Fishery biology of whitespotted conger Conger myriaster (Brevoort, 1856) in the Yellow Sea and East China Sea

Population status and distribution of whitespotted conger (Conger myriaster) in Yellow Sea: An important migratory species along coastal China with limited data

“…In the present study, the year effect was not statistically significant, indicating a relatively stable population status of conger during 2011–2017. The monthly variation in relative abundance and distribution of whitespotted conger based on the conclusion of modeling indicated a feeding, wintering, and spawning migration for individuals of different sizes in the survey areas (Mu et al, ; Tokimura, ), which was consistent with the similar study of Katayama, Ishida, Shimizu, and Yamanobe (). The likely movement pattern of whitespotted conger could be inferred from the predicted maps based on the previous studies (Bae et al, ; Zhu, Zhang, & Cheng, ).…”

“…Individuals with different body size have different tolerances for environmental factors (Gorie & Nagasawa, ). According to the length–age relationship described by the von Bertalanffy equation for this conger species in the Yellow and East China Sea by Mu et al (), the population mainly composed of 200–350 mm body length was 0–2 years old in this study except for December. The coastal waters are often the nursing ground for relatively smaller conger with limited swimming ability shown as an overall lower abundance in Haizhou Bay in spring (Li, Ye, et al, ).…”

“…China Sea by Mu et al (2018), the population mainly composed of 200-350 mm body length was 0-2 years old in this study except for December. The coastal waters are often the nursing ground for relatively smaller conger with limited swimming ability shown as an overall lower abundance in Haizhou Bay in spring (Li, Ye, et al, 2017).…”

“…The large and relatively smaller individuals of this conger species were found to migrate to the offshore area and began their southward spawning migration and wintering migration in late autumn in the Yellow Sea, respectively. The larvae conger arrived in Haizhou Bay and began to move toward the coast in the next early spring, bunched and foraged in coastal waters in July with a relative higher abundance, and then temporarily moved out of the shallow water probably to escape the strong light and high temperature in August (Li, Ye, et al, ; Liu et al, ; Mu et al, ; Tokimura, ). With the arrival of September, these whitespotted conger swam back to the central waters of the bay with the decreasing temperature and light, and continued to move to nearshore waters in October, and the relative abundance of this conger reached its another peak in December.…”

“…The likely movement pattern of whitespotted conger could be inferred from the predicted maps based on the previous studies (Bae et al, 2018;Zhu, Zhang, & Cheng, 1963). foraged in coastal waters in July with a relative higher abundance, and then temporarily moved out of the shallow water probably to escape the strong light and high temperature in August (Li, Ye, et al, 2017;Liu et al, 2015;Mu et al, 2018;Tokimura, 2001). With the arrival of September, these whitespotted conger swam back to the central waters of the bay with the decreasing temperature and light, and continued to move to nearshore waters in October, and the relative abundance of this conger reached its another peak in December.…”