Specific features of distribution,ecology, and dynamics of catches of blotched snailfish Crystallichthys mirabilis (Liparidae) in Pacific waters off the northern Kuril Islands and southeastern Kamchatka

Based on materials of 1992–2002, data on the spatial-bathymetric distribution and size-age composition of blotched snailfish Crystallichthys mirabilis and species accompanying it in catches in Pacific waters off the northern Kuril Islands and southeastern Kamchatka are presented. This relatively large representative of the family Liparidae (maximum length in catches 50 cm, body weight 2150 g) is found throughout the examined area in the depth interval of 76–755 m at near-bottom temperature of ?1.2 to +4.2°C. Maximum catches (over 200–500 individuals or 180–280 kg per hour trawling) year round are recorded off the southeastern extremity of Kamchatka, from the oceanic side of the Shumshu and Paramushir islands and on the beam of the Fourth Kuril Strait in the bathymetric range of 151–350 m. The magnitude of its catches in the examined area is subjected to interannual, seasonal, and diurnal dynamics.     

Specific features and dynamics of catches of twoline eelpout Bothrocara brunneum (Zoarcidae) in pacific waters near Kuril Islands and Kamchatka

We provide data on the occurrence, spatial-bathymetric distribution, and size composition of twoline eelpout Bothrocara brunneum and species accompanying it in catches in Pacific waters of the northern Kuril Islands and southeastern Kamchatka. This comparatively numerous and relatively large representative of the fam. Zoarcidae (maximum length of 74 cm, body weight 2.98 kg) in the study period (1992?C2002) was found everywhere at depths 198 to 824 m at the near-bottom temperatures of 0.5?C4.2°C. However, its maximum by density concentrations with catches to 150?C160 kg per hour of trawling were constantly recorded on the beam of the Fourth Kuril Strait and at a site southward of it in two ranges of depths-400?C600 and 700?C800 m at near-bottom values of temperature 2.1?C3.0°C. The ratio between the depth of catches and sizes of the twoline eelpout was analyzed. It was shown that the amount of its catches in Pacific waters of the northern Kuril Islands and southeastern Kamchatka is subject to some interannual, seasonal, and diurnal dynamics.     

Spatial distribution and dynamics of catches of Sebastes glaucus, S. iracundus, and S. polyspinis in Pacific waters off the Kuril Islands and Kamchatka

Based on studies of the years 1992–2001, quantitative indices characterizing the occurrence of three rare or little-studied species of rockfish (Sebastes glaucus, S. iracundus, and S. polyspinis) in Pacific waters off the northern Kuril Islands and southeastern Kamchatka are provided. Specific features of distribution (spatial, vertical, and dependence on near-bottom temperatures) are considered. New data on the diurnal, seasonal, and multiyear dynamics of their catches and occurrence, as well as on the length and weight of the body, sex ratio, and sexual dimorphism in the amount and intensity of feeding are cited.     

Specific features of distribution and ecology of Lycenchelys fedorovi (Zoarcidae) in Pacific waters off the northern Kuril Islands

On the basis of material for 1993–2002, data are provided on occurrence, spatial-bathymetric distribution, and size composition of Lycenchelys fedorovi, as well as on species that occur simultaneously with it in catches in Pacific waters off the northern Kuril Islands. This relatively scarce, medium-sized representative of the family Zoarcidae (maximum length of 42 cm, body weight 200 g) during the period of studies occurred only at the site to the south of the Fourth Kuril Strait in the range of depths 220–775 m at the near-bottom temperature of 1.6–4.2°C. The dependence between the depth of catch and sizes of L. fedorovi was analyzed. It was shown that the size of its catches in Pacific waters off the northern Kuril Islands is subjected to some interannual, seasonal, and diurnal dynamics.     

Biological features of the sea raven Hemitripterus villosus (Hemitripteridae) in Pacific waters off the northern Kuril Islands and southeastern Kamchatka

Data on the spatial-bathymetric distribution and the size-weight composition of the sea raven Hemitripterus villosus in Pacific waters off the northern Kuril Islands and southeastern Kamchatka are provided. This representative of the family Hemitripteridae is a comparatively scarce, large fish species (maximum length 75 cm, body weight 11.8 kg), which in the study period (1992–2002) was found practically everywhere at the site from 48°00′ to 52°00′ N in the depth interval of 83–496 m at near-bottom temperatures from ?1.2 to 3.5°C. However, during the year, the overwhelming majority of its individuals were recorded in two depth ranges—101–150 and 251–400 m, which is accounted for by seasonal changes in the habitation depths. With an increase in depth, the sizes of H. villosus increase in catches due to the fact that individuals with a body weight smaller than 1.7–1.9 kg reside mainly at depths of up to 300 m, and those with a body weight greater than 2.2–3.0 kg reside at larger depths. It is demonstrated that the occurrence and the amount of catches of H. villosus are subjected to some interannual, seasonal, and diurnal dynamics.     

