Seasonal Distributions of Bottom Fishes in the Narragansett Bay Area: Seven-Year Variations in the Abundance of Winter Flounder (Pseudopleuronectes americanus)

1974 ◽  
Vol 31 (6) ◽  
pp. 1057-1066 ◽  
Author(s):  
H. Perry Jeffries ◽  
William C. Johnson
Keyword(s):  
Rhode Island ◽  
Homarus Americanus ◽  
Narragansett Bay ◽  
Winter Flounder ◽  
Pseudopleuronectes Americanus ◽  
Commercial Catch ◽  
Average Temperature ◽  
Climatic Trends ◽  
Bay Area ◽  
Time Required

Weekly bottom trawl samples taken in Narragansett Bay and Rhode Island Sound from January 1966 through December 1972 showed patterns of occurrence within a diverse assemblage of migratory and resident stocks. Relative abundance of winter flounder (Pseudopleuronectes americanus), the commonest species in the Bay, appeared to be associated with climatic trends but not with fishing pressure. Catch decreased 78% from 1968 to 1972. Average temperature during 30-mo periods, the time required for flounder to reach catchable size, explained 76% of variation in abundance through the study. Annual abundance in the Bay is also reflected 2–3 yr later in the commercial catch. A speculative explanation for control of the population in an estuarine nursery is developed, based on subtle climatic trends whose effects have been magnified many times over by competitive processes among migratory populations.The sand flounder (Scophthalmus aquosus), second in general abundance, varied far less than the winter flounder. Catches of the lobster (Homarus americanus) and winter flounder were directly related, both on a monthly as well as yearly basis. The remaining species of numerical importance appeared to avoid peak abundances of one another in the Bay and Sound; rarely did seasonal maxima of two or more species occur during the same month.

Estimating growth and mortality of juvenile winter flounder, Pseudopleuronectes americanus, with a length-based model

2001 ◽  
Vol 58 (11) ◽  
pp. 2233-2246 ◽  
Author(s):  
Allison K DeLong ◽  
Jeremy S Collie ◽  
Carol J Meise ◽  
J Christopher Powell
Keyword(s):  
Growth Rate ◽  
Rhode Island ◽  
High Growth ◽  
High Growth Rate ◽  
Narragansett Bay ◽  
Winter Flounder ◽  
Individual Growth ◽  
Pseudopleuronectes Americanus ◽  
Maximum Likelihood Methods ◽  
Decreasing Functions

This study quantifies the combined effects of density and environmental factors on young-of-the-year (YOY) winter flounder (Pseudopleuronectes americanus) in Narragansett Bay, Rhode Island. We used a length-based model to estimate growth and mortality rates from June to October each year from 1988 to 1998. In this model, mortality and growth rates are decreasing functions of length and there is variability in individual growth. Maximum-likelihood methods were used to fit the model to length-frequency data collected by the Rhode Island Division of Fish and Wildlife beach-seine survey in Narragansett Bay during the study years. The monthly mortality rate was density dependent and was positively related to temperature. Growth rate was negatively related to density. There was a significant decline in YOY winter flounder abundance during the period of study. The most recent year of the study, 1998, had the lowest density, lowest mortality, low summer temperature, and high growth rate. Thus, growth and mortality during the juvenile stage do not appear to be limiting the recovery of this depleted winter flounder population.

Impact of elevated temperature on the growth, survival, and trophic dynamics of winter flounder larvae: a mesocosm study

2000 ◽  
Vol 57 (12) ◽  
pp. 2382-2392 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aimee A Keller ◽  
Grace Klein-MacPhee
Keyword(s):  
Rhode Island ◽  
Narragansett Bay ◽  
Winter Flounder ◽  
Trophic Dynamics ◽  
Zooplankton Abundance ◽  
Pseudopleuronectes Americanus ◽  
Egg Survival ◽  
Cumulative Impact ◽  
Commercial Fish ◽  
The Impact

Winter flounder (Pseudopleuronectes americanus) is a dominant commercial fish in Narragansett Bay, Rhode Island, and yet factors controlling its recruitment remain unclear. An experiment was conducted with six 13-m3 land-based mesocosms (5 m deep) from February to April 1997 to address the impact of increased temperature (+3°C) on growth, survival, and trophic dynamics of winter flounder larvae. Objectives were to determine if warmer winter temperatures result in lower survival of winter flounder as a result of increased predator activity or if temperature-induced alterations in the food web result in greater food availability, perhaps leading to increased survival. Analyses of variance revealed significant (P < 0.05) or near-significant (P < 0.10) differences in phytoplankton and zooplankton abundance and biomass between warm and cool mesocosms. Winter flounder egg survival, percent hatch, time to hatch, and initial size were significantly greater in cool systems (P < 0.05). Mortality rates were lower in cool systems and significantly related to the abundance of active predators (P < 0.05). The cumulative impact of decreased survival of eggs and larvae in warm systems may partially explain the decline of winter flounder in Narragansett Bay, which has experienced elevated winter water temperatures in recent years.

