Miller et al : Distribution, abundance, and growth o\ MIcropogonlas undulatus 



107 



Upper bay zones 

 Lower bay zones 



35 

 30 

 25 

 20 



15 ^ 



10 

 5 

 



1996-1997 

 Year Class 



1996 

 n = 2.733 



1997 

 n = 357 



8 9 10 



4 5 6 7 8 9 10 



60 



uj 40 



Zl 

 Q. 



" 20 \ 



89 10 456789 10 



1998-1999 



/ ^ Year Class 

 1998 



n = 3.612 



8 9 10 



Month 



Upper bay marshes ' 

 Lower bay marshes 



1996- 1997 

 Year Class 



8 9 10 11 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 



1999-2000 

 Year Class 

 1999 

 i V n = 3.468 



8 9 10 11 



Month 



Figure 6 



Monthly average catch per unit of effort (CPUE ±SEM) of young-of-the-year Atlantic croaker 

 (Micropogonms undulatus) collected by otter trawl during the fall ingress and from April to 

 November for three year classes in the upper and lower regions of Delaware Bay (left panels: 

 CPUE=fisli/10 min. tow) and of four year classes in tidal creeks at the upper and lower bay marsh 

 sites I right panels: CPUE=fish/2 min. tow). No data are presented from April to July of 1996 

 because Atlantic croaker were absent from the bav and marshes until October 



CPUE at the lower bay marshes was consistently more 

 than twice as high as that in the upper bay (Fig. 6). The 

 combined four-year CPUE values for YOY caught during 

 April-October 1997-99, at each of the six sites were sig- 

 nificantly different (P<0.001), and the CPUE values at the 

 Dennis Township site were significantly greater than at 

 each of the other sites. The CPUE values at Commercial 

 Township and Upper Moores Beach in the lower bay also 

 were greater than those at all the upper bay sites. 



Young-of-the-year Atlantic croaker also used small in- 

 tertidal creeks in the marshes from April to August, 



where they were collected in weirs. They were most abun- 

 dant at the Dennis Township site in the lower bay in all 

 three years where they were present from May to July in 

 1997 and from April to August in 1998, 1999 (Fig. 8). The 

 monthly CPUE (fish per set) in the weirs at Dennis Town- 

 ship was greatest in June of both 1997 and 1998. Com- 

 pared to the total catch in the weirs at Dennis Township 

 in all three years (n=3994), far fewer were caught in the 

 weirs at the other sites in the lower bay during all three 

 years (« = 152) and fewer still at the sites in the upper bay 

 (;)=9i. The CPUE of YOY Atlantic croaker in Delaware 



