Abstract:Based on the survey data of fishery resources and habitat, collected at 63 stations in October 2016 and January 2017 in the southern waters off the Shandong Peninsula, we analyzed spatiotemporal distribution of and examined its relationship with environmental variables, including survey season, water depth, bottom salinity, and bottom water temperature, using generalized additive model (GAM). The results showed significant seasonal variations in the distribution of . The stock had significantly higher density and wider range in autumn than in winter, and stock density was higher in the coastal waters and lower in the offshore waters. In addition, the stock showed more even distribution in the coastal waters, but distribution patterns varied greatly in the offshore waters. GAM identified depth and bottom water temperature as the major environmental factors influencing distribution (<0.05) and the effect of water depth was the most significant. Stock density increased with depth at shallow waters, peaking at the depth of 30-40 m, but decreased with further increase in water depth. The most suitable water temperature range was around 10℃. The temperature effect might be attributed to the migratory habits of this species and the variations in the environmental conditions caused by seasonal changes in the Yellow Sea Warm Current.