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Abstract

To study the diel migration distribution of larval fish in an area adjacent to the Kuroshio Current, samples were collected from six depths by using a Motoda horizontal net at a fixed station in Yilan Bay on July 30 and 31, 2007. A total of 591 larval fish were collected and assigned to at least 34 families and 57 species. The first five dominant species were Benthosama pterotum (40.95%), Diaphus B type (12.18%), Callionymidae spp. (8.46%), Gobiidae spp. (6.60%), and Apogonidae spp. (4.0%). The density of larval fish varied across time. The maximum larval density was 1220.34 individuals/1000 m3 at 19:00, and the minimum larval density was 81.84 ind./1000 m3 at 14:00. The vertical distribution of species accounting for more than 10% of all fish caught was determined by the diurnal and nocturnal migration of the dominant species B. pterotum, which migrated from a depth of 50 m at night to 200 m in the afternoon. The distribution models for other species (e.g., Diaphus B type) were also analyzed in this study.

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