Environmental influences on late-summer individual Japanese eel diel activity and space utilization patterns in a shallow western Japan brackish lake

The late-summer diel activity patterns and space utilization of five Japanese eels, Anguilla japonica , were investigated using an acoustic telemetry positioning system in a shallow brackish lake in western Japan. Eels were highly nocturnal and crepuscular, with 98.1% of positions detected between sunset and sunrise, and were more active during dusk and dawn compared with nighttime, and during full moons compared with other lunar periods. Most diurnal activity occurred during darker conditions, and two individuals extended their activity into the morning, suggesting that overcast skies reduced light intensity and prolonged nocturnal activity into daytime. Individual eels had different home-range patterns, but appeared to rest nearshore during the day, with space utilization expanding offshore at dusk and night, followed by returning to nearshore at dawn. Their home ranges and core activity areas were bordered by the shoreline, with eels tending to exhibit small activity spaces and strong site fidelity. This study provides valuable ecological knowledge about the individual behavior of eels inhabiting a small brackish lake at the northern limit of the natural distributional range of the species along the Sea of Japan, which can contribute to management and conservation of the species.