NOM TR NMFS SSRF-666 NOAA Technical Report NMFS SSRF-666 U.S. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration National Marine Fisheries Service LIBRARY NOU J973 LJU^^^m, Mass. h Distribution and Relative Abundance of Fishes in Newport River, North Carolina WILLIAM R. TURNER and GEORGE N. JOHNSON SEATTLE, WA September 1973 NOAA TECHNICAL REPORTS National Marine Fisheries Service, Special Scientific Report-Fisheries Series The major responsibilities of the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) are to monitor and assess the abundance and geographic distribution of fishery resoui-ces, to understand and predict fluctuations in the quantity and distribution of these resources, and to establish levels for optimum use of the resources. NMFS is also charged with the development and implementation of policies for managing national fishing grounds, develop- ment and enforcement of domestic fisheries regulations, surveillance of foreign fishing oflf United States coastal waters, and the development and enforcement of international fishery agreements and policies. NMFS also as- sists the fishing industry through marketing service and economic analysis programs, and mortgage insurance and vessel construction subsidies. It collects, analyzes, and publishes statistics on various phases of the industry. The Special Scientific Report — Fisheries series was established in 1949. The series carries reports on scien- tific investigations that document long-term continuing programs of NMFS, or intensive scientific reports on studies of restricted scope. The reports may deal with applied fishery problems. The series is also used as a medium for the publication of bibliographies of a specialized scientific nature. NOAA Technical Reports NMFS SSRF are available free in limited numbers to governmental agencies, both Federal and State. They are also available in exchange for other scientific and technical publications in the marine sciences, individual copies may be obtained (unless otherwise noted) from NOAA Publications Section, Rockville, Md. 20852. Recent SSRF's are: 619 Macrozooplankton and small nekton in the coastal waters off Vancouver Island (Canada) and Washington, spring and fall of 1963. By Donald S. Day, January 1971, iii + 94 pp., 19 figs., 13 tables. 620 The Trade Wind Zone Oceanography Pilot Study. Part IX : The sea-level wind field and wind stress values, July 1963 to June 1965. By Gunter R. Seckel. June 1970, iii + 66 pp., 5 figs. 621 Predation by sculpins on fall chinook salmon, Oncorhynch'us fshawytscha, fry of hatchery or- igin. By Benjamin G. Patten. February 1971, iii + 14 pp., 6 figs., 9 tables. 622 Number and lengths, by season, of fishes caught with an otter trawl near Woods Hole, Massa- chusetts, September 1961 to December 1962. By F. E. Lux and F. E. Nichy. February 1971, iii' + 15 pp., 3 figs., 19 tables. 623 Apparent abundance, distribution, and migra- tions of albacore, TInnnins aUdnnga, on the North Pacific longline grounds. By Brian J. Rothschild and Marian Y. Y. Yong. September 1970, v + 37 pp., 19 figs., 5 tables. 624 Influence of mechanical processing on the quality and yield of bay scallop meats. By N. B. Webb and F. B. Thomas. April 1971, iii + 11 pp., 9 figs., 3 tables. 625 Distribution of salmon and related oceanographic features in the North Pacific Ocean, spring 1968. By Robert R. French, Richard G. Bakkala, Ma- sanao Osako, and Jun Ito. March 1971, iii + 22 pp., 19 figs., 3 tables. 626 Commercial fishery and biology of the fresh- water shrimp, Macrobracliiuin, in the Lower St. Paul River, Liberia, 1952-53. By George C. Miller. February 1971, iii + 13 pp., 8 figs., 7 tables. 627 Calico scallops of the Southeastern United States, 1959-69. By Robert Cummins, Jr. June 1971, iii + 22 pp., 23 figs., 3 tables. 628 Fur Seal Investigations, 1969. By NMFS, Ma- rine Mammal Biological Laboratory. August 1971, 82 pp., 20 figs., 44 tables, 23 appendix A ' tables, 10 appendix B tables. 629 630 631 632 633 634 635 Analysis of the operations of seven Hawaiian skipjack tuna fishing vessels, June-August 1967. By Richard N. Uchida and Ray F. Sumida. March 1971, v + 25 pp., 14 figs., 21 tables. For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Oflfice, Washington, D.C. 20402 - 35 cents. Blue crab meat. I. Preservation by freezing. July 1971, iii -|- 13 pp., 5 figs., 2 tables. II. Effect of chemical treatments on acceptability. By Jurgen H. Strasser, Jean S. Lennon, and Fred- erick J. King. July 1971, iii + 12 pp., 1 fig., 9 tables. Occurrence of thiaminase in some common aquat- ic animals of the United States and Canada. By R. A. Greig and R. H. Gnaedinger. July 1971, iii + 7 pp., 2 tables. An annotated bibliography of attempts to rear the larvae of marine fishes in the laboratory. By Robert C. May. August 1971, iii + 24 pp., 1 ap- pendix I table, 1 appendix II table. For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Govern- ment Printing Office, Washington, D.C. 20402 - 35 cents. Blueing of processed crab meat. II. Identification of some factors involved in the blue discoloration of canned crab meat CalHnectes sapidus. By Melvin E. Waters. May 1971, iii -f 7 pp., 1 fig., 3 tables. Age composition, weight, length, and sex of her- ring, CUipea pnllnsii, used for reduction in Alas- ka, 1929-66. By Gerald M. Reid. July 1971, iii + 25 pp., 4 figs., 18 tables. A bibliography of the blackfin tuna, Thnnmis ntlanticus (Lesson). By Grant L. Beardsley and David C. Simmons. August 1971, 10 pp. For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Oflice, Washington, D.C. 20402 - 25 cents. Continued on inside back cover. .^o ^^^°s.^.. ^'Went of ^ U.S. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE Frederick B. Dent, Secretary NATIONAL OCEANIC AND ATMOSPHERIC ADMINISTRATION Robert M. White, Administrator NATIONAL MARINE FISHERIES SERVICE Robert W. Schoning, Director NOAA Technical Report NMFS SSRF-666 Distribution and Relative Abundance of Fishes in Newport River, North Carolina WILLIAM R. TURNER and GEORGE N. JOHNSON SEATTLE, WA September 1973 For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office Washington, D.C. 30402 - Price 35 cents The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) does not approve, rec- ommend or endorse any proprietary product or proprietary material mentioned in this publication. No reference shall be made to NMFS, or to this publication furnished by NMFS, in any advertising or sales pro- motion which would indicate or imply that NMFS approves, recommends or endorses any proprietary product or proprietary material mentioned herein, or which has as its purpose an intent to cause directly or indirectly the advertised product to be used or purchased because of this NMFS publication. 9 CONTENTS Page Introduction 1 Description of study area Methods 3 Salinity and temperature 4 Fish distribution and salinity 5 Relative abundance 11 Seasonal distribution of major species 13 Atlantic menhaden 13 Bay anchovy 14 Spot 14 Atlantic silverside 15 Striped mullet 15 Pinfish 16 Atlantic croaker 16 Bluefish 16 Blueback herring 17 Other abundant species 17 Other fishes 18 Notable occurrences 19 Carchnrhinus milherti, sandbar shark 19 Sphyrma leivini, scallo])ed hammerhead 19 Alosa sapidissima, American shad 19 Harengida pensacolae, scaled sardine 19 Cypseliuiis heterurus, Atlantic flyingfish 19 Ahlennes hians, flat needlefish 19 Epinephelns nigritus, Warsaw grouper 20 Lntjanus griseus, gray snapper 20 Lobotes surinamensis, tripletall 20 Eucinostomus argenteiis, spotfin mojarra 20 Annual variation 20 Biomass of fishes 20 Acknowledgments 21 Literature cited 21 Figure 1. Zones designated for sampling fishes in Newport River, N.C., during 1970 . . 