Distribution of Fish Eggs, Larvae and Juveniles around the Youngsan River Estuary

Distribution of ichthyoplanktons and its relation to environmental factors (temperature, salinity, $chlorophyll\;\alpha$) around the Youngsan River Estuary of Mokpo, southwest coast of Korea were investigated based on the samples collected bimonthly from February to December, 2001. Unidentified fish eggs were most abundant $1,345\;eggs/100m^3$ in August, while eggs of Engraulis japonicus were most abundant $63\;eggs/100m^3$ in June. A total of forty species of fish larvae and juveniles belonging to the twenty families under six orders were caught, with six gobiids, four icefishes, four croakers and three herrings being represented. Fish larvae and juveniles peaked $17,757\;inds./100m^3$ in August, which consisted of $91.02\%$ of gobiids, $3.69\%$ of gunnels and $3.67\%$ of icefishes, and they were most abundant $7,467\;Inds./100m^3$ at St. 7. Cluster analysis based on the individuals of fish larvae and juveniles showed that six months were classified into two groups at the dissimilarity 70, the first was composed of June and August and the second was February and December and April and October were not clustered with any other months. In August when species diversity index was the highest, eight stations were classified into two groups at the dissimilarity 70, the first was composed of St. 1, 3, 4, 5 and 8 and the second was St. 6, 7 and 2. As a result from correspondence analysis, there is no effect of the environmental factors with a density of fish eggs and larvae, but correlation could be found between a density of fish eggs and $chlorophyll\;\alpha.$

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