FISHERY BULLETIN: VOL. 70, NO. 2 



Table 7. — Length-frequency distribution of the southern kingfish, Menticirrhus americanus, collected at Sapelo 



Beach by seine, 1967-68 (parentheses) and by trawls, 1967. 



was the result of seaward migration for spawn- 

 ing. Bearden (1964) found ripe croakers 3 to 

 30 miles offshore. Correlation of movements 

 with spawning is complicated by the protracted 

 (8 months) spawning period. 



Large black drums (Pogonias cromis) are 

 occasionally caught by fishermen in the lower 

 reach. I collected only a few black drums, all 

 small (19-130 mm), mostly in the high-salinity 

 pools. 



The red drum {Sciaenops ocellata) is one of 

 the most popular estuarine sport fishes because 

 of its large size and abundance in the beach and 



lower reach habitats. The red drum was taken 

 in only six seine collections and no trawl collec- 

 tions. The smallest (36 and 37 mm) specimens 

 occurred in November. 



The star drum (Stellifer lanceolatus) was the 

 most abundant species in the lower reach habi- 

 tat in 1967 (Dahlberg and Odum, 1970) an^ also 

 in estuaries near Brunswick in 1933-35 (Ander- 

 son, 1968). It is a small species and may ac- 

 count for less biomass than the spot or croaker. 

 Young of the year, apparently spawned from 

 May or June to September (Dahlberg and Odum, 

 1970), accounted for most of the numbers. 



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