2 Tables 1. Monthly distribution of sampling eflFort in the Newport River, 1970 4 2. Mean monthly salinities and temjjeratures in each zone of the Newport River during periods of actual biological sampling 5 3. Occurrence of fishes in the Newport River, 1970 6 4. Relative abundance of the principal fishes taken by surface trawl and bottom trawl in upper Newport River, 1970 11 iii CONTENTS— Cont. Page 5. Relative abundance of the principal fishes taken by bottom trawl and haul seine in lower Newport River, 1970 12 6. Relative abundance of the principal fishes taken by gill nets in the New- port River, 1970 13 7. Monthly distribution and length range of young-of-the-year Atlantic men- haden in samples collected by haul seine in the lower river and surface trawl in the upper river 14 8. Monthly distribution and length range of bay anchovy collected in samples from all gears combined in the upper and lower river 15 9. Monthly distribution and length range of young-of-the-year spot in samples collected by haul seine in the lower river and bottom trawl in the upper river 10. Monthly distribution and length range of Atlantic silverside in samples col- lected by haul seine and surface trawl 17 11. Monthly distribution and length range of young-of-the-year striped mullet in samples collected by haul seine and surface trawl 18 12. Species composition of catches wi<^h bottom trawls in the upper and lower Newport River, 1968-1970 21 13. Biomass of fishes collected from littoral waters of Newport River, 1970 .... 22 16 IV Distribution and Relative Abundance of Fishes in Newport River, North Carolina WILLIAM R. TURNER' and GEORGE N. JOHNSON'' ABSTRACT Monthly sampling in Newport River during 1970 disclosed a total of 104 species of fishes within the system. Sampling extended from the lower reaches of the estuary upstream into tidal fresh waters, and covered a mid-channel distance of 34.87 km. To sample as wide a range of species as possible, an array of collecting gear was used, i.e., haul seine, surface trawl, bottom trawls (two sizes), and gill nets. In terms of catch per unit of effort the surface trawl was the most successful gear employed, whereas gill nets, the least efficient gear, captured the greatest variety of species. Most of the species of fishes collected in the system were marine forms. Only 15 essen- tially freshwater species were collected and 5 of these (longnose gar, gizzard shad, golden shiner, white catfish, and black crappie) showed varying degrees of tolerance for saline waters (0.6-3.3.7^^.). Relative numbers of fishes in collections by the different gears indicated that seven species made up 97% of the total catch which comprised nearly 129,000 individuals. The dominant species were all marine euryhaline forms that used the estuary as a nursery area, penetrating well upstream into brackish or even tidal fresh waters. Seasonal distribution and abundance of the dominant species, as well as other species collected in substantial numbers, are discussed. Biomass of fishes in collections by haul seine was estimated at 0.93 g/m~ for littoral waters of the estuary. Samples collected by other gears did not yield satisfactory estimates of biomass. INTRODUCTION In 1970 we initiated a study of the fishes of Newport River to obtain an inventory of species within the system and to determine their sea- sonal distribution and relative abundance. Dur- ing the past decade researches in estuarine ecol- ogy have been conducted on Newport River near Beaufort, N.C., by the National Marine Fisher- ies Service, Atlantic Coastal Fisheries Center, to obtain data for construction of a mathematical model describing energy flow within the system and to develop study techniques applicable to estuaries in general. Annual phytoplankton pro- ' Atlantic Estuarine Fisheries Center, National Ma- rine Fisheries Service, NO.\A, Beaufort, N.C.; present address: State-Federal Relationships Division, National Marine Fisheries Service, NOAA, St. Petersburg, FL 3.3701. ' Atlantic Estuarine Fi.sheries Center, National Ma- rine Fisheries Service, NOAA, Beaufort, NC 28516. duction in Newport River estuary and vicinity was reported by Williams and Murdoch (1966) and Williams (1966). Zooplankton production was estimated by Williams, Murdoch, and Thom- as (1968). Williams and Thomas (1967) also estimated the biomass of benthic organisms in a small segment of the estuary. The importance of cord grass, Spartiria aJterniflora, was assessed by Williams and Murdoch (1969), and evalua- tions of other salt-marsh and rooted aquatic veg- etations are currently in progress. Cycling of trace elements in the sediments, waters, and polvchaetous worms of the estuary was reported by Cross, Duke, and Willis (1970). To date, however, estimates of the population size and energy requirements of pinfish, Lagodon rhom- boides, (Angelovic, Hoss, and Thayer, 1969) represent the only published information on fish- es in the system. Thus, although parts of the research essential to developing the model are completed, fishes until now have received little attention. Our research on the fishes of Newport River in this paper, although not providing the tvpe of quantitative information needed for mathematical modeling, is serving as a guide for ongoing quantitative studies on the biomass and numerical abundance of these fish populations. DESCRIPTION OF STUDY AREA Newport River originates on the coastal plains of North Carolina in a swampy area near a group of natural lakes in the Croatan National Forest. The northwest prong (6.08 km long) and the southwest prong (14.02 km long) are the two main tributaries which converge to form the river proper. From the confluence of these two prongs, the river courses eastward for 18.57 km then broadens into the Newport estu- ary (Fig. 1). The estuary continues eastward then dips south to join the Atlantic Ocean at Beaufort Inlet. From the mouth of the river to its juncture with the ocean, the linear distance along the main channel of the estuary is 19.18 km. The surface area of the estuary has been esti- mated at 31 km^ (Cross, Duke, and Willis, 1970) ; whereas the surface area of the river proper, from the junction of the two prongs to the mouth, is only 0.48 km-. The upper section of the river drains hard- wood swamps and pine forests which yield down- stream to marshlands. The banks are low but steep, and grade sharply into the channel with very little or no littoral area. Channel depths range from 0.6 m, where the river shoals near the mouth, to 4.6 m in the deepest upstream pock- et. Mean channel depth was estimated from a series of soundings to be 3.0 m at low tide. Newport River estuary is generally less than 1.0 m deep at mean low tide, and the shallow Mil** 0 1 2 3 4 KMomatar* Figure 1. — Zones designated for sampling fishes in Newport River, N.C., during 1970. waters are well mixed by wind and tidal action. The intracoastal waterway traverses the lower portion of the estuary and forms a connection with Neuse River through Core Creek (Adams Creek Canal). A second connection with the Neuse River is formed by an abandoned canal linking Harlowe Creek to Clubfoot Creek. Ex- change of waters with the Neuse River through these canals may have some effect upon the hy- drology and species composition of Newport River. METHODS To facilitate the description of fish distribu- tion and the location of hydrological observa- tions, the river was divided into six zones, three in the upper river between the forks and the estuary and three in the lower river or estuary (Fig. 1). The end of navigable waters, at river km 34.87, determined the upstream boundary of Zone 1. Zone boundaries downstream were spaced as evenly as possible and located at points with conspicuous land marks. A variety of collecting gear was used to sam- ple for a wide range of species in different hab- itats. A haul seine was used in shallow littoral areas and bottom trawls (two sizes) and a sur- face trawl in deeper waters. Anchored gill nets, the only stationary gear employed, were fished from surface to bottom in open waters. Physiograjihy of the system dictated the types of gear fished in each section of the river. The surface trawl (8 stations) and small bottom trawl (4 stations) were