Download Variations in the catches of small pelagic fishes from China seas

Variations in the catches of small pelagic fishes from China seas and its responses
to climatic regime shifts
Yongjun Tian1, Shuyang Ma1, Jianchao Li 1and Jiahua Cheng2
1
Ocean University of China, Qingdao, China. E-mail: [email protected]
2
East China Sea Fishery Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences，
Shanghai, China.
Small pelagic fishes such as sardine and anchovy play an important role in marine
ecosystem and affected largely by environmental changes as the character of r-strategists
and their low trophic levels. Small pelagic fishes are crucial targets of Chinese fishery,
contributed up to 21.6% of the total catch in 2014, and show increasing trend since 1950s.
However, there is little information on small pelagic species in Chinese waters. Here,
catch trends and impacts of regime shifts for five small pelagic fishes, chub mackerel
(Scomber japonicus), Pacific herring (Clupea pallasi), Japanese anchovy (Engraulis
japonicus), Japanese sardine (Sardinops melanostictus) and horse mackerel (Trachurus
japonicus), are analyzed using Chinese fishery statistics, FAO data and climatic indices
(Pacific Decadal Oscillation, Southern Oscillation Index, Arctic Oscillation Index, North
Pacific Index and Asian Monsoon Index). It aims to explore the variabilities in catches
of small pelagic fishes in China Seas and their responses to climatic regime shifts. Results
show that evident inter-decadal variabilities occurred in all of the five species with
different responding patterns between warm- and cold- water species. Catch of coldwater herring decreased during 1990s and increased in the 2000s with step changes
around in 1983/84 and 2000/01, while the catches of others increased in 1990s and
decreased in the late 2000s with step changes in 1976/77, 1996/97 and 2006/07. It
suggests that decadal variations in small pelagic fishes respond well to the regime shifts
occurred in 1976/77 and 1996/97, but the impact of the late 1990s regime shift was not
evident for these five species.