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Seasonal changes in depth and temperature of habitat for Japanese flounder Paralichthys olivaceus on the Pacific coast of northeastern Japan

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Abstract

Seasonal changes in habitat use in terms of depth and temperature were estimated for Japanese flounder Paralichthys olivaceus from the Pacific coast of northeastern Japan from 2006 to 2008, using data from trawl and gillnet fisheries logbooks, to which we assigned monthly estimates of bottom temperature. Estimated distributions of flounder for depth and temperature were validated by actual depth and temperature readings from data storage tags (DSTs) attached to flounder, and from collection records by trawl survey. Year-round, flounder > 300 mm in total length were present mainly in areas < 100 m in depth, although their depth range extended to ~ 100 m in summer and ~ 200 m in winter. Flounder experienced cold temperatures (< 10 °C) for several months during winter and spring, and cooler temperatures (< 18 °C monthly mean) in summer, with a range from 4.6 °C to 21.0 °C. This temperature range of the habitat is lower than recorded for this species elsewhere in Japan, and seemed to affect regional life-history traits such as growth and spawning season. DST readings indicated that flounder experienced higher temperatures during vertical swimming behavior than bottom temperatures when the water was stratified (May–October), which may also influence life-history traits.

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Acknowledgements

We are grateful to Teruaki Yagi, Tadashi Watanabe, Naoyuki Nakatsuka, Kaoru Kishino, Masanori Nishino, Yukinori Nakane, and Hiroyuki Togashi for assisting with the fish-release experiments. Comments from Satoshi Watanabe and two anonymous reviewers helped to improve the manuscript. Cynthia Kulongowski, Karen Tricklebank, and Steve O’Shea of Edanz Group (https://en-author-services.edanzgroup.com/ac), edited the English language of this manuscript. This study was supported by the four programs: Reconstruction Program of the Japan Fisheries Research and Education Agency; CREST Program of the Japan Science and Technology Agency (JPMJCR13A3); Stock Assessment Program of the Fisheries Research and Education Agency of Japan and Fisheries Agency; and the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, Japan, through the Scheme to Revitalize Agriculture and Fisheries in the Disaster Area through Deploying Highly Advanced Technology.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Shiogama Field Station, Fisheries Resources Institute, Japan Fisheries Research and Education Agency, 3-27-5 Shinhama, Shiogama, Miyagi, 985-0001, Japan

    Yutaka Kurita & Shigeho Kakehi

  2. Fukushima Prefectural Research Institute of Fisheries Resources, 1-1-14 Koyo, Soma, Fukushima, 976-0005, Japan

    Toru Sakuma, Shinya Shimamura & Atsushi Sanematsu

  3. Graduate School of Fisheries and Environmental Sciences, Nagasaki University, 1-14 Bunkyo, Nagasaki, 852-8521, Japan

    Hiromasa Kitagawa

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

    Shin-ichi Ito

  5. Organization for Marine Science and Technology, Institute for East China Sea Research, Nagasaki University, 1551-7 Taira, Nagasaki, Nagasaki, 851-2213, Japan

    Ryo Kawabe

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

    Yasutoki Shibata

  7. Hiroshima University, 1-4-4 Kagamiyama, Higashi-Hiroshima, Hiroshima, 739-8528, Japan

    Takeshi Tomiyama

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  1. Yutaka Kurita
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  2. Toru Sakuma
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Correspondence to Yutaka Kurita.

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Kurita, Y., Sakuma, T., Kakehi, S. et al. Seasonal changes in depth and temperature of habitat for Japanese flounder Paralichthys olivaceus on the Pacific coast of northeastern Japan. Fish Sci 87, 223–237 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12562-021-01495-9

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