fished only in th6 upper river, while the haul seine (6 stations) and large bottom trawl (5 stations) were fished only in the lower river or estuaiy. Gill nets were fished in each zone throughout the system (3 stations in the upper river, and 3 regular and 2 alternate stations in the lower river). The surface trawl was limited to fishing in the upper river because of the greater amount of net avoidance encoun- tered in the broader expanse and more transpar- ent waters of the estuary. A larger bottom trawl was used in the estuary than in the upjjer river to provide a more representative sampling of the larger waters. The larger trawl could not be maneuvered in the narrow confines of the upper river. Steep banks and soft mud bottoms precluded haul seining in the upper river. The total amount of eflfort expended in each zone dur- ing 1970 is summarized in Table 1. Generally, each station was occupied monthly and all sam- ples taken within a 2-week period. Two bottom trawls of similar construction but of diflferent sizes were used during the surveys. The smaller net was 2.7 m across the headrope and 3.0 m along the footrope, and the larger was 5.8 m across the headrope and 6.1 m along the footrope. A 5-mm diameter chain was fastened along the footrope of each trawl for weighting the bottom line. The trawls were made of 19-mm bar mesh knotted nylon in the body and wings and 6-mm bar mesh in the cod. Otter boards of appropriate size were fastened directly to the ends of the wings. A tickler chain (5-mm di- ameter) , about 0.5 m shorter than the footrope, was suspended between the otter boards to stir the bottom in front of the trawls. Three 8.9-cm diameter floats were attached to the headropes to open the mouths of the trawls. The larger net was towed by a 7.6-m inboard-outboard vessel using two 18.3-m lengths of rope attached to separate warps. The smaller net was towed between two 4.9-m outboard motorboats by two 9.1-m length ropes. The small trawl was towed for 5 min at each station, and the large trawl for 10 min at a station. The haul seine was 1.2 x 21.3 m with a 1.2 m- center bag. The wings of the seine were 5-mm and the bag was 3-mm (bar measure) woven nylon mesh. The seine was pivoted in a 15.2-m radius around a focal point on the shoreline ; one semi-circular sweep covered an area of 363 m-. One haul was made at each station. The surface trawl, modified from a net ori- ginally described by Massmann, Ladd, and McCutcheon (1952), had a mouth opening 6.7 X 0.9 m and tapered 6.1 m to the cod end. The wings and body consisted of 6-mm and the tail bag of 3-mm nylon mesh. The trawl was towed downstream between two outboard motorboats for 5 min at each station. A chain attached to the footrope and floats attached to the headrope kept the mouth of the trawl open while under tow. Experimental gill nets were 2.4 m deep by 38.1 m long and consisted of five equal panels of 2.5-, 3.8-, 5.1-, 6.3-, and 7.6-cm bar mesh mono- filament nylon webbing. Additional nets of 1.9-, 3.5-, and 10.2-cm mesh were fished occasionally. The nets were anchored at both ends and fished for a recorded period of time at each station. Table 1. --Monthly distribution of sampling effort in the Newport River, 1970. Fishing gear J F M A M J J A S 0 N D Total Number hauls Surface trawl Zone 1 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 24 2 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 36 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 36 Bottom trawl (3 m) Zone 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 12 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 12 3 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 24 Bottom trawl (6.1 m) Zone 4 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 12 5 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 24 6 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 24 Haul seine Zone 4 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 24 5 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 24 6 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 24 Shackle-hours Gill nets Zone 1 5 24 16 25 4 5 6 3 5 5 100 2 5 24 16 3 4 4 4 3 5 5 75 3 6 24 17 3 4 19 3 3 4 4 89 k 18 4 1 6 17 5 38 20 17 18 146 5 17 4 1 7 18 6 74 20 18 19 186 6 55 ~ 6 7 54 55 10 165 53 53 224 685 Fishing effort was expressed in units of shackle- hours (Table 1) ; one shackle was equivalent to a 7.6-m panel of net. Fish collections were preserved in 10 9r For- malin and brought to the laboratory for proces- sing. In catches so large that not all specimens could be preserved, all of the rare species and only samples of the abundant species were taken. A representation of the species collected was preserved in 40 9^ isopropanol and placed in the fish collection at the Center. Processing of fish- es included identification, enumeration, and measurement of length (tip of snout to the end of the median caudal ray) and weight. All sci- entific and common names of fishes referred to in this paper are in compliance with the Amer- ican Fisheries Society (Bailey, 1970). Water temperature and salinities were measured with a portable induction salinometer during the sam- pling for fish. SALINITY AND TEMPERATURE Salinities in the system ranged from CO^/r in the upper river to 33.7'/r in Zone 6 (Table 2). During the summer, salt water penetrated into Zone 1 but during the late winter penetration was only to Zone 4. Salinities were lowest throughout the river during the February-April sampling periods; highest salinities in Zones 3 through 6 were recorded in late summer and early fall, and in Zones 1 and 2 in midsummer. Salinities were most variable in Zone 3, and ranged from O.O^^r during periods of greatest precipitation (Feb.-Apr.) to 19.3^^^ in October. Zone 3, however, was dominated by estuarine waters (>0.6;^c salinity) during most of the year. Water temperatures (Table 2) were lowest in January, ranging from 6.3° to 6.5°C. High- est temperatures were reached earlier upriver than downriver. The peak temperature was re- corded in Zone 1 during July (26.7°C). Peak temperatures were attained in Zones 2, 3, and 4 during August (27.9°-29.1°C) and in Zones 5 and 6 during September (29.1° and 29.6°C). FISH DISTRIBUTION AND SALINITY One hundred and four species of fishes, rep- resenting 50 families, were collected during the surveys (Table 3). From 22 to 26 species were taken in each of the three zones in the upper river, while in the lower river numbers of spe- cies increased in relation to distance down- stream; 53 species were collected from Zone 4, 57 from Zone 5, and 69 from Zone 6. Seventeen species were collected in the upper river exclu- sively, and 64 species were confined to the lower section of the river; the remaining 23 species ranged over both sections of the river or were found throughout the entire system during some stage of their life cycle. Thirteen of the 17 species exclusive to the up- per river were collected in freshwaters only, 0.0-0.5/^f salinity, while four species (longnose gar, Lepisostetis ossetis; golden shiner, Notemig- onus crysoleticas; white catfish, Ictalurus cattcs: and black crappie, Pomoxis nigromaculatiis) showed a tolerance for low salinity or brackish waters, 0.6-10'.