Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Comparisons of catches of large leptocephali using an IKMT and a large pelagic trawl in the Sargasso Sea

  • SHORT COMMUNICATION
  • Published:
Marine Biodiversity Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Leptocephali of several elopomorph families can reach sizes of 100–300 mm or larger, but it is questionable if these large eel or notacanth larvae are effectively sampled by small-mesh sampling gear in the open ocean because of net avoidance or insufficient fishing effort. A sampling survey in the Sargasso Sea using both an Isaacs-Kidd Midwater Trawl (IKMT) with fine mesh and a large pelagic trawl with large mesh sizes found that fewer species and individual large leptocephali >100 mm were collected by 25 IKMT tows compared to 4 trawl deployments. Net avoidance of the IKMT by the larger leptocephali appeared to occur at least during the day, and the large trawl did not catch any small leptocephali because of the large mesh size. A combination of net avoidance of the IKMT and greater sampling effort of the much larger mouth-opening trawl seems to have resulted in more large leptocephali being collected by the trawl. This indicates that IKMT surveys undersample large leptocephali species and that large trawls do not sample the whole assemblage of leptocephali. To fully understand the biodiversity and abundance of leptocephali in the world’s oceans, large fine-mesh sampling gear like the IKMT and very large trawls with smaller mesh will likely be needed. This may be important because leptocephali are probably more abundant in the open ocean than is realized, and their role in the ocean surface layer communities and carbon cycle is not understood.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3

References

  • Arai MN (2005) Predation on pelagic coelenterates: a review. J Mar Biol Assoc UK 85:523–536

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Böhlke EB (ed) (1989) Fishes of the Western North Atlantic Part 9, vol 2. Sears Foundation for Marine Research, New Haven

    Google Scholar 

  • Brander K, Thompson AB (1989) Diel differences in avoidance of three vertical profile sampling gears by herring larvae. J Plankton Res 11:775–784

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Castle PHJ (1959) A large leptocephalid (Teleostei, Apodes) from off South Westland, New Zealand. Trans R Soc NZ 87:179–184

    Google Scholar 

  • Castle PHJ (1984) Notacanthiformes and Anguilliformes: development. In: Moser HG, Richards WJ (eds) Ontogeny and Systematics of Fishes, vol 1. American Society of Ichthyology and Hepetology, New York, pp 62–93

    Google Scholar 

  • Castonguay M, McCleave JD (1987) Vertical distributions, diel and ontogenetic vertical migrations and net avoidance of leptocephali of Anguilla and other common species in the Sargasso Sea. J Plankton Res 9:195–214

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chow S, Kurogi H, Mochioka N, Kaji S, Okazaki M, Tsukamoto K (2009) Discovery of mature freshwater eels in the open ocean. Fish Sci 75:257–259

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Clutter RI, Anraku M (1968) Avoidance of samplers in zooplankton sampling. Monographs on oceanographic methodology, vol 2. UNESCO, Paris, pp 57–76

  • Dennis DM, Pitcher CR, Skewes TD (2001) Distribution and transport pathways of Panulirus ornatus (Fabricius, 1776) and Panulirus spp. larvae in the Coral Sea, Australia. Mar Freshw Res 52:1175–1185

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Figueroa DE, Brunetti NE, Sakai M (2008) The southernmost record of notacanthiform Tiluropsis leptocephali, with notes on possible species identity. Mar Biodivers Rec 1:e53

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gartz RG, Miller LW, Fujimura RW, Smith PE (1999) Measurement of larval striped bass (Morone saxatilis) net avoidance using evasion radius estimation to improve estimates of abundance and mortality. J Plankton Res 21:561–580

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Heino M, Porteiro FM, Sutton TT, Falkenhaug T, Godø OR, Piatkowski U (2011) Catchability of pelagic trawls for sampling deep-living nekton in the mid-North Atlantic. ICES J Mar Sci 68:377–389

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hovekamp S (1989) Avoidance of nets by Euphausia pacifica in Dabob Bay. J Plankton Res 11:907–924

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jamieson AJ, Godø OR, Bagley PM, Partridge JC, Priede IG (2006) Illumination of trawl gear by mechanically stimulated bioluminescence. Fish Res 81:276–282

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kaartvedt S, Staby A, Akcnes DS (2012) Efficient trawl avoidance by mesopelagic fishes causes large underestimation of their biomass. Mar Ecol Prog Ser 456:1–6

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Koslow J, Kloser R, Stanley CA (1995) Avoidance of a camera system by a deepwater fish, the orange roughy (Hoplostethus atlanticus). Deep-Sea Res I 42:233–244

