1) Almost year-round investigation was carried out on the catch of masu-ami, a kind of pound net, in Kasaoka Bay located in the central part of Seto Inland Sea.
2) A list of species found in the catch was presented, in which 83 species of fishes belonging to 48 families were contained, with 11 species of cephalopods, 11 species of crustaceans and I species of Xiphosura.
3) Characteristics in the composition of the catch of masu-ami were shown. Among the animals caught fishes dominated in number and weight, comprising 82% and 71% of the total catch, respectively. The catch per haul fluctuated with seasons, being greater in summer and smaller in winter.
4) Growth as deduced from length-weight measurements and weight-length relationships were described on several fishes captured abundantly during the present investigation.
5) On the basis of seasonal occurrence and abundance, the fishes of Kasaoka Bay can be grouped into the following three ecological categories.
i. Year-round "residents" : Apogon lineatus, Leiognathus nuchalis, Rudarius ercodes, Harengu/a zunasi, Acanthogobius fiavimanus, Callionymus richardsoni, etc.
ii. Temporary "visitors":
a) Those coming to spawn: Allanetta bleekeri, Ablennes anastomella, etc.
b) Those visiting the area in their young stages only : Decapterus maruadsi, Lateolabrax japonicus, Argyrosomus argentatus, Limanda yokohamae, Kareius bicoloratus, Saurida elongata, Sphyraena pinguis, etc.
iii. Infrequent or accidental "visitors": Conger japonicus, Cololabis saira, Mene maculata, Lateolabrax latus, etc.