^f. The longnose gar is a well- known invader of moderate to high salinity waters, but was not taken in the Newport River estuary. Of the 13 species taken only in fresh waters, three are known to occur in saline waters, but their scarcity in the collections reflected a freshwater distributional pattern. They were the anadromous American shad, Alosa sapidis- sima, and white perch, Morone amencana, and the marsh killifish, Fuvdulus confluentus. Con- sequently, only 10 species were regarded as strictly freshwater forms. The fish population of the lower river or estu- ary was essentially a marine fauna. The only species of freshwater origin collected in the estu- ary were gizzard shad, Dorosoma cepedianum, and the catadromous American eel, Anguilla Table 2. --Mean monthly salinities and temperatures in each zone of the Newport River during periods of actual biological sampling. Lines denote arbitrary divisions of fresh water (0.0-0.5°/oo) and low (0.6-10°/oo) , moderate (10-25 °/oo), and high (>25°/oo) salinity. Month Zone Month Zone Jan. 0.1 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.1 0.3 0.5 0.4 0.4 0.1 0.1 0.0 0.2 0.0 0.0 0.0 Salin 4.2 ity (o 22.3 13.7 15.2 /oo) 26.2 30.3 Jan. Feb. Mar. Apr. May June July Aug. Sept. Oct. Nov. Dec. 6.3 7.1 11.7 11.5 24.5 25.3 26.7 26.4 24.5 18.4 14.9 8.5 Temperature 6.3 6.5 7.5 7.3 11.7 12.3 12.3 11.9 25.5 27.0 25.6 26.1 26.3 28.7 27.9 29.1 26.1 26.5 19.7 20.9 14.7 13.1 8.5 8.5 CC) 6.3 9.1 10.1 13.1 22.9 28.7 25.6 29.0 28.6 22.6 13.5 12.9 6.5 9.3 11.1 13.9 23.2 23.8 27.5 28.3 29.1 21.6 14.1 13.8 6.5 Feb. Mar. 0.0 0.0 0.0 17.9 16.3 22.7 21.5 9.2 11.3 Apr. 8.3 18.7 30.1 25.9 32.1 31.3 33.1 32.9 33.7 30.6 30.6 14.3 May 0.5 3.3 14.2 28.3 27.8 26.7 30.4 31.4 22.5 June 0.7 15.0 24.3 23.9 July 1.1 9.3 22.9 14.4 16.7 27.9 Aug. Sept. 0.5 0.5 1.3 5.0 28.3 29.6 Oct. 0.6 19.3 27.0 31.0 22.5 Nov. Dec. 0.3 0.5 8.3 2.2 17.3 23.7 25.9 29.7 15.7 13.9 Table 3. --Occurrence of fishes in the Newport River, 1970. Salinity ranges represent extremes measured at times of collection. Species Zone Salinity range Carcharhinidae - requiem sharks Carcharhinus milbertl, sandbar shark Rhizoprionodon terraenovae, Atlantic sharpnose shark Sphyrnidae - hammerhead sharks Sphyrna lewlnl, scalloped hammerhead Dasyatidae - stingrays Dasyatls sayi, bluntnose stingray Myliobatidae - eagle rays Rhinoptera bonasus , cownose ray Lepisosteidae - gars Lepisosteus osseus, longnose gar Amiidae - bowfins Amla calva, bowfin Elopidae - tarpons Elops saurus , ladyf ish Anguillidae - freshwater eels Anguilla rostrata, American eel Congridae - conger eels Conger oceanicus, conger eel Ophichthidae - snake eels Myrophis punctatus, speckled worm eel Clupeidae - herrings Alosa aestivalis, blueback herring Alosa mediocris, hickory shad Alosa pseudoharengus , alewife Alosa sapidissima, American shad Brevoortia tyr annus , Atlantic menhaden Dorosoma cepedianum, gizzard shad Harengula pensacolae, scaled sardine Opisthonema oglinup., Atlantic thread herring Engraulidae - anchovies Anchoa hepsetus, striped anchovy Anchoa mitchilli, bay anchovy XXX X 32.6 X 32.2-32.6 X 24.7 X 19.7-32.5 XXX 22.9-32.6 0.0-3.3 XXX 0.2 30.4 0.2-32.9 X 30.6 XXX 23.8-31.2 X X X X X X X X X 0.4-23.7 0.8-21.2 22.6-29.3 X 0.0 X X X X X X 0.1-32.5 X X X X X 0.0-28.7 X 31.5 19.3-31.0 X X X X 14.6-33.1 X X X X X X 0.2-33.5 Table 3. — Continued. Zone Snecles Salinity range Synodontidae - lizardfishes Synodus foetens , inshore llzardfish XXX 21.4-32.0 Cyprlnidae - minnows and carps Notemigonus crysoleucas, golden shiner XXX 0.1-1.4 Ictalurldae - freshwater catfishes Ictalurus catus, white catfish XXX 0.0-1.3 Ictalurus natalis, yellow bullhead X 0.1-0.5 Noturus inslgnis, margined madtom X 0.5 Aphredoderidae - pirate perches Aphredoderus sayanus , pirate perch X 0.2 Batrachoididae - toadfishes Opsanus tau, oyster toadfish XXX 16.7-29.9 Porichthys porosissimus , Atlantic midshipman X X 11.9-28.4 Gadidae - codfishes Urophycis regius, spotted hake XXX 9.2-32.6 Exocoetidae - flyingfishes and halfbeaks Cypselurus heterurus, Atlantic flyingfish X 32.3 Hyporhamphus unifasciatus, halfbeak X 30.9 Belonidae - needlefishes Ablennes hians , flat needlefish X 31.5 Strongylura marina, Atlantic needlefish XXX X 0.4-32.3 Cyprinodontidae - killifishes Cyprinodon variegatus , sheepshead minnow Fundulus conf luentus marsh killifish Fundulus heteroclitus, mummichog Fundulus majalis, striped killifish Atherinidae - silversides Membras martinica, rough silverside Menidia beryllina, tidewater silverside Menidia menidia , Atlantic silverside X X X 19.1-33.4 X 0.2 X X X X 0.6-31.4 X X X 22.3-33.0 X 28.1-32.9 X X X X X 0.8-32.9 X X X X X 0.6-31.1 Table 3. — Continued. Zone Species Salinity range X X X 30.6 18.4 17.3-30.0 X X 12.3-31.3 X 27.4-32.3 X 32.0 X 24.2-28.8 Syngnathidae - pipefishes and seahorses Hippocampus erectus, lined seahorse Syngnathus f lorida, dusky pipefish Syngnathus fuscus, northern pipefish Syngnathus louislanae, chain pipefish Perclchthyidae - temperate basses Morone americana, white perch X 0.2 Serranidae - sea basses Centropristis philadelphica, rock sea bass Centropristis striata, black sea bass Epinephelus nigritus, Warsaw grouper 21 Centrarchiade - sunfishes Enneacanthus gloriosus, bluespotted sunflsh X 0.1-0.4 Lepomis gibbosus, pumpkinseed X X 0.1-0.3 Lepomis gulosus, warmouth X 0.0-0.1 Lepomis macrochirus, bluegill X X 0.0-0,2 Mlcropterus salmoides, largemouth bass X X 0,0-0.1 Pomoxis nigromaculatus , black crappie X X 0.3-1.2 Percidae - perches Etheostoma olmstedi, tessellated darter X 0.2 Pomatomidae - bluefishes Pomatomus saltatrlx, bluefish X X X X X 8.7-32.5 Rachycentridae - cobias Rachycentron canadum, cobia X 28.4 Carangldae - jacks and pompanos Caranx hippos , crevalle jack XX X 24.2-30.3 Chloroscombrus chrysurus, Atlantic bumper X 16.3 Selene vomer, lookdown XXX 20.4-32.3 Trachinotus falcatus, permit X 31.5 Lutjanidae - snappers Lutjanus griseus, gray snapper X 24.4 Lobotldae - tripletails Lobotes surinamensis, trlpletail X 24.4 Table 3. — Continued. Zone Species Salinity range X X X 24.3-32.7 X X X 0.8-31.2 X X X 19.4-33.4 Gerreldae - mojarras Eucinostomus arsenteus, spotfin mojarra X 35.3 Eucinostomus gula, silver jenny XXX 23.4-31.6 Fomadasyidae - grunts Orthopristls chrysoptera, pigflsh XXX 21.4-32.1 Sparidae - porgies Archosargus probatocephalus , sheepshead X X 28.5-31.3 Lagodon rhomboides, pinfish X X X X 0.8-33.6 Sciaenldae - drums Bairdiella chrysura, silver perch X X X X 9.0-30.7 Cynoscion nebulosus, spotted seatrout X X X X 7.8-32.4 Cynoscion regalis , weakflsh XXX 9.4-30.2 Leiostomus xanthurus, spot X X X X X 0.6-33.2 Mentlcirrhus americanus , southern kingfish X 27.1 Mentlcirrhus saxatilis, northern kingfish Micropogon undulatus, Atlantic croaker X X > Pogonias cromis, black drum Ephippidae - spadeflshes Chaetodipterus faber, Atlantic spadefish X X 27.4-29.2 Mugilidae - mullets Mugil cephalus, striped mullet X X X X X X 0.3-31.5 Sphyraenidae, barracudas Sphyraena barracuda, great barracuda X 31.1 Gobiidae - gobies Gobionellus boleosoma . darter goby Gobi one 11 us hastatus , sharptail goby Gobionellus shuf eldti, freshwater goby , X Microgobius thalassinus, green goby Trichiuridae, cutlassf ishes Trichiurus lepturus, Atlantic cutlassfish X 21.3-29.9 Scombrldae - mackerels and tunas Scomber omorus maculatus, Spanish mackerel XXX 24.5-31.7 X X 17.4-26.9 X 28.4 X X 0.1-29.3 X X 19.0-24.3 Table 3. — Continued. Zone Species Salinity range Stromateidae - butterfishes Peprilus alepidotus, harvestf ish Peprilus triacanthus, butterf ish Triglidae - searobins Prionotus carollnus, northern searobin Prionotus evolans , striped searobin Prionotus scitulus, leopard searobin Prionotus tribulus, bighead searobin Bothidae - lefteye flounders Ancylopsetta quadrocellata, ocellated flounder Citharichthys spilopterus, bay whiff Etropus crossotus , fringed flounder Paralichthys albigutta, Gulf flounder Paralichthys dentatus, summer flounder Paralichthys lethostigma, southern flounder Scopthalmus aquosus , windowpane Soleidae - soles Trinectes maculatus, hogchoker Cynoglossidae - tonguefishes Symphurus plagiusa, blackcheek tonguefish Balistidae - triggerfishes and filefishes Monacanthus hispidus, planehead filefish Tetraodontidae - puffers Sphoeroides maculatus, northern puffer Diodontidae - porcupinefishes Chilomycterus schoepfi, striped burrfish 8.7-9.4 22.6-30.3 X 29.2-32.8 X 24.1-30.2 X 29.3 X 23.5-28.4 X X 24.9-28.3 X X 22.5-28.5 X X X X 20.6-31.3 30.2-34.5 X X X X 3.1-32.9 X X X X 0.6-33.4 X X 23.2-29.9 0.1-30.4 4.7-29.4 X X 9.4-30.2 X X 28.3-30.2 X X 29.1-31.5 10 rostrata. On the other hand, 12 of the marine forms were considered as euryhaline and pen- etrated into tidal fresh waters of the upper river. Seven other marine species were taken in waters within