in the abundance and survival rates from eggs to recruits (15-day-old larvae, 13?mm in standard length fish, defined as 1-month-old fish) during their main spawning season from 1980 to 2007. The abundance of the yolksac larvae positively correlated with the abundance of eggs, but the abundance of recruits did not significantly correlate with the abundance of yolksac larvae. These results imply that the survival rate during the egg stage is relatively stable, but that the rate during the larval stage is variable. Of the three most recent decades (1980s, 1990s and 2000s), the abundance of recruits was highest in the 1980s. The decrease in the abundance of recruits after the 1990s can be considered to have occurred through a decline in survival rate during the larval stage because there were no significant differences in egg abundance, yolksac larval abundance, and survival rates during the egg stage in the three decades of the study period.     

Recruitment of common sardine (Strangomera bentincki) and anchovy (Engraulis ringens) off central-south Chile in the 1990s and the impact of the 1997–1998 El Niño

The recruitment of Strangomera bentincki (common sardine) and Engraulis ringens (anchovy) and the relationships with oceanographic conditions in the upwelling ecosystem of central-south Chile were investigated from 1990 to 1998, with emphasis on the 1997–1998 El Niño. Time series of recruitment, biomass, local sea surface temperature, and a coastal upwelling index were used to explore relationships during the spawning (July–August) and pre-recruitment (August–December) periods. The 1997–1998 El Niño caused physical changes in the small pelagic fish habitat off central-south Chile. Anomalous sea surface temperatures (SST) and upwelling indexes began to be detected from May 1997 and persisted into 1998. Recruitment of common sardine showed significantly negative relationship with SST anomalies during the pre-recruitment period, as well as with the upwelling index during the peak of spawning. However, the recruitment of anchovy did not seem to be affected by the environmental changes observed in the 1990s. Instead, the recruitment rate of anchovy showed negative relationship with the recruitment rate of common sardine. We conclude that the conditions of the 1997–1998 El Niño off central-south Chile affected the survival of common sardine offspring, and that the recruitment success of anchovy could be determined by less-abundant cohorts of common sardine through a biological mechanism of interaction.     

Simulation of copepod biomass by a prey–predator model in Hiuchi-nada,central part of the Seto Inland Sea: does copepod biomass affect the recruitment to the shirasu (Japanese larval anchovy <Emphasis Type="Italic">Engraulis japonicus</Emphasis>) fishery?

We have modeled the prey–predator dynamics between nutrients, phytoplankton, and copepods in Hiuchi-nada, central part of the Seto Inland Sea. The model parameters were estimated by stepwise regression using data sampled from 2001 to 2005. We re-created the fluctuations in copepod biomass in the spring–summer of 2001–2004 by model simulation and investigated the relationship between the re-created copepod biomass and anchovy Engraulis japonicus reproductive success rate in Hiuchi-nada. The anchovy reproductive success rate was proportional to the copepod biomass during the last 10 days of May, a period that immediately preceded anchovy recruitment. This relationship indicates that a possible key factor in the regulation of anchovy population levels is the fluctuation in abundance of the copepod assemblage and that the crucial period for anchovy recruitment in Hiuchi-nada would be the period just before anchovy recruitment to the shirasu (body length: approx. 20–35 mm) fishery. These results provide a potential framework for forecasting the anchovy recruitment level that is based on both larval abundance and survival rate as estimated from the biomass of copepods in the pre-recruitment period of anchovy.