Differences in growth rates among cohorts of Encrasicholina punctifer and Engraulis japonicus larvae in the coastal waters off Tanshui River Estuary, Taiwan, as indicated by otolith microstructure analysis

The hatching dates of Encrasicholina punctifer and Engraulis japonicus larvae collected in the coastal waters off Tanshui River Estuary during the fishing seasons of 1992 and 1993 indicated that these two anchovies had protracted spawning seasons, which resulted in multiple recruitment cohorts. Encrasicholina punctifer larvae recruited to the estuary from October to March, while the majority of E. japonicus larvae came in March‐May and to a lesser extent in October and November. The E. punctifer larvae on arrival to the estuary were 17·4–35·6 mm in length, 167ndash;89 days old and had growth rates of 0·4–1·0 mm day−1, E. japonicus larvae were 12·1–32·7 mm in length, 19–62 days old and had growth rates of 0·7–0·9 mm day−1. Growth rates were significantly different among cohorts and positively correlated to water temperature.