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kurogi H, Okazaki M, Mochioka N, Jinbo T, Hashimoto H, Takahashi M, Tawa A, Aoyama J, Shinoda A, Tsukamoto K, Tanaka H, Gen K, Kazeto Y, Chow S (2011) First capture of post-spawning female of the Japanese eel Anguilla japonica at the southern West Mariana Ridge. Fish Sci 77:199–205

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • McGowan JA, Fraundorf VJ (1966) The relationship between size of net used and estimates of zooplankton diversity. Limnol Oceanogr 11:456–469

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McGurk MD (1992) Avoidance of towed plankton nets by herring larvae: a model of night-day catch ratios based on larval length, net speed and mesh width. J Plankton Res 14:173–182

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Miller MJ (2009) Ecology of anguilliform leptocephali: remarkable transparent fish larvae of the ocean surface layer. Aqua-BioSci Monogr 2(4):1–94

    Google Scholar 

  • Miller MJ, McCleave JD (1994) Species assemblages of leptocephali in the subtropical convergence zone of the Sargasso Sea. J Mar Res 52:743–772

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Miller MJ, Aoyama J, Mochioka N, Otake T, Castle PHJ, Minagawa G, Inagaki T, Tsukamoto K (2006) Geographic variation in the assemblages of leptocephali in the western South Pacific. Deep-Sea Res I 53:776–794

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Miller MJ, Otake T, Aoyama J, Wouthuyzen S, Suharti S, Sugeha HY, Tsukamoto K (2011) Observations of gut contents of leptocephali in the North Equatorial Current and Tomini Bay, Indonesia. Coast Mar Sci 35:277–288

    Google Scholar 

  • Miller MJ, Norman MD, Tsukamoto K, Finn JK (2013a) Evidence of mimicry of gelatinous zooplankton by anguilliform leptocephali for predator avoidance. Mar Freshw Behav Physiol 45:375–384

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Miller MJ, Chikaraishi Y, Ogawa NO, Yamada Y, Tsukamoto K, Ohkouchi N (2013b) A low trophic position of Japanese eel larvae indicates feeding on marine snow. Biol Lett 9:20120826

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Misund OA, Luyeye N, Coetzee J, Boyer D (1999) Trawl sampling of small pelagic fish off Angola: effects of avoidance, towing speed, tow duration, and time of day. ICES J Mar Sci 56:275–283

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Miyazaki S, Kim H-Y, Zenimoto K, Kitagawa T, Miller MJ, Kimura S (2011) Stable isotope analysis of two species of anguilliform leptocephali (Anguilla japonica and Ariosoma major) relative to their feeding depth in the North Equatorial Current region. Mar Biol 158:2555–2564

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Mochioka N, Iwamizu M (1996) Diet of anguillid larvae: leptocephali feed selectively on larvacean houses and fecal pellets. Mar Biol 125:447–452

    Google Scholar 

  • Morse WA (1989) Catchability, growth, and mortality of larval fishes. Fish Bull 87:417–446

    Google Scholar 

  • Okamura A, Oka HP, Yamada Y, Utoh T, Mikawa N, Horie N, Tanaka S (2002) Development of lateral line organs in leptocephali of the freshwater eel Anguilla japonica (Teleostei, Anguilliformes). J Morphol 254:81–91

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Otake T, Nogami K, Maruyama K (1993) Dissolved and particulate organic matter as possible food sources for eel leptocephali. Mar Ecol Prog Ser 92:27–34

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pearcy WG (1980) A large, opening-closing midwatar trawl for sampling oceanic nekton, and comparison of catches with an Isaacs-Kidd midwater trawl. Fish Bull 78:529–534

    Google Scholar 

  • Purcell JE, Arai MN (2001) Interactions of pelagic cnidarians and ctenophores with fish: a review. Hydrobiologia 451:27–44

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Remsen A, Hopkins TL, Samson S (2004) What you see is not what you catch: a comparison of concurrently collected net, optical plankton counter, and shadowed image particle profiling evaluation recorder data from the northeast Gulf of Mexico. Deep-Sea Res I 51:129–151

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Richardson DE, Cowen RK (2004) Diversity of leptocephalus larvae around the island of Barbados (West Indies): relevance to regional distributions. Mar Ecol Prog Ser 282:271–284

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ross SW, Casazza TL, Quattrini AM, Sulak KJ (2007) Anguilliform larvae collected off North Carolina. Mar Biol 150:681–695

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Skjoldal HR, Wiebe PH, Postel L, Knutsen T, Kaartvedt S, Sameoto DD (2013) Intercomparison of zooplankton (net) sampling systems: results from the ICES/GLOBEC sea-going workshop. Prog Oceanogr 108:1–42

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Smith DG (1970) Notacanthiform leptocephali in the Western North Atlantic. Copeia 1970:1–9

