Investigation of the geographical origin and migration of anchovy Engraulis japonicus in Tachibana Bay, Japan: A stable isotope approach

• Published in: Fisheries research 2010-02, Vol.102 (1), p.217-220
• Main Authors: Tanaka, Hiroshige, Ohshimo, Seiji, Takagi, Nobuo, Ichimaru, Toshio
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Anchovy; Animal and plant ecology; Animal, plant and microbial ecology; Applied ecology; Biological and medical sciences; engraulis japonicus; Exploitation and management of natural biological resources (hunting, fishing and exploited populations survey, etc.); Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Marine; Migration; Sea water ecosystems; Stable isotope; Synecology
• ISSN: 0165-7836; 1872-6763
• DOI: 10.1016/j.fishres.2009.11.002

We investigated the geographical origin and migration of anchovy Engraulis japonicus in Tachibana Bay, western Japan, using carbon and nitrogen stable isotope ratios (δ 13C and δ 15N, respectively). Stable isotope ratios of anchovy varied among seasonal samples for both δ 13C and δ 15N. In particular, the δ 13C values were clearly segregated; winter samples showed higher values (δ 13C > −17.5‰) than spring samples (δ 13C < −18.2‰). Moreover, these differences corresponded to the geographical variations in previously reported stable isotope ratios for anchovy; higher values in winter corresponded to the values of inshore habitat and lower values in spring corresponded to those of the offshore habitat. Therefore the spring population is considered to have originated from the offshore region and recently migrated to the sampling regions, while the winter population would have experienced the inshore region over an extended period. Our results support the general concept of the migration of anchovy populations deduced by the fishermen of Tachibana Bay.