Abstract: Coilia nasus (Japanese grenadier anchovy) is a commercially important fishery resource in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River. A total of 1878 C. nasus were caught by a stow net from coastal waters at Jingjiang section of the Yangtze River during three periods of January 2003 to December 2004, January 2008 to December 2009, and January 2012 to December 2013. The present study aimed to determine the growth and population parameters of C. nasus at Jingjiang section of the Yangtze River. Based on length frequency data collected from the surveys, growth, mortality and recruitment pattern of C. nasus were estimated by utilizing FiSAT II software developed by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). The body length (L) distribution of C. nasus ranged from 34.7-258.0 mm, and the weight (W) distribution from 0.11-71.50 g. Growth equations were calculated as W=2.72×10^-6L_3.030 (r=0.974, n=218) for 2003-2004, W=3.75×10^-6L_2.961(r=0.925, n=823) for 2008-2009 and W=2.27×10^-6L_3.061 (r=0.936, n=837) for 2012-2013. The von Bertalanffy growth parameters were L_∞=282.5 mm, K=0.56 year^-1, t₀=-0.49 years, t_i=1.49 years for 2003-2004, L_∞=295.0 mm, K=0.54 year^-1, t₀=-0.50 years, t_i=1.51 years for 2008-2009, and L_∞=296.0 mm, K=0.55 year^-1, t₀=-0.49 years, t_i=1.54 years for 2012-2013. These results indicated that growth parameters were quite close among three survey periods, and C. nasus population along the coast water collected at the Jingjiang section of the Yangtze River was mainly comprised of larvae and juveniles with rapid growth rate and young inflection point age. Our results also showed that the estimated fishing mortality (F) and exploitation rate (E) were lower in 2012-2013 than in 2003-2004. However, the analysis of the BevertonHolt dynamic model suggested that C. nasus at the Jingjiang section of the Yangtze River was still overexploited. The recruitment pattern was continuous, displaying a major recruitment period from April to September annually. In order to effectively protect C. nasus population along the coastal water, longerterm fishing ban (from April to September) in the coastal region might acquire better protective effects.

Key words: cloning library, Daya Bay, high-throughput sequencing, Sanger sequencing, 18S rDNA.