[Biological characteristics, temporal-spatial distribution of Portunus trituberculatus and relationships between its density and impact factors in Laizhou Bay, Bohai Sea, China.].

Biological characteristics, density and its spatial distribution of Portunus trituberculatus in Laizhou Bay, together with the impact of environmental factors, were analyzed based on the bottom trawl data of 9 surveys from May 2011 to April 2012, in order to provide scientific basis for utilizing and protecting the resource of P. trituberculatus. The monthly variation of biomass density could be described as September > October > July > August > June > November > March > May > April. The average values were highest in August 2011 and lowest in April 2012, for body mass, width and length, respectively. The individual fatness coefficient was highest in August 2011 both for the female (1.030) and the male (1.023), lowest in July both for the female (1.007) and the male (1.007). The difference of fatness coefficient was not significant (P>0.05) between the female and the male. The sex ratio (female/male) was less than 1.0 in most of all months except June, July and August. P. trituberculatus was mainly distributed in the Yellow River estuary and the offshore off Longkou in May-July, in offshore off Weifang and Longkou in August-September, and in deep-water area of the Laizhou Bay mouth from October to next April. Pearson correlation analysis indicated that environmental factors that best matched the density of P. trituberculatus were sea surface temperature (SST), dissolved oxygen (DO) and water depth (Dep), followed by salinity (Sal) and zooplankton density, the last were phytoplankton density and the number of other demersal fisheries species. The body length of P. trituberculatus in 2011 was significantly smaller (P<0.01) compared with that in 1981. To sustainably utilize the resource of P. trituberculatus in Laizhou Bay, we suggested that the fishing effort should be reduced, the catchable size should be raised, the research of enhancement basements should be promoted and more reasonable releasing quantity should be proposed.