the low salinity range (0.6-10/r^ ) ; four were collected from brackish waters of the up- per river and three from the low salinity waters (8.3'rV) encountered in Zone 4 of the lower river during the April sampling period. Eighty-six different species were collected in moderate to high salinity waters (i.e., over 10y,r) of the estuary. Twenty-six of these species gave evidence of preferring high salinity since they were collected only from waters greater than 25'/, c. Six of these species, however, have been recorded from fresh waters by other workers (Gunter, 1956; Gunter and Hall, 1963) and are therefore considered euryhaline: these species are ladyfish, Elops sauries; rough silverside, Memhras martinica; spotfin mojarra, Eucinos- tomiis argenteus; sheepshead, Archosargus probatocephalus; sharptail goby, Gobionellus hastatns; and northern puffer, Sphoeroides maculates. RELATIVE ABUNDANCE A total of nearly 129,000 fishes were collected from Newport River in 1970. Moveable gear (trawls and haul seine) accounted for 98% of the total catch, and stationary gear (anchored gill nets) the remainder. Gill nets were fished for 1,281 shackle-hours over the 12-month pe- riod, whereas the actual fishing time for all other gears was estimated at 28.5 hr. The surface trawl netted 66% of the total catch and was the most successful gear employed in terms of catch per unit of effort, 884 fish i^er haul. The haul seine took 19 ''f of the total catch and 335 fish per haul, the large bottom trawl 13 '~r of the total catch and 284 fish per haul, and the small bottom trawl less than 1% of the total catch and 23 fish per haul. Gill nets were the least effective of the various gears, yielding only 1.4 fish per shackle- hour. A general picture of the utilization of each zone and of the different habitats within the system can be derived from the relative abun- dance of species in the catches by various gears. Species representing at least 1% of the total Table 4. --Relative abundance of the principal fishes taken by surface trawl and bottom trawl in upper Newport River, 1970. ( "atch per haul in Zone Composition of 12 3 total catch Surface trawl Percent Brevoortla tyrannus 7 138 1,758 80.6 Anchoa mitchilll 17 24 369 17.1 Bottom trawl Percent Leiostomus xanthurus - 1 17 39.1 Micropogon undulatus 15 6 19.6 Trlnectes maculatus 11 7 17.5 Ictalurus catus 11 2 7.3 Lagodon rhomboides 3 6.3 Anchoa mitchilll - - 1 2.3 catch for the year by any gear were considered dominant forms. Although surface trawls captured 29 species in the upper river, two species made up nearly 98% of the catch (Table 4) . Atlantic menhaden (Brevoortia tyvanmis) , predominantly young of the year, was the most abundant species and was followed by bay anchovy (Anchoa mitchilU). Both of these species, marine euryhaline fishes, moved upstream into Zone 1, but their numbers decreased in a direct relation to distance up- stream. Golden shiner ranked next in abun- dance, but made up less than 1% of the total catch. Twenty-six species were taken in the upper river by bottom trawl, but the seven dominant species constituted 94% of the catch. Spot (Leiostomus xanthimis) was the predominant species in the samples, and was followed in order of decreasing abundance by Atlantic croaker (Micropogon undulahis) , hogchoker (Trmectes viaculatus) , white catfish, pinfish, bay anchovy, and pirate perch (Aphredodertts sayanus) . At- lantic croaker and hogchoker occurred as far upstream as Zone 1, but were more numerous downstream. Spot was taken as far upstream as Zone 2, but was more abundant in Zone 3. White catfish was distributed I'ather evenly throughout the upper river, while the other 11 freshwater species, pirate perch, was found only in Zone 1. Pinfish and bay anchovy were col- lected in Zone 3 only. Of the nine predominant fishes in samples from the upper river, six were marine euryhaline species and three were fresh- water species. Four of the 58 species in samples collected by bottom trawling in the lower river comprised 95% of the catch (Table 5). Spot was again the most abundant species and was followed suc- cessively by bay anchovy, pinfish, and Atlantic croaker. All of the latter were also among the dominant species of the upper river. Spot was most numerous in Zone 6, bay anchovy in Zone 4, pinfish in Zone 6, and Atlantic croaker in Zone 5. Pinfish and Atlantic croaker were sparse in Zones 4 and 6, respectively. Thirty-seven species were represented in sam- ples from littoral waters of the estuary, and seven of these accounted for 96 9f of the catch by haul seine. These samples consisted princi- pally of young-of-the-year fishes. Young spot predominated in these samples. Atlantic silver- side (Meyiidia menidia) and young striped mul- Table 5. --Relative abundance of the principal fishes taken by bottom trawl and haul seine in lower Newport River, 1970. Catch per haul in Zone Composition Species of 4 5 6 total catch Bottom trawl Percent Leiostomus xanthurus 74 107 129 38.4 Anchoa mitchilli 281 61 65 37.5 Lagodon rhomboides 2 24 45 9.9 Micropogon undulatus 31 45 2 8.8 Haul seine Percent Leiostomus xanthurus 273 129 116 51.5 Menidia menidia 41 40 89 16,9 Mugil cephalus 50 37 63 14.9 Anchoa mitchilli 25 9 11 4.5 Brevoortia tyrannus 25 16 1 4.2 Lagodon rhomboides 5 4 11 2.0 Membras martinica - - 19 1.9 let (Mugil cephalus) ranked next in importance but were each less than a third as numerous as spot. Bay anchovy and postlarval Atlantic men- haden ranked next and were followed by post- larval pinfish and rough silverside. Unlike the adults, young spot were most abundant in the upper reaches of the estuary indicating an up- stream movement similar to that of Atlantic menhaden. Both species of atherinids, Atlantic and rough silversides, were most numerous in the lower reaches of the system. The distribu- tion of bay anchovy and pinfish in littoral waters paralleled their distribution in samples from benthic waters. Gill nets, fished in open waters throughout the river, took a slightly greater variety of fishes than any other gear, 59 diff'erent species. Be- cause of their selectivity, however, gill nets sampled only the moderate-to-large-sized fishes. Eight species composed about 93 "^r of the total catch by gill nets (Table 6). Atlantic men- haden (chiefly yearling fish) was by far the dom- inant species in the open waters. Yearling men- haden were especially abundant in catches in the estuary but small numbers were taken upstream into Zone 2. Juvenile and adult pinfish ranked second in abundance and occurred only in sam- ples from the estuary. Spot was the third most abundant species and was captured as far up- stream as Zone 2, but in smaller numbers than in the estuary. Longnose gar ranked next in abundance and was limited to samples from the upper river. This species appeared the most abundant of the large freshwater fishes. Blue- fish (Pomatomus saltatrix), mostly yearlings, also were taken in large numbers in the estuary; young-of-the-year bluefish were taken by sur- face trawl in the upper river but in relatively smaller numbers. Gizzard shad were gillnetted throughout the system, but were most abundant in the upper river. Atlantic thread herring {Opisthonema oglinum) and Atlantic croaker were taken only in the estuary, the former spe- cies being most abundant in the upper reaches and the latter species in the lower reaches. The seven dominant fishes in the combined collections by various gears were Atlantic men- haden, bay anchovy, spot, Atlantic silverside, striped mullet, pinfish, and Atlantic croaker — all marine euryhaline species. The first five spe- cies accounted for 93% of the total catch and 12 Table 6. --Relative abundance of the principal fishes taken by gill nets in the Newport River, 1970. Cat( ch per 100 shackle-hours in Zone — Percent Species of 1 2 3 4 5 6 total catch Brevoortia tyrannus _ 1.3 1.1 173.3 198.4 34.2 54.9 Lagodon rhomboides - - - 24.7 55.4 15.3 12.8 Leiostomus xanthurus - 2.7 2.2 5.5 6.5 34.2 