A dynamic energy budget model for small yellow croaker Larimichthys polyactis: Parameterisation and application in its main geographic distribution waters

Abstract Global fishery resources have generally declined, although the rapidity has decreased, and trends have reversed in specific instances following judiciously well-informed intervention. Appropriate management is necessary for the optimum utilisation of fish stocks. Small yellow croaker Larimichthys polyactis is an important fisheries species in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and a major decline in its abundance has been attributed to overfishing and environmental changes. For understanding energetics of small yellow croaker in responses to varying environmental conditions, a dynamic energy budget (DEB) model was applied to this species in the Yellow and East China Seas. The model was parameterised with the observed data including age-at-birth, age-since-birth-at-puberty, life span, fecundity, age-length and length-weight relationship. The model parameterisation has achieved an acceptable goodness of fit, with both low mean relative error and symmetric mean squared error of 0.083. Applications of the model have shown that it can reasonably reproduce the energetics of small yellow croaker in its main biogeographic distribution. Growth simulations in both length and weight were within the range of observations. The simulated fecundity matched the observation reasonably well. We discuss the need for further improvement of the model and additional collection of environmental data.