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Age, growth, and estimation of the age-length key for Japanese flounder Paralichthys olivaceus in the southwestern Sea of Japan

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  • Fisheries
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Abstract

Japanese flounder Paralichthys olivaceus is one of the most important coastal fish species in Japan. However, its catch in the southwestern Sea of Japan has been decreasing. Therefore, there is a need to improve the accuracy of stock assessment. Catch-at-age, which is the basis for stock assessment, is calculated based on the length–frequency distribution using age-length keys. It is recommended that this basic information is revised annually. However, the information for this species has not been updated for a relatively long period. In this study, growth curves were estimated and compared with those recorded from other areas. A multinomial logistic age-length key was generated and compared with the classical catch-at-age calculation method to examine potential errors. On the basis of the results obtained, a sex-specific von Bertalanffy growth curve was selected using the Bayesian information criterion. A model of sex and season was chosen for the multinomial logistic age-length key. The relative error was smaller and the estimated age composition was more accurate with the multinomial logistic age-length key, even when data with missing values were used. The improved accuracy of catch-at-age achieved due to the superior characteristics of the multinomial logistic age-length key is expected to be useful for the advancement of stock assessment.

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Data availability statement

The data that support the findings of this study are not publicly available as they contain information that could compromise the privacy of research participants, but they may be available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.

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Acknowledgements

The authors are grateful to the staff of the Yamaguchi Prefectural Fisheries Research Center for their help in obtaining the samples. We are also grateful to Masahiro Nakagawa, Kunihiro Fujiwara, Tomoaki Iseki, and the staff of the Japan Fisheries Research and Education Agency for their support. The authors wish to thank the anonymous reviewers for comments on an earlier version of this paper. This study was funded by grants from the Japan Fisheries Agency, “Marine fisheries stock assessment and evaluation for Japanese waters,” and “A project to verify the reproductive success and the origin of released fish in a stock enhancement program of widely distributed species“ (Syubyou houryu ni yoru kouikisyu no shigen zousei kouka hutan no kouheika kensyou jigyou).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Nagasaki Field Station, Demersal Fish Resources Division, Fisheries Stock Assessment Center, Fisheries Resources Institute, Japan Fisheries Research and Education Agency, 1551-8, Taira-machi, Nagasaki-shi, Nagasaki, 851-2213, Japan

    Takahito Masubuchi & Tamaki Shimose

  2. Yamaguchi Prefectural Fisheries Research Center, 2861-3, Senzaki-Odomari, Nagato-shi, Yamaguchi, 759-4106, Japan

    Mitsuhisa Kawano

  3. Niigata Field Station, Demersal Fish Resources Division, Fisheries Stock Assessment Center, Fisheries Resources Institute, Japan Fisheries Research and Education Agency, 1-5939-22 Suido-cho, Chuo-ku, Niigata-shi, Niigata, 951-8121, Japan

    Yuta Yagi

  4. Faculty of Bioresources, Mie University, 1577 Kurimamachiya-cho, Tsu-shi, Mie, 515-8507, Japan

    Minoru Kanaiwa

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  1. Takahito Masubuchi
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Contributions

TM and MK conceived the study. Data collection was conducted by MK. TM, MK, and TS performed the data analysis. Data interpretations were conducted TM, TS, and YY. The manuscript was written through contributions from all the authors. All the authors have approved the final version of the manuscript.

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Correspondence to Takahito Masubuchi.

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Ethical statement

All sampling of fish was carried out in accordance with guidelines for the care and use of fishes by the Ichthyological Society of Japan (https://www.fish-isj.jp/english/guidelines.html). No institutional approvals for animal studies were required by the agencies at the time of data collection.

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Masubuchi, T., Kawano, M., Shimose, T. et al. Age, growth, and estimation of the age-length key for Japanese flounder Paralichthys olivaceus in the southwestern Sea of Japan. Fish Sci (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12562-024-01765-2

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