6.9 Leplsosteus osseus 9.0 25.3 1A.6 - - - 6.6 Pomatomus saltatrix - - - 12.3 17.2 12.7 5.7 Dorosoma cepedianum 2.0 9.3 7.9 0.7 - 1.0 2.8 Oplsthonema oglinum - - - 9.6 1.1 0.3 1.5 Micropogon undulatus - - - 0.7 3.2 6.3 1.4 the next two, 4'^r. Although the remaining 97 species each contributed less than 1 '^r of the total catch, some nevertheless were taken in consider- able numbers. The three next most common spe- cies were golden shiner, rough silverside, and tidewater silverside (Menidia beryllina); only- one freshwater species, golden shiner, ranked among the 10 most numerous fishes. Other spe- cies occurring in substantial numbers were blue- back herring (Alosa aestivalis) , hogchoker, and bluefish. Because of their abundance, all of these species are important components of the estuary (Zones 2 through 6). SEASONAL DISTRIBUTION OF MAJOR SPECIES Numerically, the fish population within the river system was of course dominated by small fishes and larvae and juveniles of larger species. All of the dominant species used the system as a nursery area and three of the estuarine species, bay anchovy, Atlantic silverside, and tidewater silverside, apparently resided within the system throughout their lives. The capacity to which most of the dominant species utilized the system was inferred from their seasonal and areal dis- tribution, sizes, and numbers in the collec- tions. Atlantic Menhaden Samples collected by haul seine in the estuary and surface trawl in the upper river best describe the cyclic distribution of menhaden within the system (Table 7). Menhaden spawn oflF the North Carolina coast from November to March (Higham and Nicholson, 1964). Larvae enter the estuary, transform into juveniles and usu- ally remain most of their first year of life. Larval and postlarval menhaden were first taken in the estuary in February. By March some fishes at- tained juvenile proportions (about 35 mm in length), and many had moved into the upper portion of the river. Salinity was Oy,, through- out the upper river at the time of menhaden in- flux into that area. Menhaden moved well up- stream and into Zone 1 by May and remained until August. Peak numbers were encountered in May and June and most of the population was centered in Zone 3. During these two months the population of young menhaden in the system was spread along a very wide salinity gradient, ranging from a mean of O.l^f in Zone 1 to a mean of 28.3';, in Zone 5. After July the number of menhaden in collections diminished abruptly. By August the juveniles had emi- grated from Zones 1 and 2, but some remained in Zone 3 at the mouth of the river until Novem- ber. After departing from the upper river, 13 Table 7. --Monthly distribution and length range (mm in parentheses) of young-of-the-year Atlantic menhaden in samples collected by haul seine in the lower river and surface trawl in the upper river. Month Zone Total 6 5 4 3 2 1 number Jan. - - - - - - 0 Feb. 4 (23-27) 1 (31) 8 (22-31) - - - 13 Mar. - 326 (22-34) 420 (22-37) 2,287 (24-35) 4 (24-26) - 3,037 Apr. 34 (26-30) 18 (24-35) 84 (26-35) 808 (24-34) - - 944 May - 2 (25-28) 3 (25-27) 31,276 (22-48) 183 (25-34) 1 (28) 31,465 June - 12 (35-62) 50 (41-57) 20,191 (29-52) 4,397 (29-42) 161 (33-45) 24,811 July - - 16 (34-61) 8,190 (37-78) 388 (32-73) 4 (29-32) 8,598 Aug. - - - 2 (62-67) - - 2 Sept. - - - 486 - - 486 Oct. Mov. Dec. (61-95) 32 (65-115) 32 0 0 juveniles probably stayed in open waters of the estuary and thus were not available to seining efforts in the littoral areas. The majority of these young menhaden left the estuary and re- turned to the ocean as waters began to cool. Some lingered in the system for a greater period of time, however, as attested by the catches of yearlings in gill nets throughout the year. Bay Anchovy Bay anchovy was distributed throughout the system and occurred in collections each month (Table 8). They were taken in the upper por- tion of the river from June through December. Small anchovies entered the catches in June, in- dicating that spawning began in May. Young fishes persisted in the catches during the re- mainder of the year, suggesting a prolonged breeding season extending well into fall. The bay anchovy was most numerous from July- October with a peak of abundance in September suggesting that spawning intensity was greatest in mid-summer. Spot Postlarval spot were first collected in the estuary during February and appeared in sam- ples from the upper river, Zone 3, in March (Table 9). During April they occurred as far upstream as Zone 2 in waters that were com- pletely fresh at the time of sampling. By July young spot had emigrated from the upper river, but young-of-the-year were taken from the estu- ary through October. 14 Table 8. --Monthly distribution and length range (mm in parentheses) of bay anchovy collected in samples from all gears combined in the up- per and lower river. Month Total number Jan. Feb. Mar. Apr, May ~ 9 (36-45) 4 (45-53) 1 (50) 2 (34-35) 10 (55-61) 548 (37-55) - 19 (43-57) 319 (42-83) 176 (38-82) 4 (33-78) 89 87 9 (43-82) (47-81) (53-73) 26 194 22 (45-78) (53-69) (58-70) 21 (38-73) 14 560 518 185 263 June 39 (48-65) 186 (17-65) 87 (17-68) — "" 1 (25) 312 July 12 (43-64) 333 (18-72) 413 (22-82) 945 (19-72) 61 (21-31) 398 (25-35) 2,162 Aug. 693 (37-63) 278 (47-72) 368 (24-72) 276 (22-46) - - 1,615 Sept. 224 (31-77) 224 (33-53) 1,415 (19-100) 10,102 (18-50) 9 (32-46) - 11,974 Oct. 678 (41-61) - 696 (40-55) 1,711 (25-53) 764 (23-42) 1 (87) 3,850 Nov. 2 (28-32) 25 (41-61) 250 (41-62) 220 (22-42) 6 (26-37) - 503 Dec. 39 (40-69) 19 (30-62) - 33 (26-67) 13 (37-68) - 104 Adult spot containing well-developed roe were taken from gill nets in Zone 6 during October. They apparently left the estuary after October and moved offshore to spawn. The cyclic dis- tribution of spot paralleled that of Atlantic men- haden, the chief differences being that spot at- tained peak abundance in the catches during March and did not move upstream to as great an extent as menhaden. Disparity in peaks of abundance of these two species probably reflects the high vulnerability of juvenile menhaden to the surface trawl. Atlantic Silverside This species was also widely distributed in the system and occurred in samples throughout the year (Table 10). Although Atlantic silverside has been recorded from fresh waters on many occasions, the species was never taken in Zone 1 and was collected only in limited numbers in Zone 2. Collections indicated that spawning oc- curred in April and May, and the species reached peak abundance in the collections in June. Striped Mullet Postlarval striped mullet first appeared in samples from the estuary in November and were taken in Zone 3 in December (Table 11). The species apparently spawns over an extensive pe- riod as larvae persisted in samples through April. 