Comparison of fish fauna in three areas of adjacent eutrophic estuarine lagoons with different salinities

Variation in fish assemblages was investigated to clarify the migration patterns and growth rates of marine, brackish and freshwater species in three adjacent areas with different salinities. In the polyhaline Lake Nakaumi, Japan, benthic fishes and crustaceans were negatively affected by oxygen depletion in the lower water under stratification during the warm seasons. On the other hand, marine and brackish species that once migrated into the Honjo Area, which is isolated from L. Nakaumi and has a homogeneous salinity structure, remained and grew there until winter. In the mesohaline Lake Shinji, two types of fishes were distinguished: one that migrated into the lake during the warmer seasons; and the other which stayed in the lake during winter. Fauna and production in L. Shinji were compared with those of a comprehensive study carried out approximately 35 years ago. For 35 years, Konosirus punctatus and Sardinella zunasi have increased in abundance, while Carassius sp. and Hypomesus nipponensis have decreased. Even with the recent acceleration in eutrophication of the lake, fish production during the warmer seasons has not declined for 35 years, but the fish fauna have drastically changed.