Larval Japanese eel (leptocephali) are passively transported from their spawning sites of the North Equatorial Current to the Kuroshio and its branch waters for 4–6 months before reaching the East Asian coasts. The larvae mainly stay within water depths between 50–150 m. The dispersal dynamics of larvae thus should reflect the sub‐surface oceanic currents on the East Asia continental shelf. An analysis of Japanese glass eel ca...