UNDERSTANDING JAPANESE SARDINE MIGRATIONS USING ACOUSTIC AND OTHER AIDS

The migration routes of the Japanese sardine in the Kuroshio and Oyash io transition area were investigated using acoustic aids, satellite im ages, aerial observations, and commercial catch data. Japanese sardine schools were distributed in warm streamers, especially at their heads , where phytoplankton and zooplankton biomass were most heavily concen trated. These observations suggest that warm streamers play an importa nt role in the northward migration of Japanese sardines. (C) 1996 Inte rnational Council for the Exploration of the Sea