POMPANOS OF SOUTH ATLANTIC COAST 



193 



Figure 6. — T. carolinus, 14.8 mm. (East Beach, St. Simons Island, Ga.). 



Figure 7. — T. carolinus. Upper, 18.9 mm. (King and 

 Prince Beach, St. Simons Island, Ga.). Middle, 27.2 

 mm. (East Beach, St. Simons Island, Ga.). Lower, 

 42.1 mm. (King and Prince Beach, St. Simons Island, 

 Ga.). 



Florida in April and May. FuU of nearly ripe 

 spawn in April on the coast of Florida. ..." 

 Billy Christisen, an employee of one of the fisli 

 companies in Melbourne, Fla., on the Indian 



631439 0^62 2 



River, informed me (personal conversation) that 

 over the years he has dressed himdreds of "pom- 

 pano" (T. carolinus) and has never found any 

 developed roe. 



Springer and Pirson (1958: p. 177) speculated 

 on the breeding season on the Texas coast — 



Pompano are caught all year long, but major catches 

 occur during March, April, and May. These months are 

 probably just prior to the breeding period as Gunter 

 (1945) reports young as small as 13 mm. from June, and 

 states that fish as small as 23 mm. were taken from June 

 through December. 



Nichols (1934: p. 46), referring to the lack of 

 certain carangids (including T. carolinus and T. 

 falcatus) in the Bermuda faima, stated that — 



The probable explanation is that there are spawning 

 grounds for these species in southern latitudes in or near 

 the left (continental) edge of the Gulf Stream, and none 

 on the opposite side. 



The collection of two small specimens of this 

 species in offshore waters indicates that T. caro- 

 linus spawns in the open ocean, either in the 

 Gulf Stream or in locations where the transport 

 and distribution of the eggs and larvae are in- 

 fluenced by this current. Two small specimens 

 collected in offshore waters, were examined in 

 this study. The first, 7.2 mm. (fig. 4), was taken 

 near the 100-fathom line on GUI cruise 3, regular 

 station 42 (31°57' N., 79°16' W), August 5, 1953. 

 The other, 11.0 mm. (fig. 5) was taken on Gill 

 cruise 8, regular station 47 (32°40' N., 79°00' 

 W), September 25, 1954. 



Recruitment 



Young Trachinotus carolinus first appear on the 

 Georgia beaches during tiie last half of April or 



