A preliminary deep-sea fish fauna list with new and northernmost records, in the continental shelf to the upper continental slope in the east Enshu-nada Sea, central Japan

Abstract

We focus on the ichthyofauna on continental shelves and slopes of the Enshu-nada Sea—an area of the northwest Pacific Ocean off the coast of Southern Japan as one of the essential trawl fishery grounds in Japan. We conducted market samplings of the trawl catches from the Enshu-nada Sea, and trawl surveys of bycatch species by commercial trawlers. As a result, 208 deep-sea fish species (92 families) were recorded, with 46 species first recorded from the Enshu-nada Sea, of which five species were the northernmost record for these species. The results reveal the ichthyofaunal diversity in the continental shelf and upper continental slope of the Enshu-nada Sea, providing biogeographic information on various species based on the vouchers.