MACDONALD ET AL.: FISH ASSEMBLAGES AND THEIR SEASONAL MOVEMENTS 



sedentary, soft-bottom dwellers, that exhibit little 

 seasonal movement, and migration from nursery 

 ground to adult stock is diffusive (Bigelow and 

 Schroeder 1953; Leim and Scott 1966). However, 

 some seasonal movement does occur when plaice 

 leave soft-bottom, middepth habitat (30 m) for win- 

 ter and return in summer (present study). Plaice were 

 a regular, low-abundance component at station A in 

 1965 (Tyler 1971), but we found they were virtually 

 absent between 1976 and 1981. The difference may 

 be attributable to the general decline of groundfish 

 abundance in the Bay of Fundy after 1970 (Hare 

 1977). 

 Among other flatfishes, windowpane, Scoph- 

 thalmus aquosus, was a regular component at station 

 C and the smooth flounder, Liopsetta putnami, was 

 common among the inshore-estuarine communities 

 during summer (Tables 2, 3). Yellowtail flounder, 

 Limanda ferruginea, was a rare member (4-5/tow) of 



the summer assemblage at station A and occasional 

 at the other two deep stations. Juvenile Atlantic 

 halibut, Hippoglossus hippoglossus, was a low- 

 abundance member (2-3/tow) of the winter assem- 

 blage at station A. The fourspot flounder, 

 Paralichthys oblongus, was captured once at station 



A during the abnormally warm fall of 1978. 



Eight species of gadoid fishes were captured during 

 the study (Tables 2, 3). Adult Atlantic cod, Gadus 

 morhua, was an abundant member of the summer 

 component at offshore sites in Passamaquoddy Bay, 

 particularly station A, but was absent from there in 

 winter. It was a common member of the early winter 

 assemblage in the Bay of Fundy but rare thereafter 

 (Figs. 8, 9). During summer, juvenile Atlantic cod 

 (10-20 cm) were captured occasionally while seining 

 beach sites, but were more common in gill net catches 

 at intermediate depth (30 m) inshore (stations 5 and 

 7; Table 3). The shallow water abundance maxima of 



400 



300 



200 



100 



Gadus morhua 



 B 



J-r4, AM X i i ^Avflj pM A 



1 R5Q0 ' 



■"■i-A+C adult means 

 G5SS3-A + C juvenile means 

 I i-B means 



* -A + C no catch 



A -B no catch 



P p , n,n^ , , J j , ^m^rn* p a , p A , 



' A 



E*4 | | | 



I 



200 r 



f-i*V- r A i— I 6 



^ I I I 





 100 



50 



Melanogrammus aegleflnus 



-rt, , f , JU q ^ rrfWYf^ r' AM i  | ■*■ i i I'l' V^V t i [ M. i M '*' »'  ■* * i A T*P-r-rAr*i 



ULf 



i»4*+V-t* 



Urophycis tenuis - Urophycls chuss 



50 r 



-Ar-r-AV 



-r4* i'i P 'i' i i  | i*T-r-r-r* 



Enchelyopus cimbrius 



J A O 

 1976 



^Tf A J A O W F A J A O D F A J A O D F A J A O D^ F A J A 

 1 1977 ' 1978 ' 1979 ' 1980 1981 



Winter 



FIGURE 8.— Seasonal occurrence and abundance of gadoids at offshore stations in the Bay of Fundy and Passamaquoddy Bay, 1976-81. 



129 



