Analysis of spatio-temporal fluctuations of East China Sea fishery resources using GIS

Catch data from the East China Sea from 1987 through 1997, and other environmental factors, were overlain using Geographic Information System (GIS) technology. Maps of the spatio-temporal density of the demersal and pelagic fishery resources were produced. After analyzing the density distribution, we analyzed relationships between spatio-temporal distributions and environmental factors. The Kuroshio Current plays a major role in determining the fishery density distribution, especially for the demersal fishery. The South Yellow Sea Water Mass and the expansion of the Changjiang Diluted Water (ECDW) are two other main environmental factors. The demersal fishery resource is mainly distributed between the 200-m isobath and the central route of Kuroshio Current. Density shifts of the demersal and pelagic fisheries were analyzed by calculation of centers of gravity. Trend analyses showed that the fishery resources generally decreased in the study area during the 11-year period