194 



FISHERY BULLETIN OF THE FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE 



the first half of May. This recruitment consists 

 of small specimens, 11-20 mm., with a few as 

 large as 30 mm., but largely in a size range of 13-18 

 mm. This first wave is followed at about monthly 

 intervals by similar waves until the fish leave the 

 beaches in late October to early December. By 

 the first half of July, three size modes are recog- 

 nizable; the largest (in size) representing the first 

 wave, the smallest representing the most recent 

 recruitment. From then to the latter part of 

 October two or three size modes are recognized. 



The fish apparently leave the beaches at about 

 60-70 mm., because only an occasional straggler 

 of that size or larger is taken by beach seining. 

 Therefore, fish apparently from the first wave 

 leave the beach in the latter half of July, followed 

 by the second wave in August, et cetera. 



Analysis of seine collections of the Biological 

 Laboratory at Brunswick, Ga., for the years 1956, 

 1957, and 1959 indicated that initial recruitment 

 may represent the major spawning because the 

 numbers of individuals collected during April and 

 May for each year comprise about 56-66 percent 

 of the total number of individuals taken in each 

 year. 



Recruitment continues into late October to 

 early December, at which time 13.6- to about 50- 

 mm. specimens are found on the beach, with an 

 occasional larger straggler. 



Water temperatures follow a consistent annual 

 cycle on the open beaches in the Brunswick, Ga., 

 area, especially during the warmer months. For 

 the years 1956-59, the average monthly water 

 temperatures (° C), based on biweekly records 

 from King and Prince and East Beaches, were for 

 AprO, 21°; May, 26.6°; June, 27.8°; July, 30.5°; 

 August, 30.3°; September, 28.6°; October, 24.2°; 

 and November, 19.0°. The highest temperature 

 recorded for tliis period is 33.0°. 



Salinity of the beach water during the period 

 1956-59 was very erratic, with variations as high 

 as 8.39 parts per thousand occurring in the same 

 month and with 17.07 p.p.t. and 36.65 p.p.t. the 

 extreme readings for April through November. 



Based on the data for the years 1956-59, T. 

 carolinus first appears on the Georgia beaches 

 when the water temperature rises to about 19° C, 

 leaves in the fall when the water cools to about 

 the same temperature, and has been taken at both 

 salinity extremes (17.07-36.65 p.p.t.). 



Gunter (1945; p. 59) stated that T. carolinus 

 was taken on the Texas gulf beaches in a tempera- 

 ture range of 19.0° to 30.7° C, and a salinity range 

 of 28.1 to 36.7 p.p.t. 

 Size 



Examination of seine collection data reveals 

 little as to the growth rate of these fish. It is 

 impossible to tell if consecutive collections were 

 made from the same local population of a recruit- 

 ment wave or from migrants along the shore. 

 Another factor affecting growth analysis is the 

 possible sporadic immigration to and emigration 

 from the beaches of individuals comprising the 

 wave; i.e., when the initial portion of a wave is 

 sampled as it first reaches the beach, many indi- 

 viduals, especially of the smaller sizes, may not 

 as yet have arrived. The same may be true in 

 reverse at large sizes when the fish begin to leave 

 the beaches. Probably the larger individuals in 

 a wave move out first, and the emigration is pos- 

 sibly a random movement. Efforts to establish 

 growth rates from existing samples produced 

 little other than an indication that the growth rate 

 of these young fish is probably 14-30 mm. per 

 month, averaging about 22 mm. 



Maximum size of T. carolinus was not resolved. 

 Evermann and Marsh (1902: p. 140) stated that 

 T. carolinus "reaches a maximum length of nearly 

 2 feet and a weight of 6 or 8 pounds." According 

 to Hildebrand and Schroeder (1928: p. 231), 

 "This pompano reaches a weight of about 5 

 pounds." Gregg (1902: p. 55) stated— 



The market fishermen of Indian River and Lake Worth 

 do think the "true" or Common Pompano have been caught 

 weighing up to 27 pounds. I have often been told of 

 specimens weighing 20 to 25 pounds. I am quite sure the 

 one caught by Capt. Gardner at Lake Worth April 15, 

 1898, was a true Pompano, as he was compared with 

 several undoubted Pompanos .... 



Present-day market fishermen on the Indian 

 River confirm Gregg's observations. Some of 

 these fishermen, who are well acquainted with 

 T. carolinus, assert that they have seen fish in 

 the 30-pound class that they identify as large 

 "pompano." The Indian River fishermen dif- 

 ferentiate between T. carolinus and T. falcatus 

 by the colloquial name "pompano" for the former 

 and "permit" for the latter. T. glaucus is un- 

 known to them as an inhabitant of Indian River 

 Food 



The food habits of T. carolinus are well known. 

 Goode (1882: p. 38) stated that "their food con- 



