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Improved growth of flathead flounder Hippoglossoides dubius in hypoxic waters in Funka Bay, Japan

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Abstract

To identify the factors that influence the growth rate of flathead flounder Hippoglossoides dubius in Funka Bay, Japan, we studied temporal changes in the growth of this species and its prey from 1989 to 2012. The lowest growth rate of H. dubius was recorded in the 1995 year-class, which had experienced severe hypoxia between 1995 and 1997. However, the highest growth rate was recorded in the 2007 year-class, which had experienced hypoxia between 2009 and 2011. In 2000 and 2001, small-sized flounder (<200 mm TL) from the 1995 year-class were feeding on mysidaceans, whereas those from other year-classes fed on small Ophiura spp. (<9 mm in disc diameter) in 2009, 2011, and 2012. Small Ophiura spp. were more abundant in 2007 and 2011 than in 2002 and 2003. Successful recruitment of Ophiura spp. took place between 2007 and 2011 and cohorts from these years could tolerate hypoxia. This suggests that food availability improved under hypoxic conditions, which led to improved growth in small flounders. Large flounders (≥200 mm TL) from all year-classes fed on prickleback fishes (Stichaeidae) and walleye pollock Gadus chalcogrammus juveniles. The growth of large flounders was enhanced by an increase in the abundance of Stichaeidae fishes and G. chalcogrammus juveniles.

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Acknowledgments

We would like to thank a number of people for their help with data collection: former Captains T. Meguro, S. Yamaguchi, and K. Ohkoshi and the crew of the T/S Ushio-maru, graduate students from the Graduate School of Fisheries Sciences, and undergraduate students from the Faculty of Fisheries at Hokkaido University. We also thank Associate Professor T. Nakatani and an editor and two anonymous reviewers for their helpful and meaningful comments. This work was supported by a grant-in-aid for 2011–2012 FYs Research Projects to T. Takatsu and Y. Kamei from the Hokusui Society Foundation, Sapporo, and by a grant-in-aid from the Japanese Society for Promotion of Science Numbers 20580189, 25450269 to T. Takatsu.

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Authors and Affiliations

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

    Yuta Inagaki & Masafumi Kimura

  2. Faculty of Fisheries Sciences, Hokkaido University, 3–3–1 Minato, Hakodate, Hokkaido, 041-8611, Japan

    Tetsuya Takatsu, Yota Kano, Toyomi Takahashi & Tatsuaki Maeda

  3. Training Ship Ushio-maru, Faculty of Fisheries, Hokkaido University, Minato, Hakodate, Hokkaido, 041-8611, Japan

    Yoshihiko Kamei & Naoto Kobayashi

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  1. Yuta Inagaki
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Correspondence to Yuta Inagaki.

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Inagaki, Y., Takatsu, T., Kimura, M. et al. Improved growth of flathead flounder Hippoglossoides dubius in hypoxic waters in Funka Bay, Japan. Fish Sci 80, 725–734 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12562-014-0761-7

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