1 Mie Prefectural Science and Technology Promotion Center, Fisheries Research Division, Shima, Mie 517-0404, 2Japan NUS Co., Ltd., Minato, Tokyo 108-0022, Japan
In order to clarify the homing behavior of ocellate puffer Takifugu rubripes to the natal spawning ground, adult ocellate puffers of total length 37-60 cm caught by purse seine net at the spawning ground off Anori, Mie Prefecture, were released at a location 3 miles south of the spawning ground with disk tags attached in 1996, 1997 and archival tags attached in 1998. The numbers of individuals released in 1996, 1997 and 1998 were 217, 69 and 5, and respectively 58, 14 and 3 fish were recaptured within the area of Ise Bay, Kumano Nada and Enshu Nada. Four individuals released in 1996 and one in 1998 apparently returned to the same spawning ground in the next spawning season after being released. One individual released in 1997 was recaptured very close to the spawning ground off Anori in April 1998. These results imply that adult ocellate puffer return to the same spawning ground and strongly support that this species shows homing behavior to the natal spawning ground. The fish with archival tags implanted were distributed almost within a ±2° longitudinal area around the release and recapture location. It is concluded that adult ocellate puffer seldom migrate in and out between the Kumano and Enshu Nada area and other areas.