Abstract
The present study established an age determination technique and analyzed growth patterns in three sculpins, Myoxocephalus jaok, Enophrys diceraus, and Gymnocanthus herzensteini, which are major components of demersal fish assemblages in the subarctic Pacific. In all three species, only two or three otolith opaque zones were detected by surface observations, but numerous opaque zones were observed on otolith thin sections. For all species, the results of the study suggest that otolith opaque zones were formed annually. Although opaque zones were probably formed during summer for M. jaok and G. herzensteini, the timing could not be clarified for E. diceraus. The standard lengths at the same ages were greatest in M. jaok, moderate in G. herzensteini, and smallest in E. diceraus. In M. jaok and G. herzensteini, Bertalanffy growth curves were estimated for each sex, and were found to differ significantly between sexes. The bycatch of M. jaok and G. herzensteini in the western coastal Pacific around Hokkaido consisted mainly of young individuals, while that of E. diceraus was primarily older individuals. The results of this study may facilitate an understanding of the biological characteristics of sculpins not only around Hokkaido, but throughout the subarctic Pacific.
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Acknowledgements
We are grateful to Yoshihiro Saito and Naoki Tsukita of the Erimo Fishery Cooperative and Ken’ichi Takahashi of the Hidaka Chuo Fishery Cooperative for their support in the collection of bycatch specimens. We are also grateful to Yoshihiro Miyazaki, Kouji Kakishita, and Masaru Masugata, the members of the Hidaka Fishery Extension Office, for their help in the sampling and measuring of specimens. We thank the subject editor Masashi Sekino and two anonymous reviewers for their valuable comments. This study was financially supported by the Research Encouragement Program of Hokkaido Research Organization (2017). English language editing services for this manuscript were provided by Crimson Interactive.
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Joh, M., Takayama, T. & Mihara, Y. Age and growth of three marine sculpins, Myoxocephalus jaok, Enophrys diceraus, and Gymnocanthus herzensteini, and age composition of fishery-bycatch sculpins in the western coastal Pacific around Hokkaido Island, Japan. Fish Sci 86, 427–436 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12562-019-01391-3
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12562-019-01391-3