Evidence of lower age, fast growth, and shrinking habitat in critically endangered croaker fish Larimichthys crocea
Journal
Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science
Journal Volume
313
Start Page
109095
ISSN
0272-7714
Date Issued
2025-02
Author(s)
Lin, Chien-Hsiang
Lin, Tai-Yan
Nazir, Aafaq
Wang, Yen-Chun
Iizuka, Yoshiyuki
Li, Kuang-Ti
Abstract
Overexploitation can impact the life history traits of fish significantly altering growth rates and habitat use. The large yellow croaker (Larimichthys crocea) in the Northwest Pacific has been heavily harvested for nearly half a century, pushing it to the brink of extinction. However, traditional methods have failed to capture historical baselines data on its age structure, growth patterns, and habitat use due to changes that occurred before systematic scientific surveys began. This study aimed to reconstruct these baseline data by analyzing otoliths from three distinct geological times representing varying levels of human disturbance: Early Pleistocene (fossil site dated 1.90–1.35 Ma), Middle to Late Holocene (archaeological sites dated 5000–1000 B.P.), and modern periods. Biological age was estimated from otoliths and verified using stable isotope (δ18O) analysis. Modern wild large yellow croakers are significantly younger (1.1 ± 0.8 years) compared to those from the Holocene (3.2 ± 1.8) and Pleistocene periods (5.3 ± 2.4). Additionally, modern otoliths exhibit a higher growth rate compared to archaeological and fossil otoliths. Many archaeological and fossil otoliths show δ18O values well below −4‰, indicating that historical populations of large yellow croaker inhabited a broader range of environments, including brackish water conditions not observed in modern populations. These findings highlight how human impact has acted as a selective pressure on fish, leading to significant changes in age, growth patterns, and habitat use.
Subjects
Age structure
Archaeology
Otolith
Pleistocene
Stable isotope
Taiwan
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Type
journal article