15 Table 9. --Monthly distribution and length range (ran in parentheses) of young-of-the-year spot in samples collected by haul seine in the lower river and bottom trawl in the upper river. Month Zone Total 6 5 4 3 2 number 1 Jan. - - - - - 0 Feb. 266 (11-22) 269 (12-23) 1,418 (12-22) - - 1,953 Mar. 1,842 (16-31) 1,904 (19-27) 3,168 (14-26) (14 335 -24) - 7,249 Apr. 710 (20-29) 655 (18-32) 2,185 (20-33) (31 22 -48) 11 (31-44) 3,583 May 59 (17-51) 391 (21-47) 190 (12-50) - - 640 June 27 (41-49) 55 (16-73) 70 (48-64) 1 (59) - 153 July - 5 (70-83) 6 (60-101) - - 11 Aug. 6 (88-106) 1 (93) 4 (82-88) - - 11 Sept. 6 (97-106) - 5 (96-118) - - 11 Oct. 1 (112) 5 (95-110) 1 (120) - - 7 Nov. - - - - - 0 Dec. - - - - - 0 Striped mullet penetrated well upstream and was taken in Zone 1 in July. Pinfish Postlarval pinfish (11 mm) first appeared in the estuary in November and small specimens (<18 mm) persisted in the samples from the lower river until early May. This suggests a prolonged spawning period, probably from Oc- tober to April, coincident with the Atlantic men- haden and striped mullet spawning seasons in this area. Spawning occurs offshore. Atlantic Croaker An insufficient number of young-of-the-year croaker was collected to accurately infer spawn- ing time in this area ; however, there is evidence of spawning off the South Carolina coast from October to January (Bearden, 1964). Most of the croakers taken in Newport River were year- lings and adults collected by bottom trawls and gill nets. The species occurred throughout the system. Bluefish The majority of bluefish collected were year- ling fish taken by gill nets from the lower river. Small numbers of young-of-the-year, however, were collected by surface trawl in the upper riv- er. Yearling bluefish were taken in Zone 6 from March-December, in Zone 5 from April-Novem- ber, and in Zone 4 from May-November. Young- of-the-year (45-72 mm) occurred sporadically in collections from the upper river in May, July, and October. They moved upstream into Zone 2 16 in July, but were more abundant in Zone 3. A winter spawning offshore was indicated by size and time of appearance of young- fish in the col- lections. The absence of bluefish in collections with the bottom trawls was probably indicative of their habitat preferences and in no way re- flected population size. Blueback Herring Blueback herring were taken in Zones 1-5. and young-of-the-year (22 mm) were first en- countered in collections from Zone 1 in June. Young-of-the-year remained in the upper river until December and were taken with adult fish in Zones 4 and 5 as late as February. The mean length of young blueback herring was 23 mm in June, 40 mm in August, 51 mm in September, 59 mm in October, 71 mm in November, 71 mm in December, and 81 mm in February. Other Abundant Species Data on the other abundant species mentioned above were too incomplete to draw definite con- clusions regarding spawning times and migra- tional patterns. Golden shiner, the only fresh- water fish among the dominant species, was col- lected in the upper river throughout the year and was far more numerous in Zones 1 and 2 than in Zone 3. Young-of-the-year (22 mm) were first collected in June, indicating that spawning occurred in spring. Tidewater silverside was taken in Zones 2-6 and was most abundant in Table 10.--Monthly distribution and length range (mm in parentheses) of Atlantic silverside in samples collected by haul seine and surface tr aw 1 . Month Zone Total number Jan. 2 (70-75) 188 (45-102) 14 (31-90) 2 (42-55) ~ Feb. 1 (65) 285 (66-110) 46 (53-103) - - Mar. 88 (48-100) 58 (53-104) 211 (47-105) 2 (47-77) - Apr. 11 (70-105) 9 (73-94) 56 (50-108) 1 (68) - May 39 (72-110) 8 (80-100) 128 (21-102) 7 (41-62) (52- 6 -54) June 906 (24-81) 613 (23-40) 328 (25-47) 1 (31) (47- 2 -58) July - 4 (40-82) 110 (23-60) 36 (37-39) (54- 2 -63) Aug. 375 (45-60) 7 (35-54) 12 (48-60) 2 (34-41) - Sept. 9 (66-74) - 186 (46-72) 5 (43-69) (34- 6 -47) Oct. 582 (65-78) 4 (60-75) 7 (65-71) 131 (42-85) - Nov. 274 (72-103) - 4 (41-62) 111 (51-95) - Dec. 242 (61-93) 40 (58-91) 1 (41) 159 (41-89) (53- 3 ■54) 206 332 359 77 188 1,850 152 396 206 724 389 445 17 Table 11. --Monthly distribution and length range (mm in parentheses) of young-of-the-year striped mullet in samples collected by haul seine and surface trawl. Month Zone Total number Jan. 24 3 17 (21-24) (21-27) (25-29) Feb. 31 97 1,434 (21-27) (22-31) (16-33) Mar. 497 (19-34) 31 (22-33) 141 (25-28) " Apr. 967 (21-34) 784 (21-38) 136 (22-34) 11 (19-27) May ■ 2 (30-34) ■ June - 10 (34-39) - - July - 1 (78) 6 (83-104) 15 (45-97) Aug. 8 (91-123) 2 (104-108) 3 (40-107) 2 (72-87) Sept. 4 4 41 1 Oct. Nov. Dec. (107-123) (96-134) (59-126) 11 15 (114-131) (84) 14 (82-118) (101-133) (92-114) 1 3 11 5 (80) (21-80) (88-120) (86-106) 13 110 (20-102) (22-83) 1 (52) 1 (84) 1 (118) 1,562 669 1,898 11 27 15 50 30 20 138 collections from Zone 5, while rough silverside was restricted to collections from Zone 6. No young-of-the-year of either species occurred in the collections. Hogchoker occurred throughout the system, but the sizes of specimens in col- lections did not provide any information on spawning and movement. The smallest hog- choker (19 mm) was collected from Zone 5 in August. Other Fishes In addition to the above major species, many other marine fishes utilized the system as a nur- sery area. Most notable among these were speckled worm eel {Myrophis punctattis), in- shore lizardfish (Synodius foetens) , spotted hake {Urophycis regius) , Atlantic needlefish (Stron- gylura marina) , mummichog {Fundulus hetero- clitus) , rock sea bass {Centropristis philadel- phica) , black sea bass (C. st7-iata) , Warsaw grouper {Epinephelus nigritus), crevalle jack {Caranx hippos) , Atlantic bumper {Chloroscom- brus chrysurus) , lookdown (Selene vomer), gray snapper (Lzitjanus griseus) , silver perch (Bairdiella chrysura) , spotted seatrout {Cynos- cion nehulosus) , weakfish {C. regalis) , black drum {Pogonias cromis) , Atlantic cutlassfish (Trichiurus lepturus) , Spanish mackerel {Scom- beromortis maculatus) , bay whiff (Citharichthys spilopterics) , fringed flounder {Etroptis cros- sotus) , summer flounder (Paralichthys denta- tus) , southern flounder {P. lethostigma) , black- 18 cheek tonguefish {Symphurus plagiusa) , and planehead filefish {Monocanthiis hispidiis). Continued sampling through July 1971 added only seven species not collected during 1970. These were chain pickerel (Esox niger) , mos- quitofish (Gambusia af finis), and redear sun- fish (Lepomis microlophus) from the upper river; smooth butterfly ray (Gymniira micriira) , banded rudderfish (Seriola zonata) , red drum {Sciaenops ocellata) , and feather blenny {Hyp- soblennius kentzi) from the lower river. NOTABLE OCCURRENCES Carcharhinus milberti, sandbar shark Two specimens were taken in Zone 6 during September; they were 1,205 and 1,315 mm long. The water temperature was 28.7°C and the sa- linity 32.6'/, at the collection site. According to Radcliff"e (1916), the sandbar shark is rare in the Beaufort region. Occasional specimens have been taken in the bight of Cape Lookout, and two specimens (622 and 654 mm in length) were recorded from Newport River in May 1914. Sphyrna lewini, scalloped hammerhead One specimen, 470 mm long, was taken in Zone 4 during June; water temperature was 28.7°C and salinity 24.7%r at the collection lo- cality. This species ranges northward to New Jersey (Casey, 1964), but to our knowledge has not been recorded from inshore waters in North Carolina. during April. Water temperature and salinity was 11.2°C and O.O'/r, respectively, at the time of collection. Tagatz and Dudley (1961) found the species abundant in the interconnected but larger Neuse River. Harengula pensacolae, scaled sardine Scaled sardine are not abundant along the North Carolina coast, and the northern range extremity recorded is Pasquotank River at Eliz- abeth City, N.C. (Fowler, 1945). One male (146 mm) and one female (148 mm) approach- ing spawning condition were collected in Zone 6 during late May when water temperature was 21.1°C and salinity 31.5'^w at the sampling site. The most advanced eggs ranged from 1.20 to 1.47 mm and the average diameter was 1.30 mm. Yolk diameters ranged from 0.93 to 1.20 mm, and the perivitteline space was 0.16 to 0.36 mm in width. A single oil globule was present and ranged from 0.07 to 0.13 mm in diameter. Cypselurus heterurus, Atlantic flyingfish The type of this species was collected at Beau- fort (Smith, 1907), and other specimens have since been collected offshore (Fowler, 1945). One specimen, a 231-mm female, was taken in Zone 6 during June. Water temperature was 24.3°C and salinity 32.3'/^ at the time of collec- tion. Ablennes hians, flat needlefish A/oso sapid'issima, American shad Although apparently once abundant in the Beaufort region (Yarrow, 1874), the American shad has not been since recorded from the up- per reaches of Newport River. That the species remains scarce was attested by the collection of a single adult female (461 mm long) in Zone 1 Although only one flat needlefish was taken during our survey, several other