Specific features of distribution and ecology of two species of sea poachers of genus Podothecus (Agonidae) in pacific waters off the northern Kuril Islands and southeastern Kamchatka

According to materials of studies in 1992–2002, data on occurrence, spatial-bathymetric distribution, and size-weight composition of two species of sea poachers of the genus Podothecus (P. accipenserinus and P. sturioides) and species accompanying them in catches in Pacific waters off the northern Kuril Islands and southeastern Kamchatka are provided. The distribution of these relatively large representatives of the family Agonidae (maximum length of the first species is 38 and that of the second species is 33 cm, body weight of both 200 g) noticeably differ. In the period of observations, P. accipenserinus was found in catches only to the north of the Fourth Kuril Strait at depths of 80–570 m at near-bottom temperature of ?0.70 to +4.25°C, while P. sturioides was found over the entire studied area in a wider bathymetric range (85–786 m) exclusively at positive values of near-bottom water temperature (0.10–3.55°C). However, more frequently and in greater amounts, both species of sea poachers were recorded in catches off the southeastern extremity of Kamchatka and from the oceanic side of the Shumshu and Paramushir islands. The relationship between the depth of catch and sizes of P. accipenserinus and P. sturioides was analyzed. It is shown that their occurrence and the magnitude of catches in Pacific waters off the northern Kuril Islands and southeastern Kamchatka are subjected to some interannual, seasonal, and diurnal dynamics.     

Specific features of distribution and ecology of two species of armorhead sculpins of the genus Gymnocanthus (Cottidae) in Pacific waters of the northern Kuril Islands and Southeastern Kamchatka

Based on materials of 1992?C2012, data on the occurrence, spatial-bathymetric distribution, and size-weight composition of armorhead sculpin Gymnocanthus galeatus and purplegray sculpin G. detrisus and species accompanying them in catches in Pacific waters of the northern Kuril Islands and southeastern Kamchatka are provided. These comparatively numerous, medium-sized representatives of the family Cottidae (maximal length of the former species 49 cm, weight 1400 g and that of the latter, 48 cm and 1140 g) in the period of study occurred uniformly at depths of 76 to 596 m at a near-bottom temperatures of ?1.2 to + 4.5°C. Their maximum by density concentrations were constantly recorded at the beam of the Fourth Kuril Strait, from the oceanic side of the Paramushir and Shumshu Islands, and off the southeastern extremity of Kamchatka mainly in the lower part of the shelf (depths of 80?C200 m) at temperatures of ?1.0 to +2.5°C. Regularities of spatial-bathymetric distribution of different size groups of these species were analyzed. It was shown that the occurrence and the size of catches of both armorhead sculpins in Pacific waters of the northern Kuril Islands and southeastern Kamchatka are subjected to some inrterannual, seasonal, and diurnal dynamics.     

Specific features of distribution and ecology of sawback poacher Sarritor frenatus (Agonidae) in Pacific Waters of the Northern Kuril Islands and Southeast Kamchatka

According to materials of 1992–2002, data on the occurrence, spatial-bathymetric distribution, and size-weight composition of sawback poacher Sarritor frenatus and species accompanying it in catches in Pacific waters of the northern Kuril Islands and southeastern Kamchatka are provided. This comparatively numerous and relatively small representative of the family Agonidae (maximum length 31 cm, body weight 103 g) in the period of studies was found uniformly at depths of 78-790 m at near-bottom temperature of ?1.2 to ?4.2°C. In spring, summer, and winter months, maximum catches (over 500–1000 ind./h of trawling) were recorded in the southernmost and northernmost sites of the study area in a bathymetric range of 101–500 m; increased concentrations of this poacher were recorded also on the beam of the Fourth Kuril Strait near the southeastern extremity of Paramushir Island only in the autumn period. The ratio between the depth of catch and the sizes of sawback poacher is analyzed, and the data on the composition of its food in waters of the northern Kuril Islands is given. It is shown that the occurrence and amount of catches of this poacher in Pacific waters of the northern Kuril Islands and southeastern Kamchatka are subjected to some interannual, seasonal, and diurnal dynamics.     

