Abstract

Fish communities ranging from larval to adult stages were collected, using a square bottom-net in the middle East Sea from 2014 to 2015. The total of 43 species from 16 families, including unidentified species, were collected. A total of 7,987 individuals with a total biomass of 254.0 g were caught. Taxonomic groups, such as families Cottidae, Stichaeidae, and Agonidae, had the most abundant species. In terms of abundance, Arctoscopus japonicus was the most dominant species, accounting for 7,081 individuals (88.7% of the total). The number of species increased gradually from February to March, peaked at 18 species in April, and declined to 3~4 species by September to December. The dominant species A. japonicus showed a peak occurrence in February 2014 and was observed until May. Based on the examination of developmental stages of 43 fish species, 25 species spent their juvenile stage in this study area. Some species, such as Blepsias cirrhosus and Ocella dodecaedron, inhabited the area throughout the different developmental stages, while others, such as Furcina osimae and Liparis tanakae, occurred in only one of its developmental stages. The cluster analysis indicated three major groups, and A. japonicus was as a key contributing species in all groups. Therefore, these findings suggest that this area serves as an important spawning and nursery ground for various cold-water fish species in the East Sea of Korea.