Species and year class compositions of demersal fishes in Onagawa Bay after the huge disturbance in 2011

To assess the population status of coastal fishery resources, demersal fish composition caught by gillnet and year-class compositions were examined in Onagawa Bay, Miyagi Prefecture, after the Great East Japan Earthquake in 2011. The two most dominant fishes were greenlings and brown hakeling. The catch per unit effort (CPUE) of total fishes fluctuated seasonally, without ever reaching a seriously low level. There were few black rockfish and marbled sole recruits of the year-class after 2011. The year-class compositions of many species displayed similar changes, with the majority of fish caught in 2012 belonging to year-classes that reproduced before 2011. Although the proportion of year-classes before 2011 decreased as the year progressed, CPUEs were not at a low level. The data suggests that there are no serious problems with the current population status; however, future trends in recruitment need to be assessed.Special Issue（東日本大震災特集