560 



Fishery Bulletin 9 1(3). 1993 



Tagging did not appear to influence scale growth or 

 annulus formation, based on scale radius-TL relation- 

 ship, mean distance from focus to annuli, and similar 

 research with a related sciaenid, red drum (Sciaenops 

 ocellatus). The relationship between scale radius and 

 TL (Table 2, Fig. 3) at release was not significantly 

 different from that at recapture (slopes: F=0.14, df=l,34; 

 P=0.80; y-intercepts: F=0.37; df=l,35; P=0.80). The re- 

 gression for all data combined explained 74% of the 



variation (r=0.86) and indicated scale radius increased 

 0.36 unit for each unit of TL increase (Table 2). 



Distance of each of the first two annuli from scale 

 focus at release was not significantly different from 

 that at recapture (first annulus: F=2.437; df=l,37; 

 P=0.14; second annulus: P=0.179; df=l,33, P=0.63). 

 However, the mean distance from scale focus to the 

 third annulus was significantly (P=11.078; df=l,14; 

 P=0.005) greater on scales from fish at recapture 