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Smith DG (1989a) Introduction to leptocephali. In: Böhlke EB (ed) Fishes of the Western North Atlantic. Leptocephali. Part 9, vol 2. Sears Foundation for Marine Research, New Haven, pp 657–668

    Google Scholar 

  • Smith DG (1989b) Family Congridae: leptocephali. In: Böhlke EB (ed) Fishes of the Western North Atlantic Part 9, vol 2. Sears Foundation for Marine Research, New Haven, pp 723–763

    Google Scholar 

  • Smith DG (1989c) Family Nemichthyidae: leptocephali. In: Böhlke EB (ed) Fishes of the Western North Atlantic. Leptocephali. Part 9, vol 2. Sears Foundation for Marine Research, New Haven, pp 925–932

    Google Scholar 

  • Smith DG, Castle PHJ (1982) Larvae of the nettastomatid eels: systematics and distribution. Dana Rep 90

  • Stehle M, Dos Santos A, Queiroga H (2007) Comparison of zooplankton sampling performance of Longhurst–Hardy Plankton Recorder and Bongo nets. J Plankton Res 29:169–177

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Stein DL (1985) Towing large nets by single warp at abyssal depths: methods and biological results. Deep-Sea Res 32:183–200

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Stoner AW, Ryer CH, Parker SJ, Auster PJ, Wakefield WW (2008) Evaluating the role of fish behavior in surveys conducted with underwater vehicles. Can J Fish Aquat Sci 65:1230–1243

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tabeta O (1970) A giant leptocephalus from the sea off northern Peru. Jpn J Ichthyol 17:80–81

    Google Scholar 

  • Tsukamoto K, Chow S, Otake T, Kurogi H, Mochioka N, Miller MJ, Aoyama J, Kimura S, Watanabe S, Yoshinaga T, Shinoda A, Kuroki M, Oya M, Watanabe T, Hata K, Ijiri S, Kazeto Y, Nomura K, Tanaka H (2011) Oceanic spawning ecology of freshwater eels in the western North Pacific. Nat Commun 2:179

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Wiebe PH, Benfield MC (2003) From the Hensen Net toward four-dimensional biological oceanography. Prog Oceanogr 56:7–136

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wiebe PH, Boyd SH, Davis BM, Cox JJ (1982) Avoidance of towed nets by the euphausiid Nematoscelis megalops. Fish Bull 80:75–91

    Google Scholar 

  • Wouthuyzen S, Miller MJ, Aoyama J, Minagawa G, Sugeha YH, Suharti S, Inagaki T, Tsukamoto K (2005) Biodiversity of anguilliform leptocephali in the central Indonesian Seas. Bull Mar Sci 77:209–224

    Google Scholar 

  • Wuenschel MJ, Able KW (2008) Swimming ability of eels (Anguilla rostrata, Conger oceanicus) at estuarine ingress: contrasting patterns of cross-shelf transport? Mar Biol 154:775–786

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

We thank the captain and crew of the R/V “Walther Herwig III” for deploying the trawls during cruise, and Tagried Kurwie, Manfred Trenk, Tina Blancke, and Olav Giere who helped sort the IKMT plankton samples.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Atmosphere and Ocean Research Institute, The University of Tokyo, 5-1-5 Kashiwanoha, Kashiwa, Chiba, 277-8564, Japan

    Michael J. Miller

  2. Thünen-Institute of Baltic Sea Fisheries, Alter Hafen Süd 2, 18069, Rostock, Germany

    Daniel Stepputtis

  3. Ifremer, UMR EME 212, Av. Jean Monnet, 34 200, Sète, France

    Sylvain Bonhommeau

  4. Fisheries and Oceans, Institut Maurice-Lamontagne, Mont-Joli, Québec, Canada

    Martin Castonguay

  5. Thünen-Institute of Sea Fisheries, Palmaille 9, 22767, Hamburg, Germany

    Matthias Schaber

  6. Thünen-Institute of Fisheries Ecology, Palmaille 9, 22767, Hamburg, Germany

    Michael Vobach, Klaus Wysujack & Reinhold Hanel

Authors
  1. Michael J. Miller
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Daniel Stepputtis
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Sylvain Bonhommeau
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Martin Castonguay
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Matthias Schaber
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Michael Vobach
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  7. Klaus Wysujack
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  8. Reinhold Hanel
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Michael J. Miller.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Miller, M.J., Stepputtis, D., Bonhommeau, S. et al. Comparisons of catches of large leptocephali using an IKMT and a large pelagic trawl in the Sargasso Sea. Mar Biodiv 43, 493–501 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12526-013-0170-7

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12526-013-0170-7

Keywords

Search

Navigation