specimens were collected during subsidiary studies. This spe- cies is apparently not uncommon in the lower reaches of Newport River estuary, however, its occurrence in the Beaufort region has not been recently documented. The specimen was col- lected in Zone 6 during July when the water temperature was 21.1°C and the salinity 31.5%f. 19 Epinephelus nigritus, Warsaw grouper Two young-of-the-year Warsaw grouper were collected in Newport River estuary; a 57-mm specimen was taken from Zone 6 in July (water temperature 29.7°C, salinity 28.8%f) and a 19-mm specimen was taken from Zone 4 in August (water temperature 29.5°C, salinity 24.2%f). Adults are taken regularly in the off- shore fishery, and the species apparently uses the estuary as a nursery area. Lutjanus griseus, gray snapper One young-of-the-year gray snapper (88 mm) was collected from Zone 4 in September. The water temperature was 28.6°C and the salinity 24.4^r at the time of collection. Smith (1907) first recorded the species at Beaufort, and Gudg- er (1913) captured a small specimen at Cape Lookout. Tagatz and Dudley (1961) collected two specimens, 21 and 22 mm, along Atlantic Beach in September. Our inshore record indi- cates that this species uses estuaries in North Carolina as nursery area. Lobotes surinamensis, tripletail This species was previously reported from Beaufort Harbor (Smith, 1907) and from Beaufort Inlet (Fowler, 1945), but our studies indicated that the tripletail utilized the entire estuary of Newport River. Specimens ranging up to 345 mm were collected from Zone 4 in Sep- tember (temperature 28.6°C, salinity 24.4^r) and October (temperature 25.7°C, salinity 24.4%<,) . Eucinosfomus argenfeus, spotfin mojarra Forty-one spotfin mo j arras (22-75 mm) were collected from Zone 6 in October when the water temperature was 24.1°C. Although this species invades fresh waters in Florida (Carr and Coin, 1959), in our collections they were confined to higher salinities (35.3%r,) in the lower reaches of the estuary. ANNUAL VARIATION Bottom-trawl data (Donald E. Hoss and Curtis W. Lewis, National Marine Fisheries Service, Beaufort, N.C., unpublished data) col- lected at monthly intervals in Zones 2-6 for the 2 years preceeding our study differed markedly in relative abundances of species. Much the same species, however, dominated the catches all 3 years (Table 12). Only nine species con- tributed 1% or more to the annual catches in the upper river. The seven species that con- tributed 1% or more to the total catch in 1970 comprised 96.7% of the catch in the upper river that year, 89.7 ':;^ of the catch in 1969, and 92.2% of the catch in 1968. Only five species contrib- uted 1% or more to the annual catches in the lower river. The four species that contributed at least 1% to the total catch in 1970 comprised 94.6% of the catch in the lower river that year, 84.5% of the catch in 1969, and 95.9% of the catch in 1968. BIOMASS OF FISHES The wide variety of sampling gear employed during the fish inventory studies identified the dominant species, their habitat preferences, rel- ative abundances, and distributions within the river system. Only the haul seine, however, pro- vided satisfactory estimates of biomass because the area sampled by the seine was known and could be replicated with little variability, and be- cause the littoral regions in which the haul seine was used are frequented chiefly by young or small fishes that are readily susceptible to cap- ture. Average biomass (wet weight) of fishes in the littoral waters of the estuary was estimated as 0.93 g/m- for the entire year of sampling (Table 13). Monthly averages of biomass did not appear related to the migrations of species, but varied erratically and ranged from 0.46 to 1.83 g/m^. Peak catches occurred in March, August, September, and November. Atlantic silverside made up 39.0% of the total biomass in littoral waters and was followed by striped 20 Table 12. --Species composition of catches with bottom trawls in the upper (Zones 2-3) and lower (Zones 4-6) Newport River, 1968-1970.' 1968 1969 1970 Species 7, (Rank) % (Rank) % (Rank) Upper River Micropogon undulatus 49.9 (1) 45.9 (1) 20.1 (2) Trinectes maculatus 30.1 (2) 23.4 (2) 18.2 (3) Ictalurus catus 6.2 (3) 8.7 (3) 6.3 (5) Leiostomus xanthurus 3.3 (4) 2.5 (7) 41.9 (1) Anchoa mitcnilii 2.7 (5) 6.2 (5) 2.5 (6) Symphurus plagiusa 1.7 (6) 7.1 W — Bairdiella chrysura 1.1 (7) — -- Brevoortia tyrannus 3.0 (6) 1.0 (7) Lagodon rhomboides 6.7 (4) Totals 95.0 96.8 Lower River 96.7 Micropogon undulatus 35.5 (1) 12.6 (2) 8.8 (A) Leiostomus xanthurus 28.5 (2) 59.0 (1) 38.4 (1) Lagodon rhomboides 25.7 (3) 9.6 (4) 9.9 (3) Anchoa mitchilli 6.2 (4) 3.3 (5) 37.5 (2) Brevoortia tyrannus 1.1 (5) 9.7 (3) ~ Totals 97.0 94.2 94.6 All stations were occupied with the 3-ni trawl except in 1970 when the 6.1-in trawl was used in the lower river. mullet, 17.4 ^r; spot, 15.0%; and pinfish, 6.5%. The remaining 20% of the biomass was made up of a mixture of 33 other species. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS We sincerely thank James N. Walker, Ronald L. Garner, Jerry E. Watson, and Frederick E. Smith, Jr. for their assistance in conducting- the field surveys and in processing the collections. We are especially grateful to Thomas W. Mc- Kenney for his assistance in identifying many of the smaller more difficult specimens. Herbert R. xordy prepared the illustration. LITERATURE CITED ANGELOVIC, J. W., D. E. HOSS, and G. W. THAYER. 1969. Energy requirements of pinfish, Lagodon rhomboides, in the Newport River estuary, N.C. [Abstract] Assoc. Southeast. Biol. 16(2) :42. BAILEY, R. M. (chairman). 1970. A list of common and scientific names of fishes from the United States and Canada. 3d ed. Am. Fish. Soc, Spec. Publ. 6, 150 p. BEARDEN, C. M. 1964. Distribution and abundance of Atlantic croaker, Micropogon undulatus, in South Caro- lina. Contrib. Bears Bluff Lab. No. 40, 23 p. CARR, A., and C. J. COIN. 1959. Guide to the reptiles, amphibians, and fresh- water fishes of Florida. 2d ed. Univ. Fla. Press, Gainesville, 341 p. 21 Table 13.--Biomass (g/m ) of fishes collected from littoral waters of Newport River, 1970. Month Zone Mean 4 5 6 January 1.29 1.43 0.04 0.92 February 0.82 3.35 0.08 1.42 March 7.48 1.61 1.90 3.66 April 1.64 0.94 1.18 1.25 May 2.98 0.85 1.47 1.77 June 2.04 0.87 1.42 1.44 July 2.53 0.25 0.23 1.00 August 2.12 1.71 5.00 2.94 September 3.36 0.96 2.36 2.23 October 0.70 1.38 2.52 1.53 November 0.63 0.92 5.49 2.35 December 0.44 0.49 4.18 1.70 Totals 26.03 14.76 25.87 22.22 Means 2.17 1.23 2.16 1.85 CASEY, J. G. 1964. Anglers' guide to .sharks of the northeastern United States, Maine to Chesapeali D. J. Nelson and F. C. ell Sci. Soc. 83:135-139. Evans (editors). Symposium on Radioecology, YARROW H C p. 431-439. Proc. Second Natl. Symp., Ann Arbor, iotj xt ^ -.i i , , , „ . Mich., May 15-17, 1967. "" ^^^ ^^'^'^ ^^ observed at Beaufort WILLIAMS,' R. B., M. A. MURDOCH, and • Harbor, North Carolina, and vicinity. U.S. Comm. L. K. THOMAS. ' Fish Fish., Part II, Rep. Comm. 1872 and 1873, 1968. Standing crop and importance of zooplankton p. 452-456. 23 MBL WHOl Library - Serials 5 WHSE 01844 C36 Oil pollution on Wake Island from the tanker R. C. Stoner. By Rginald M. Gooding. May 1971, iii -f 12 pp., 8 figs., 2 tables. For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Govern- ment Printing Office, Washington, D.C. 20402 - Price 25 cents. 637 Occurrence of larval, juvenile, and mature crabs in the vicinity of Beaufort Inlet, North Carolina. By Donnie L." Dudley and ]\Iayo H. Judy. August 1971, iii + 10 pp., 1 fig., 5 tables. For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Govern- ment Printing Office, Washington, D.C. 20402 - Price 25 cents. 638 Length-weight relations of haddock from com- mercial landings in New England, 1931-55. By Bradford E. Brown and Richard C. Hennemuth. August 1971, V + 13 pp., 16 fig., 6 tables, 10 appendix A tables. 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