FISHERY BULLETIN: VOL. 82, NO. 1 



Beaufort Inlet and Cape Lookout, larval dis- 

 tributions have not clarified the preferred spawning 

 depth range, since larvae have been collected over a 

 wide range of the continental shelf (Berrien et al. 

 1978; Powles 1980); there is, however, some ten- 

 dency toward increased abundance over the inner 

 shelf (Powles 1980). Miller et al. (in press) suggested 

 that onshore transport by currents into estuarine 

 nurseries of offshore spawned larvae is most favor- 

 able during the winter off North Carolina south of 

 Cape Hatteras. Several winter spawners with 

 estuarine dependent young spawn along the outer 

 continental shelf {Leiostomus xanthurus, Dawson 

 1958; Mugil cephalus, Anderson 1958; Breuoortia 

 tyrannus, Nelson et al. 1977; Micropogonias 

 undulatus, Warlen 1980); thus, the young could take 

 advantage of the inshore directed currents. A cor- 

 ollary to this theory indicates that summer spawners 

 should reproduce near shore or in the estuary if lar- 

 vae are to be retained in the more productive shallow 

 waters because net current movement is offshore 

 (Miller et al. in press). In addition to L. fasciatus, 

 other fishes also spawn in nearshore or estuarine 

 waters south of Cape Hatteras during the summer 

 (Cynoscion regalis, Merriner 1976; C. nebulosus, 

 Mahood 1975; Stellifer lanceolatus and Bairdiella 

 chrysoura, Powles 1980). 



ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 



I am especially grateful to Sheryan P. Epperly for 

 her time and statistical advice. I also thank D. R. 

 Colby, G. W. Link, K. A. MacPherson, and F. C. 

 Rohde for advice and field assistance. J. W. Gillikin, 

 B. F. Holland, S. G. Keefe, J. B. Sullivan, and J. 

 Vaughn made special efforts to collect specimens for 

 this study. C. S. Manooch III and C. B. Grimes con- 

 tributed much through review of a preliminary 

 manuscript. I wish to acknowledge my thesis commit- 

 tee, F. J. Schwartz, E. A. McMahan, and A. F. 

 Chestnut, for their support. Major support for this 

 project was through a grant from Carolina Power and 

 Light Company. 



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