Year-to-year fluctuations in the recruitment of the juvenile sea urchin Strongylocentrotus nudus were monitored between 1980 and 1995 off the coasts of Okushiri Island and Shimamaki on the Sea of Japan coast, southwestern Hokkaido. High recruitment levels (14.1 ind. /m2) of juveniles in 1984 and a continuous recruitment after 1990 were observed at the survey areas. The relationship between juvenile densities and average water temperature in September of the previous year was statistically significant. We suggest that high water temperature in September contributes to shortening of the larval period. The dominant 1983 year-class population contributed to an increase in commercial catch at the survey areas, and this was also found in the sub-prefectures of Shiribeshi and Hiyama.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.