Distribution and some features of biology of rock greenling <Emphasis Type="Italic">Hexagrammos lagocephalus</Emphasis> in Pacific waters off the northern Kuril Islands and southeastern Kamchatka

Based on materials of trawl studies performed from 1992 to 2002 off the Pacific coast of Kamchatka and the northern Kuril Islands in the framework of the integrated (VNIRO, KamchatNIRO, Sakh-NIRO) program on the study of fishery resources of the continental slope, data on the distribution and biology of rock greenling Hexagrammos lagocephalus were analyzed. It was elucidated that this species is extremely eurybathic; the range of its seasonal vertical migrations embraces depths of 1–2 m in summer, and in the spawning period and up to 665 m in winter. The spatial distribution has a mosaic pattern, maximum concentrations were recorded at the slope and shelf of the Shumshu Island and the southern extremity of Kamchatka. The size, weight, and sex composition, and the maturation and feeding of the rock greenling are considered. Maximum fish sizes in trawl catches are 58 cm and 2.63 kg; sex composition is characterized by the domination of females in all size groups (79%). The bulk of feeding consisted of Cephalopoda, small crustaceans—Amphipoda and Isopoda—as well as the eggs of fish and Gastropoda. With an increase in sizes, the greenling passes from feeding on small benthic organisms to larger movable forms.     

Specific features of distribution and ecology of the Japanese dog poacher <Emphasis Type="Italic">Percis japonica</Emphasis> (Agonidae) in Pacific waters off the northern Kuril Islands and southeastern Kamchatka

According to materials of 1992–2002, data on the spatial-bathymetric distribution and size composition of the Japanese dog poacher Percis japonica in Pacific waters off the northern Kuril Islands and southeastern Kamchatka are provided. This comparatively scarce, medium-sized representative of the family Agonidae (maximum length of 46 cm) in the observation period was found in the lower part of the shelf and the upper bathyal over the entire study area from 47°50′ to 52°00′ N at depths of 76–770 m; however, its maximum catches (more than 200 individuals per hour of trawling) were constantly recorded in the spring and autumn months at the traverse of the Fourth Kuril Strait and at the eastern slope of the seamount of the northern link of the external Kuril Ridge, mainly in the range of 251–350 m at a temperature of 1.6–3.0°C. The relationship between the depth of catch and the average weight of P. japonica was analyzed. It was shown that the value of its catches in Pacific waters off the northern Kuril Islands and southeastern Kamchatka is subjected to some interannual, seasonal, and diurnal dynamics.     

Helminths of Fedorov's lumpsucker Eumicrotremus fedorovi Mandrytsa, 1991 (Actinopterygii: Cyclopteridae) in the Simushir Island area (Pacific Ocean)

Fedorov's lumpsucker, Eumicrotremus fedorovi Mandrytsa, 1991, is native to the Kuril Islands area. Two sets of 69 and 30 adult specimens of E. fedorovi caught on the continental shelf and slope of Simushir Island in the Pacific Ocean were dissected and studied for macroparasites. The studied specimens were heavily infected with plerocercoids of Nybelinia surmenicola and Ascarophis pacifica. For the first time, 15 parasite taxa were recorded for E. fedorovi. None of the parasites found are solely specific to the E. fedorovi or to the representatives of the family Cyclopteridae. The infection of E. fedorovi could be dramatically different in different parts of the Simushir Island area in terms of parasite species composition and intensity of infection.     

Specific features of spatial distribution of Pacific cod <Emphasis Type="Italic">Gadus macrocephalus</Emphasis> in waters off the eastern coast of the northern Kuril Islands and the southern extremity of Kamchatka

Spatial distribution of Pacific cod Gadus macrocephalus inhabiting waters off the eastern coast of the northern Kuril Islands and the southern part of Kamchatka has been studied. It is shown that the redistributions of densities of the aggregation of cod during the year occur mainly within the area under consideration. The absence of considerable migrations of cod is related, in particular, to sufficient food availability of abundant hydrobionts: for small-sized groups of cod, the main food are juvenile wall-eyed pollack Theragra chalcogramma and, for medium-sized and large-sized groups, its adult individuals and also Atka mackerel Pleurogrammus monopterygius and squid Belonella borealis.     

