Migration of adult ocellate puffer Takifugu rubripes in Enshu Nada, central Japan, estimated from tagging experiments

Results of tagging experiments carried out during the period from 1994 to 1 996 in Enshu Nada were analyzed to determine the migration pattern of adult ocellate puffer that were caught in the feeding season in Enshu Nada. All the recoveries of adult puffer were reported in the waters between Omaezaki and offshore of Anori. Several recoveries were obtained from the mouth of Ise Bay, a spawning ground, during and immediately prior to the spawning se ason of this species (March to May). These results suggest that adult ocell ate puffer migrate within Enshu Nada and spawn at the mouth of Ise Bay. The distances from release points to recovery points showed that they have a s maller migration range than that of ocellate puffer in other areas such as the Yellow Sea and the East China Sea. Analyzing the results with existing reports on the migration pattern of spawner and young ocellate puffer in th is area, it seems that the ocellate puffer that are distributed in Enshu Na da is a local group completing the life cycle within this area.