LOVE ET AL.: LIFE HISTORY AND FISHERY OF WHITE CROAKER 



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MONTEREY 



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5 



4 - 



3 - 



2 - 



SOUTHERN 

 CALIFORNIA 



JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUNE JULY AUG SEPT OCT NOV DEC 



FIGURE 8. — Seasonal changes in the gonosomatic index of male white croaker (based on 631 

 southern California and 1 14 Monterey individuals). Vertical lines indicate 95'* confidence 

 intervals of the mean. 



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 o 



2 32 



z 



D 24 



1 20 



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2 16 



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a 



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F = .000093 L 

 R = 0.80 



6.08 



14 15 16 17 



19 20 21 £?. 



TOTAL LENGTH 



25 26 



Figure 9.— Batch fecundity— total length relationship for 44 white 

 croaker collected off southern California during February and 

 March 1979-81. 



second at the remaining transects, except Mission 

 Beach where it ranked third behind Engraulis and an 

 unidentified goby. In the King Harbor study, white 

 croaker larvae ranked either fourth or fifth depend- 

 ing on the year and the stations sampled. 



Larval density data (number of individuals per unit 

 volume of water) indicate two spawning centers be- 

 tween Point Conception and the U.S. -Mexican bor- 

 der (Fig. 13): The larger one extends north and south 

 of the Palos Verdes Peninsula, from Redondo Beach 



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6000 



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 o 



o 



5000 



Q- 

 UJ 



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DC 



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O 

 a. 



4000 



3000 



3 

 Z 



2000 



1000 — 



AUG SEP OCT NOV DEC JAN FEB MAR APR MAYJUN JUL 

 1979 1980 



FIGURE 10.— Mean density of white croaker larvae collected in the 

 oblique bongo tows per month between August 1979 and July 

 1980. 



to Laguna Beach, whereas the smaller one is further 

 north around Ventura. That area from San Onofre 

 south to the international border was striking for its 

 low densities of white croaker larvae. Along this sec- 



189 



