Potential Effect of the Intrusion of the Kuroshio Current into the South China Sea on Catches of Japanese Eel (Anguilla Japonica) in the South China Sea and Taiwan Strait

Abstract

This study examined the effect of the intrusion of the Kuroshio Current (KC) into the South China Sea (SCS) and the Taiwan Strait (TS) (SCS–TS region) on changes in catches of larval A. japonica in the traditional fishing ground waters of Gaoping near southwestern Taiwan in the SCS–TS region. First, the oceanic environment and recruitment trends from 1967 to 2019 were investigated based on secondary data. Then, field surveys were conducted to obtain primary data regarding the intrusion of the KC into the SCS, as well as the changes in the fishing sites and catches of A. japonica in the fall and winter of 2014–2015. Hence, the association between oceanic conditions and the number of A. japonica migrating into the SCS–TS region was explored. From 1967 to 2019, the recruitment proportion in the fishing grounds that formed due to the Kuroshio Branch Current (PKSBC) fluctuated significantly. Overall, positive values were observed for the Oceanic Niño Index for each year with a PKSBC > 50%, corresponding to El Niño conditions. In each year with a PKSBC > 70%, a looping path and a warm–core eddy appeared.