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Vol. 50 No. 4, 2011
Comparison
of Distribution Patterns of Larval Fish Assemblages in the Taiwan
Strait between the Northeasterly and Southwesterly Monsoons
Hung-Yen Hsieh1, Wen-Tseng Lo2,*, Long-Jing Wu1, Dong-Chung Liu3, and Wei-Cheng Su3
1Coastal
and Offshore Resources Research Center, Fisheries Research Institute of
the Council of Agriculture, Executive Yuan, Kaohsiung 806, Taiwan
2Institute of Marine Biotechnology and Resources, National Sun Yat-sen University, Kaohsiung 804, Taiwan
3Fisheries Research Institute of the Council of Agriculture, Executive Yuan, Keelung 202, Taiwan
Hung-Yen Hsieh, Wen-Tseng Lo, Long-Jing Wu, Dong-Chung Liu, and Wei-Cheng Su (2011) The
objective of this study was to investigate the relationship between
spatial patterns of larval fish assemblages and local hydrographic
features during 2 distinct monsoon seasons (the northeasterly monsoon
in winter vs. the southwesterly monsoon in summer) in the Taiwan
Strait. In total, 234 taxa of larval fishes, belonging to 126 genera
and 81 families, were identified. Families with higher numbers of
species were the Myctophidae, Carangidae, Gobiidae, and Scombridae.
Seasonal and spatial variations in larval fish assemblages were
significant. Some species only occurred in a specific season with a
peak abundance in some areas, for example, Bleekeria mitsukurii, Benthosema pterotum, Trichiurus lepturus, Scomber sp. 2, and Scomber sp. 1 dominated in winter, while Encrasicholina punctifer, Auxis sp., Gunnellichthys sp., Selar crumenophthalmus, and Engraulis japonicus
were abundant in summer. The distribution pattern of larval fish
assemblages was closely linked to the dynamic nature of the water
currents in the study region, and high abundances of larval fish were
generally restricted to a topographic upwelling area and well-matched
with the abundances of phyto- and zooplankton. Food availability;
therefore, may be an important factor affecting the distribution of
larval fish assemblages in the Taiwan Strait. Intrusions of prevailing
currents driven by seasonal monsoons may also transport different
larval fish species, such as Sigmops gracilis and Vinciguerria nimbaria, from waters east of Taiwan into the Taiwan Strait.
Key words: Larval fish composition, Monsoon, Water mass, Taiwan Strait.
*Correspondence: Tel: 886-7-5252000 ext. 5050. Fax: 886-7-5255020. E-mail:lowen@mail.nsysu.edu.tw
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