Pathogenicity of Vibrio anguillarum for Juvenile Winter Flounder, Pseudopleuronectes americanus

1981 ◽  
Vol 38 (9) ◽  
pp. 1045-1051 ◽  
Author(s):  
W. D. Watkins ◽  
R. E. Wolke ◽  
V. J. Cabelli
Keyword(s):  
Rhode Island ◽  
Vibrio Anguillarum ◽  
Behavioral Changes ◽  
Winter Flounder ◽  
Histopathological Changes ◽  
Pseudopleuronectes Americanus ◽  
Oral Inoculation ◽  
Bioassay Procedure ◽  
Acute Form ◽  
Host Parasite

The pathogenicity of Vibrio anguillarum for juvenile winter flounder, Pseudopleuronectes americanus, was quantitatively established under laboratory conditions. Fish were obtained from Rhode Island waters, acclimatized in tanks for 4–6 wk, and then challenged with V. anguillarum. The LD50 was relatively constant for 24–to 72-h cultures of the organism using intraperitoneal, intramuscular, and intravenous challenge routes. The LD50 via oral inoculation was about 3 logs greater. The LD50 for fish collected, acclimatized, and challenged during the winter was ~3 logs less than that found for fish in the summer. The median intramuscular LD50 for 11 strains examined under the optimum conditions for infection was 2.4 × 105 (range 7.3 × 104 to 1.6 × 106) organisms. Gross and histopathological changes in the acute form of the disease were minimal, being limited to anemia, leucopenia, ecchymosis and necrosis at the site of inoculation, and behavioral changes. A chronic form of vibriosis was observed primarily during the summer in fish given sublethal doses. A potent, lethal V. anguillarum toxin could not be demonstrated. Potentially, this reproducible host–parasite system might have use in a short-term bioassay procedure for toxic pollutants of the marine environment.Key words: Vibrio anguillarum, winter founder, LD50, histopathological changes, acute and chronic vibriosis, toxin, bioassay

Predicting Winter Flounder (Pseudopleuronectes americanus) Catches by Time Series Analysis

1989 ◽  
Vol 46 (4) ◽  
pp. 650-659 ◽  
Author(s):  
Perry Jeffries ◽  
Aimee Keller ◽  
Stephen Hale
Keyword(s):  
Time Series ◽  
Time Series Analysis ◽  
New England ◽  
Rhode Island ◽  
Time Series Data ◽  
Maximum Error ◽  
Winter Flounder ◽  
Series Data ◽  
Pseudopleuronectes Americanus ◽  
Series Analysis

Long-term changes in catches of winter flounder (Pseudopleuronectes americanus) were compared at five locations within Narragansett Bay, Rhode Island, USA and in three areas directly offshore. In the lower Bay, relative abundance decreased 86% during warming in the early 1970's, recovered briefly, and then declined to an all-time low in 1986. Time-series analysis successfully predicted a recovery in 1987. Year ahead predictions, based on annual models, had a maximum error of 14% (1986); monthly forecasts explained 62–72% of catch variation during the entire investigation; cumulative monthly error (forecast compared with actual over an annual cycle) was 11% in the Bay and 21% offshore. Commercial offshore catch and the fish retained on power plant intake screens in two major rivers showed the same 11-yr pattern of population fall and recovery detected in the lower Bay. Coherent behavior was also demonstrated by the similarity of random processes which generated the time-series data. Thus a single time-series model for southern New England winter flounder seems feasible.

Estimates of the Theoretical Biomass of Juvenile Winter Flounder, Pseudopleuronectes americanus (Walbaum) Required for a Fishery in Rhode Island

1965 ◽  
Vol 22 (4) ◽  
pp. 945-954 ◽  
Author(s):  
Saul B. Saila ◽  
Donald B. Horton ◽  
Richard J. Berry
Keyword(s):  
Life History ◽  
Rhode Island ◽  
Significant Proportion ◽  
Early Life History ◽  
Vital Statistics ◽  
Winter Flounder ◽  
Pseudopleuronectes Americanus ◽  
Empirical Estimates ◽  
Equilibrium Yield ◽  
History Of

A model of the life history of the winter flounder was constructed using empirical estimates of vital statistics. The initial stock weight of juveniles was determined by substituting trial initial stock weight values into equations which contained average values of growth and mortality coefficients until the observed value of the equilibrium yield was approximated. Model data indicated that the stock weight of juvenile winter flounder at an age of 5 months constituted a significant proportion of the equilibrium yield even with conservative estimates of model coefficients. Growth appeared to be sufficiently rapid during early life-history stages to provide for a large increase in biomass in spite of considerable natural mortality.

Stable carbon and oxygen isotope ratios of otoliths differentiate juvenile winter flounder (Pseudopleuronectes americanus) habitats

2010 ◽  
Vol 61 (1) ◽  
pp. 34 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard J. Pruell ◽  
Bryan K. Taplin ◽  
Jonathan D. Karr
Keyword(s):  
Function Analysis ◽  
Seawater Temperature ◽  
Negative Relationship ◽  
Isotope Ratios ◽  
Narragansett Bay ◽  
Winter Flounder ◽  
Stable Carbon ◽  
Pseudopleuronectes Americanus ◽  
Carbon And Oxygen Isotope ◽  
Δ13c And Δ18o

The use of natural tags for identifying the source locations of individuals recruited to fish populations has become an important area of research in fisheries science. We used stable carbon (δ13C) and oxygen (δ18O) isotope ratios in otoliths to differentiate juvenile winter flounder (Pseudopleuronectes americanus) collected from locations along the coast of Rhode Island, USA. Sagittal otoliths from the flounder were analysed for δ13C and δ18O using isotope ratio mass spectrometry. Plots of δ13C v. δ18O and discriminant function analysis (DFA) indicated differences among samples from Narragansett Bay, the coastal ponds and the Narrow River. Separations were observed among fish from the upper, middle and lower portions of Narragansett Bay and along the salinity gradient in Narrow River. Otoliths from sites grouped on the basis of low, medium and high salinities also showed differences according to DFA. Correlation analysis indicated a significant negative relationship (r = –0.60, P = 0.009) between seawater temperature and δ18O, and a significant positive relationship (r = 0.93, P < 0.001) between salinity and δ18O for the combined dataset. These results indicate that δ13C and δ18O values of juvenile winter flounder otoliths may prove useful for differentiating individuals from various juvenile habitats.

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