Depletion of naturally recruited wild Japanese eels in Okayama, Japan, revealed by otolith stable isotope ratios and abundance indices
2018
Kaifu, K. (Chuo University, Hachioji-shi, Tokyo (Japan). Faculty of Law) | Yokouchi, K. | Higuchi, T. | Itakura, H. | Shirai, K.
To investigate the population dynamics of naturally recruited wild Japanese eels, fisheries data of wild individuals in Okayama Prefecture were investigated as a case study. Wild and stocked eels were discriminated using a recently developed method based on otolith stable isotopes. Of the 161 eels captured in freshwater areas where eels had been stocked, 98.1% were discriminated as stocked. In contrast, 82.8% of 128 eels captured in coastal areas where eels are not stocked were discriminated as wild. There was a significant decrease in longline and set-net catch per unit effort between 2003 and 2016 in the coastal areas where most eels were discriminated as wild, indicating ongoing depletion of wild Japanese eels in these waters.
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