The northern limit of the geographic distribution of the Japanese eel Anguilla japonica is Hokkaido, located north of the Tsugaru Strait, in northern Japan. No commercial eel fishing has been conducted in Hokkaido for several decades, and no comprehensive scientific research has been conducted in the region. To investigate the ecological characteristics of this species at the northern limit of its distribution, we collected a...

Parentage sibship‐inference analyses were conducted using mtDNA sequencing and six microsatellite genotypes of 182 Japanese eel preleptocephali that were collected from one net‐tow near the West Mariana Ridge in May 2014. At least 328 parents were involved in producing the 182 preleptocephali, and several parents may have spawned a few times during 3 days of a spawning period. Half‐sibs suggested that a few parents mated with...