Recruitment, sustainable yield and possible ecological consequences of the sharp decline of the anchovy (Engraulis japonicus) stock in the Yellow Sea in the 1990s

Abstract Natural mortality, stock–recruitment relationship and sustainable yield of the anchovy (Engraulis japonicus) stock in the Yellow Sea were estimated based on acoustic assessments of the wintering anchovy stock from 1987 to 2002. The stock‐recruitment relationship was estimated to be: R = 151.1 × SSB × e−0.299·SSB, where R is given in billion fish and SSB is in million tons. The optimum sustainable yield of anchovy was estimated at 520 000 tons for the period 1987–2002. The ecological consequences of the sharp decline of the anchovy stock observed after 1996 were examined in terms of the reduction in biomass production in the Yellow Sea ecosystem, as well as the consequences of such reduction on predator–prey interactions and species competition.