Species associations of epipelagic nekton of the North Pacific Ocean, 1978–1993

Strong latitudinal gradients in species composition were revealed by two-way indicator species analysis (TWINSPAN) and detrended correspondence analysis (DCA) of 41 species of epipelagic fishes and squids in 513 gillnet collections by research vessels of Hokkaido University over a huge area of the northern North Pacific during the summers of 1978–1993. Salmonids inhabited northern subarctic water and skipjack tuna (Euthynnus pelamis) and flying squid (Ommastrephes bartrami) inhabited the region of the Subarctic Boundary, but distinct boundaries between species groups and sample groups were lacking, largely because abundant species, such as Pacific saury (Cololabis saira) and Pacific pomfret (Brama japonica), migrated across most of this region during the summer. Longitudinal differences were not pronounced, but some species, including Japanese sardine (Sardinops melanostictus) and Japanese anchovy (Engraulis japonicus), were only found in the western Pacific. Pacific saury was more common in the western Pacific, whereas sockeye salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka) was concentrated in the eastern Pacific. Interannual fluctuations in the latitude of species groups were most closely correlated with changes in sea surface temperatures. In the western Pacific, 1982, 1983, 1985, 1987-88, and 1992-93 were cool years when subarctic and transitional assemblages were found farther to the south than other years. Temperature and salinity at various depths were highly correlated with each other and with first-axis DCA ordinations scores. Long-term trends in community structure were not apparent during the 1.6 decades.