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Assessment of spatio-temporal variations of macroalgal canopies and fish schools before and after coastal desertification using acoustic methods

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Abstract

Macroalgal canopies, which provide nutrients and habitats for many invertebrates and fishes in coastal waters, are disappearing worldwide. The simultaneous assessment of changes in macroalgae and fish distribution before and after coastal desertification, including deeper coastal waters where beyond macroalgae growth need attention. Therefore, we investigated their spatial distribution in the coastal waters off southwestern Japan in late autumn and winter using the acoustic method combined with visual observation. The number of fish schools was higher in late autumn than in winter, while they had similar acoustic backscattering strength (Sv) and school size, tended to be distributed in shallower waters. The number was lower after the macroalgae disappeared in both seasons, while the average Sv was higher, and the size was larger. They were distributed in similar water depths during the winter season. Fewer fish schools and higher Sv were observed in deeper waters after the macroalgae disappeared. We concluded that more fishes moved to shallower waters in the autumn than in the winter because of higher water temperatures. Macroalgae benefited small juvenile fishes in both shallow and deep coastal waters. Further studies on the distribution of specific species are expected for the assessment and restoration of the macroalgal ecosystem.

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Acknowledgements

This research was partially supported by the Research Grant of the Hirose Foundation and the Research and Development Infrastructure Enhancement grant of the Seikai National Fisheries Research Institute, Japan Fisheries Research and Education Agency (FRA). We thank our colleagues from Japan FRA, especially Dr. Hideaki Yamada, who provided their insights and expertise, which greatly enabled the research. We thank the Gonoura Fishery Cooperative and the Farming Center of Iki City, Nagasaki, Japan, for their assistance in field surveys. We also thank the anonymous reviewers for their helpful suggestions.

Funding

This study was funded by the Research Grant of Hirose Foundation and Research Grant of Japan Fisheries Research and Education Agency (FRA).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Fisheries Technology Institute, Japan Fisheries Research and Education Agency, 1551-8 Taira-Machi, Nagasaki, Nagasaki, 851-2213, Japan

    H. Shao, S. Kiyomoto & T. Kadota

  2. Fisheries Technology Institute, Japan Fisheries Research and Education Agency, 148 Fukai-Ota, Ishigaki, Okinawa, 907-0451, Japan

    M. Nakagawa

  3. Iki Sea Farming Center, 1168 Oshima, Gonoura-Cho, Iki, Nagasaki, 811-5161, Japan

    H. Yamanaka

  4. Fisheries Resources Institute, Japan Fisheries Research and Education Agency, 2-12-4 Fukuura, Kanazawa, Yokohama, Kanagawa, 236-8648, Japan

    Y. Kawauchi

  5. Estuary Research Center, Shimane University, 1060 Nishikawatsu-Cho, Matsue-Shi, Shimane, 690-8504, Japan

    K. Minami

  6. Field Science Center for Northern Biosphere, Hokkaido University, 20-5 Benten-Cho, Hakodate, Hokkaido, 040-0051, Japan

    K. Miyashita

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  1. H. Shao
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  2. S. Kiyomoto
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  4. M. Nakagawa
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  5. H. Yamanaka
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  8. K. Miyashita
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Contributions

Conceptualization, H.S.; methodology, H.S.; software, H.S.; validation, H.S. and S.K.; formal analysis, H.S.; investigation, H.S., S.K., T.K. M.N. and H.Y.; resources, H.S., S.K., T.K. and H.Y.; data curation, H.S.; writing—original draft preparation, H.S.; writing—review and editing, S.K., Y.K., T.K., K.M. and K.M.; visualization, H.S.; supervision, S.K., K.M. and K.M.; project administration, S.K., M.N and H.S.; funding acquisition, H.S. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.

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Correspondence to H. Shao.

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Shao, H., Kiyomoto, S., Kadota, T. et al. Assessment of spatio-temporal variations of macroalgal canopies and fish schools before and after coastal desertification using acoustic methods. Hydrobiologia 851, 1891–1906 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10750-023-05422-0

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