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Young-of-the-Year Survey in RI Coastal Ponds

John Lake – Marine Biologist RIDFW-Marine Fisheries Section 3 Ft. Wetherill Road Jamestown, RI 02835 john.lake@dem.ri.gov. Young-of-the-Year Survey in RI Coastal Ponds. Purpose of Survey.

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Young-of-the-Year Survey in RI Coastal Ponds

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  1. John Lake – Marine BiologistRIDFW-Marine Fisheries Section3 Ft. Wetherill RoadJamestown, RI 02835john.lake@dem.ri.gov Young-of-the-Year Survey in RI Coastal Ponds

  2. Purpose of Survey To monitor juvenile fish populations in Rhode Island coastal ponds and estuaries, for the purpose of forecasting recruitment in relation to the spawning stock biomass of winter flounder and other recreationally important species.

  3. Survey Facts • Survey began in 1992 • Data has been collected on 98 fish species • Over 500,000 fish have been collected since surveys inception • Being expanded this year

  4. Winter Flounder Reproduction • Males and females reach maturity at 3 years of age • Adults believed to show spawning site affinity, sub-populations of winter flounder exist in RI waters • Spawning occurs in estuaries from January – May • Eggs clump together and rest on bottom (<1mm) • Usually hatch 15 – 18 days after being released • When the larvae are 1/3 of an inch they have completely metamorphosed

  5. Recruitment and Predation • Spawning and settlement in near shore demersal habitats makes eggs, larvae, and juveniles sensitive to disturbances • Egg, larval, and juvenile growth and survival are inversely related to increasing water temperature • Predation rates increase with increasing temperature • Increase in Sand Shrimp (Crangon septimspinosa) predation is thought to have a large impact on egg mortality when water temperatures are elevated Juvenile winter flounder and sand shrimp

  6. Winter Flounder in the Coastal Ponds • Ponds are a breeding ground/nursery with repeat spawners returning annually • Juveniles believed to be relatively stationary with affinity to sites near spawning locations • Prefer sandy-silt bottom texture • Larval and juvenile stages feed on the eggs and larval stages of various invertebrates • Juveniles use eelgrass and other submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV) habitats as a refuge from predation

  7. Map of Sampling Locations

  8. Sampling Procedure • Beach Seine is set and hauled in a semicircle at each station • Water quality data is collected at each station (Temperature, Salinity, Dissolved Oxygen, Secci Depth) • Finfish species are identified, counted, and measured

  9. Physical Parameters

  10. Target Species • Alewife • Black Sea Bass • Bluefish • Menhaden • Scup • Tautog • Winter Flounder Tautog Tautoga onitis

  11. Recreationally Important Finfish Species Abundance Indices in Coastal Ponds

  12. Coastal Pond Winter Flounder Length Frequencies

  13. 2010 Winter Flounder Frequency from Coastal Pond Survey

  14. Coastal Pond Winter Flounder Abundance Indices (fish/haul)

  15. Comparison of CPS Winter Flounder Abundance Indices to other surveys

  16. Point Judith Pond Adult and Juvenile Indices • Point Judith Pond was closed to harvest and possession of Winter Flounder on April 8, 2011

  17. Funded by Rhode Island Division of Fish and Wildlife, USFW Federal Aid to Sport Fish Restoration Grant No: F-61-R-17 Assessment of Recreationally Important Finfish Stocks in Rhode Island Coastal Ponds

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