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Monthly variation in the fat content of anchovy (Engraulis japonicus) in the Yellow Sea: implications for acoustic abundance estimation

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Abstract

Anchovy is a key species in the Yellow Sea ecosystem. An accurate estimate of anchovy abundance is vital for the management of the anchovy stock and measurement of the ecosystem response to changes in anchovy abundance. However, the acoustic fish abundance estimate may be biased by 30%–40% if the fat-content induced target strength variation is not taken into account. We measured the monthly variation in the fat content of anchovy (Engraulis japonicus) in the Yellow Sea, and evaluated the potential effect of variation in fat content on the acoustic assessment of anchovy abundance. The fat content of anchovy varied seasonally, with two maxima and two minima in a year. The highest fat content (14.75%) was measured in the pre-spawning period in May, and the lowest fat content (2.48%) was measured during the post-spawning period in October. Fat content appeared to correlate with water content, but not body size. Assuming that the target strength is decreased by 0.2dB for every 1% increase in fat content, the seasonal difference in the target strength of anchovy may be as high as 2.45 dB. Given this, the acoustic abundance estimate may be biased by between 43% and 76%. Our results highlight the need for more information on the changes in fat content of fishes whose abundance is estimated by acoustic surveys.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Key Laboratory for Sustainable Utilization of Marine Fishery Resources, Ministry of Agriculture; Key Laboratory for Fishery Resources and Eco-environment, Shandong Province; Yellow Sea Fisheries Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences, Qingdao, 266071, China

    Bo Zhang  (张波), Xianyong Zhao  (赵宪勇) & Fangqun Dai  (戴芳群)

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  1. Bo Zhang  (张波)
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  2. Xianyong Zhao  (赵宪勇)
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  3. Fangqun Dai  (戴芳群)
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Correspondence to Xianyong Zhao  (赵宪勇).

Additional information

Supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 40476021), the National Key Basic Research Program of China (973 Program) (No. 2006CB400600), the Taishan Scholar Program of Shandong Province, and the Yellow and Bohai Sea Scientific Observation and Experiment Station for Fishery Resources and Environment, Ministry of Agriculture

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Zhang, B., Zhao, X. & Dai, F. Monthly variation in the fat content of anchovy (Engraulis japonicus) in the Yellow Sea: implications for acoustic abundance estimation. Chin. J. Ocean. Limnol. 29, 556–563 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00343-011-0187-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00343-011-0187-3

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