Freshwater flows into estuaries influence fish populations through effects on recruitment, growth and mortality. We compared year class strength of a large sciaenid Argyrosomus japonicus with rainfall through a 16-year period in southeastern Australia, to understand the influence of freshwater input on this estuary-dependent and depleted population. Relative year class strength, estimated by back-calculating age composition data from commercial fishery landings, was positively related to rainfall within estuarine catchments (R² = 52%). Commercial estuarine landings from a separate 29-year dataset were positively related to rainfall two and three years earlier (R² = 21% and 44%, respectively). Year class strength of a key prey species, the penaeid prawn Metapenaeus macleayi, was also related to year class strength of A. japonicus (R² = 39%), suggesting that rainfall influences recruitment of A. japonicus by affecting food availability. Several years of above average rainfall may be required to promote recruitment substantial enough to rebuild the population.

流入河口的淡水通过影响补充，生长和死亡率影响鱼类种群。我们比较了澳大利亚东南部一个大型的洋槐刺柏的年级强度与16年内的降雨情况，以了解淡水输入对这一依赖河口和资源枯竭的种群的影响。通过反算商业性渔业上岸的年龄构成数据估算的相对年级强度与河口流域内的降雨呈正相关（R ²  = 52％）。来自一个单独的29年数据集的商业河口登陆量与两年和三年前的降雨呈正相关（R ^2分别 为21％和44％）。主要捕食物种对虾的年级强度Metapenaeus macleayi，也与A. japonicus的年级强度有关（R ²  = 39％），这表明降雨通过影响食物的供应量来影响A. japonicus的募集。可能需要数年高于平均水平的降雨来促进足够大量的招聘以重建人口。