Summer Habitat and Fishing Ground of Ommastrephes bartramii Related with the North Pacific Subarctic Frontal Zone Using Long-term Field Research Data

The neon flying squid, Ommastrephes bartramii, is an economically important oceanic squid species that has been harvested commercially in the North Pacific by Japan, Korea, China, and Taiwan. The Fisheries Research Agency (FRA) of Japan conducted long-term research for this species from 1980 to 2009 using commercial vessels to clarify the resource ecology and it obtained a total dataset of approximately 9,000 days, where following from this and to better clarify the relationship between habitat preference and oceanographic conditions, a generalized additive model was applied and mapped onto the Simple Ocean Data Assimilation ocean/sea ice reanalysis (SODA) data. The resultant habitat map of the squid showed an area of high abundance at the Subarctic Frontal Zone (SAFZ), with abundance areas increasing the squid abundance from April to August. The SAFZ extends from 40 degrees N to 43 degrees N separating the cold, low-salinity, subarctic water to the north from the waters of the North Pacific Transition Zone to the south. This high abundance area intersects between subarctic area and temperate area. It has characteristic nutrient regimes, productivity cycles, and nektonic faunal compositions. This paper suggests that the SAFZ thus plays an important role in North Pacific ecosystems by providing an optimal balance between environmental temperature and food density for the neon flying squid.

Automated summary

The neon flying squid, an economically important oceanic species, has been commercially harvested in the North Pacific by Japan, Korea, China, and Taiwan. A long-term research conducted by the Fisheries Research Agency of Japan from 1980 to 2009 collected data to understand the resource ecology of this species. A habitat map was created using a generalized additive model and ocean/sea ice reanalysis data, revealing a high abundance area at the Subarctic Frontal Zone (SAFZ) with increasing squid abundance from April to August. This research suggests that the SAFZ plays a crucial role in North Pacific ecosystems by providing optimal conditions for the neon flying squid in terms of temperature and food density.