Abstract: This paper studied the inter-annual variations in the spatial distribution of wintering anchovy (Engraulis japonicus) in central and southern Yellow Sea, based on the 1986-2010 bottom trawl survey data and related sea surface temperature (SST) data obtained by remote sensing, and approached the relationships between the inter-annual variations in the spatial distribution of the wintering anchovy and the SST, by using GIS technique, spatial analysis and correlation analysis. In 1986-2010, the wintering anchovy in the study area had apparent inter-annual variations in spatial distribution, with its abundance dropped to the lowest level and its distribution moved shoreward in 2004, and the abundance rebounded and centralized in the eastern waters in 2010. The centralized distribution regions of the anchovy’s capture locations and stock density in longitudinal and latitudinal directions also had apparent inter-annual variations. There was a significant correlation between the latitude of the anchovy’s stock density center and the mean latitude of the representative isotherms, suggesting that the variations in water temperature had effects on the latitudinal distribution of the wintering anchovy, and whether the anchovy distributed shoreward or not was determined by the inter-annual variations of Yellow Sea Warm Current. Among the factors affecting the anchovy distribution, fishing pressure was the main factor affecting the changes in anchovy abundance, and water temperature mainly determined the changes in anchovy spatial distribution.

Key words: Engraulis japonicus, spatial distribution, sea surface temperature, geographic information system,  , Yellow Sea