Growth-selective survival of young jack mackerel Trachurus japonicus during transition from pelagic to demersal habitats in the East China Sea

Abstract

To examine the growth-selective survival in early life stages of jack mackerel from the East China Sea, we compared growth rates of young fish collected from the surface layer in April with those of survivors collected from the near-bottom layer in May–June. We performed this analysis from 3 year classes with different levels of relative abundance: low in 2005, intermediate in 2008 and high in 2009. Growth rates during the larval stage of the original population were slower than the survivors in all survey years, indicating that faster-growing individuals in the surface layer had a higher probability of survival to the near-bottom habitat than slower-growing individuals. Selection intensity, defined as differences in growth rates between the two groups, was higher in year classes with a lower abundance. Hence, growth rates during the early life stages of jack mackerel are considered to be a critical determinant of successful survival to the demersal habitat.