708 



Fishery Bulletin 101(3) 



tribution of larvae presented in the present study is most 

 likely a good indication of adult spawning areas. 



As indicated by the larval collections in this study, 

 spotted seatrout have a protracted spawning period from 

 March through October, which is similar to that observed 

 in Tampa Bay, Florida ( McMichael and Peters, 1989). To the 

 contrary, Stewart (1961) reported that spotted seatrout in 

 Florida Bay spawn throughout the year, and Rutherford 

 et al. (1989a) indicated that some spawning occurred as 



early as February and continued into December. Powell et 

 al.,'* studying hatchdate distributions of juveniles, reported 

 peak spawning in early May, late June, and late August. 



Seagrass meadows appear to be critical habitats for ju- 

 venile spotted seatrout (Chester and Thayer, 1990;Tolanet 

 al., 1997; Rooker et al.. 1998; Thayer et al., 19991. Rooker 

 et al. (1998) reported that juvenile spotted seatrout in a 

 Texas estuary prefer H. wrightii over T. testudinum. In 

 another Texas estuary, Tolan et al. (1997) reported that 



