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Comparison of factors affecting recruitment variability of walleye pollock Theragra chalcogramma in the Pacific Ocean and the Sea of Japan off northern Japan

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  • Social-ecological systems on walleye pollock under changing environment: Inter-disciplinary approach
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Abstract

The Japanese Pacific stock (JPS) and the northern Japan Sea stock (JSS) of walleye pollock Theragra chalcogramma are mainly distributed in the Pacific Ocean and the Sea of Japan off northern Japan, respectively. This paper summarizes and compares the factors affecting the recruitment variability of these two stocks. Spawning season is from December to March for both stocks. JPS recruitment has a positive relationship with the water temperature in January and February, whereas that of JSS has a negative relationship with the water temperature in January, February, and April. One possible reason for this is that pollock larvae have an optimum growth temperature of approximately 5 °C in the field. Drift of early life stages also appears to be an important influence on the recruitment of both stocks. Because the current generated by the northwest wind carries eggs of JPS into the main larval nursery ground, JPS recruitment is enhanced in years when the northwest wind is predominant in February. On the other hand, early life stages of JSS are transported into the nursery ground by the Tsushima Warm Current. However, this current also carries early life stages into the Sea of Okhotsk and offshore, resulting in poor JSS recruitment in years when this current is strong in March. In contrast to JPS, the recruitment of which is significantly impacted by cannibalism, young pollock have not been found in the stomachs of adult JSS. Warm temperatures in the Sea of Japan seem to induce the separation of young and adult pollock, and the shape of the stock–recruitment relationship also suggests that cannibalism is not important for JSS. Based on this knowledge, and on the hatch date distributions of larvae and juveniles, we propose mechanisms that can explain the recruitment fluctuations for JPS and JSS pollock.

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Acknowledgments

We would like to thank Keizo Yabuki, Tomonori Azumaya, Tomonori Hamatsu, Masayuki Chimura, Yuho Yamashita, Hiroshige Tanaka, Kouji Kooka, Tokihiro Kono, Kazushi Miyashita, Toshikuni Nakatani, Jun Yamamoto, and Hiroya Miyake for their help and discussions during this study. We also appreciate constructive comments by Reiji Masuda and three anonymous reviewers. This study was partly supported by the Fisheries Agency of Japan under the projects of “Assessment of Fisheries Stocks in the Waters Around Japan” and “Dynamics of Commercial Fish Stock.”

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Hokkaido National Fisheries Research Institute, Fisheries Research Agency, 116 Katsurakoi, Kushiro, Hokkaido, 085-0802, Japan

    Tetsuichiro Funamoto, Orio Yamamura & Ken Mori

  2. Central Fisheries Research Institute, Hokkaido Research Organization, 238 Hamanaka, Yoichi, Hokkaido, 046-8555, Japan

    Osamu Shida

  3. Wakkanai Fisheries Research Institute, Hokkaido Research Organization, 4-5-15 Suehiro, Wakkanai, Hokkaido, 097-0001, Japan

    Kazuhiko Itaya

  4. Japan Sea National Fisheries Research Institute, Fisheries Research Agency, 1-5939-22 Suido-cho, Chuou-ku, Niigata, Niigata, 951-8121, Japan

    Yoshiaki Hiyama

  5. Graduate School of Fisheries Science, Hokkaido University, 3-1-1 Minato, Hakodate, Hokkaido, 041-8611, Japan

    Yasunori Sakurai

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  1. Tetsuichiro Funamoto
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  2. Orio Yamamura
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Correspondence to Tetsuichiro Funamoto.

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This article is sponsored by the Fisheries Research Agency, Yokohama, Japan.

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Funamoto, T., Yamamura, O., Shida, O. et al. Comparison of factors affecting recruitment variability of walleye pollock Theragra chalcogramma in the Pacific Ocean and the Sea of Japan off northern Japan. Fish Sci 80, 117–126 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12562-014-0716-z

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