Specific features of distribution and some features of biology of Korean flounder <Emphasis Type="Italic">Glyptocephalus stelleri</Emphasis> (Pleuronectidae) in waters off Kamchatka in the Sea of Okhotsk

According to materials of 1997–2002, the characteristic of the spatial-bathymetric distribution, size and age composition, size and sex structure, and feeding of the Korean flounder Glyptocephalus stelleri in the summer period in waters off Kamchatka in the Sea of Okhotsk (the site from 51°15′ to 57°20′ N, depths of 10–300 m) is given. It is shown that throughout the observation period, maximum catches of this flatfish were constantly observed at two sites of the western Kamchatka shelf (51°20′–53°00′ N and 55°00′–56°00′ N) in the zone exposed to the effect of anticyclonic gyres in the range of depths 101–200 m at the near-bottom temperature below 2°C. Unlike other habitat areas, off the coast of western Kamchatka, G. stelleri in the summer time is quite frequently found at negative temperature values, which is obviously determined by the specifics of thermal conditions of the eastern part of the Sea of Okhotsk. It was established that, in this species of flatfish, sex dimorphism is distinctly pronounced in sizes—males are considerably smaller than females whose relative number among individuals with a length larger than 50 cm reaches 100%. The main items of feeding of G. stelleri at the western Kamchatka shelf in the summer period are oligochaetes.     

Feeding of the Snailfish Careproctus roseofuscus in Pacific Waters of the Northern Kuril Islands and Southeastern Kamchatka

The paper describes the feeding of two phenotypically different forms of the snailfish Careproctus roseofuscus (Scorpaeniformes, Liparidae) from the Pacific waters of the northern Kuril Islands and southeastern Kamchatka. The diet in the first form is comprised of actiniae. The second form mostly feeds on fish eggs and the amphipod Metopa majuscula Gurjanova. The second form is supposed to be confined to the biocenosis of Ophiopholis aculeata + Spongia.     

A taxonomic study on Saxifraga ser. Radioflorae (Saxifragaceae) in Japan,the Kuril Islands and Kamchatka

Plants of Saxifraga ser. Radioflorae (A. M. Johnson) Zhmylev, now commonly regarded as belonging to the genus Micranthes, including Saxifraga fusca Maxim. and Saxifraga purpurascens Kom. (Saxifragaceae), distributed from Kamchatka to southern Japan through the Kuril Islands, are here taxonomically revised on the basis of floral morphology. The results suggest that the plants can be divided into three groups: 1) those from Kamchatka and the northern Kurils, 2) those from Kunashiri to the Japanese archipelago, through Hokkaido and Honshu, and 3) those from the southern Kurils from Chirpoi to Etorofu Islands. Leaf characteristics and habitat preferences also correlate with these groupings. The first group is identified as Micranthes ohwii ( = Saxifraga purpurascens Kom.), and the second group as M. fusca. The third group is similar to M. fusca in floral proportions, but has petals with non‐revolute margins, larger floral discs and disc and filaments developing throughout anthesis. The third group may be derived from M. fusca, adapted to the coastal environment.     

Specific features of distribution and size indices of four poorly studied species of sculpins (Cottidae) in the Okhotsk Sea Waters off Kamchatka

Evidence on occurrence in catches and characteristic of the spatial-bathymetric distribution and size indices of four species of Cottidae—frog sculpin Myoxocephalus stelleri, brightbelly sculpin Microcottus sellaris, antlered sculpin Enophrys diceraus, and furseal sculpin Stelgistrum stejnegeri—in summer-autumn months in the Okhotsk Sea waters off Kamchatka (site from 51°15′ to 57°20′ N, depths of 11–100 m) are provided. The first three species occur mainly in the northern part of the shelf above 54° N at depths smaller than 30–40 m within a comparatively well warmed surface water mass of seasonal modification at near-bottom temperature values above 6°C at various solid grounds. Maximum catches of S. stejnegeri were recorded only at a site of the western Kamchatka shelf from 54°00′ to 54°20′ N on pebbly-stony ground in a narrow bathy-metric range of 41–60 m on the boundary between the well warmed surface water mass of autumn modification and the cold intermediate water mass at a water temperature below 2°C. Evidence on the size-weight indices of the studied species of Cottidae in trawl catches in the Okhotsk Sea waters off Kamchatka in the study period is provided.     

Distribution and Size and Sex Composition of the Mud Skate Bathyraja taranetzi in the Pacific Waters off the Northern Kuril Islands and Coasts of Southeastern Kamchatka in the Summer Period

Journal of Ichthyology - In the summer period, the mud skate Bathyraja taranetzi lives at depths from ~100 to 757 m in the Pacific waters off the northern Kuril Islands and southeastern Kamchatka;...