Growth patterns of blackthroat seaperch Doederleinia berycoides cohorts in relation to dominant year classes in the western Japan Sea

The growth patterns of cohorts of blackthroat seaperch Doederleinia berycoides in the western Japan Sea were examined with the dominant year class. We estimated the historical fork length for each individual using the back-calculation method and used these to compare the growth equations of the 2010–2016 cohorts. The results showed differences in growth patterns between pre-2012 and post-2013 cohorts. This was consistent with the occurrence of the dominant year class from 2013 onward. From 2013 onward, the growth rate after age 5 decreased, and the theoretical maximum length ( L∞ L ∞ ) decreased significantly. These results suggest a density-dependent effect on growth affecting attainment of maximum size following the occurrence of a dominant year class.