FISHERY BULLETIN: VOL. 79, NO 4 



100 150 200 



TOTAL LENGTH (MM) 



Figure 6. — Monthly length frequencies (moving averages of 

 three) of Cynoscion arenarius captured in Galveston Bay, Tex. 

 Spawned group identity (S = spring; LS = late summer; 

 ID - identity) is often not clear where spawned groups meet. No 

 fish were captured in February and March 1978 and Feb- 

 ruarv 1979. 



>- 



lOOn 



50- 



100 



/ 

 ?: 



/ 



OCT 77 

 n=75 



50- 



,„, n 



3 4 5 6 7 8 



100i 



MAR 78 

 n = 155 



50- 



" T^ 



2 3 4 5 6 7 8 



/; 



2 3 



JUL 78 

 n=84 



<J71^ 1 ^ . -.rn 



100 



50- 



30 







/ 



NOV 77 

 n = 65 



15' 



2 3 4 5 6 7 



lOOn 



APR 78 

 n=16 



50- 



.rFfU 



T5 6 7 8 



SEP 78 

 n=100 



■^un , , n 



8 2345678 2345678 



3 100 



u_ 50 



30 



DEC 77 

 n = 55 



15 



B 



2 3 4 5 6 7 8 



30n 



MAY 78 

 n = i4 



15 



^^^ 



2 3 4 5 6 7 8 



OCT 78 

 n = 21 



2'3'4'5'6'7 



30 



15 



30 



FEB 78 

 n=12 



15- 



^1 .,,„, h PP1 , 



lOOi 



JUN 78 

 n = 8 



50 



DEC 78 

 n = 45 



TTJ. i ^ ' ^ ' . 



G 



2345678 2345678 2 3'4'5'6'7'8 



MATURITY STAGE 



3l 



> 

 O 



z 

 111 



ID 



o 



5i 



25 

 20 



^/^^ 



21 JUL 78 

 n03 



.£^ " ^^ ^ 



^578-7- 



^-^•^ A, 



D NOT CLE*n 



24 OCT 78 

 S78 n =24 



•— LS78-' 



30 NOV 78 



" "A 



14 DEC 78 

 n=8 ^ 

 S78-« 



• — S79 — • 



1 MAY 79 

 n.21 



9S13 MAY 79 

 n .77 



1 JUN 79 

 n = 223 



S79- 



JX 



28 JUN - 2 JUL 79 

 n.47 



S79' 



50 100 150 200 250 



TOTAL LENGTH (mm) 



50 100 150 



STANDARD LENGTH (mm) 



200 



Figure 7. — Monthly length frequencies (moving averages of 

 three) of Cynoscwn arenarius captured in Cedar Bayou, Tex. 

 Spawned group identity (S = spring; LS = late summer; ID = 

 identity) is often not clear where spawned groups meet. No fish 

 were captured from January through April 1979. 



Figure 8. — Monthly maturity stages of female Cynoscion 

 arenarius. Maturity stages are described in Table 1. 



gonad size in mid-September might reflect 

 August-early September spawning. 



Although C. arenarius spawns over a broad time 

 period, spawning primarily occurs during two dis- 

 crete periods, a spring spawn from early March 

 through May and a late summer spawn in August 

 and September. Spring spawned fish formed 

 length-frequency modes readily followed in the 

 periods: 1) May-December 1978 and May- 

 September 1979 off Freeport (Figure 4), 2) May- 

 September 1977 and June-July 1978 off Port 

 Aransas (Figure 5), 3) May-September 1978 and 

 May -July 1979 in Galveston Bay (Figure 6), and 4) 

 July-December 1978 and May-July 1979 at Cedar 

 Bayou (Figure 7). Late summer spawned fish 

 formed less distinct modes readily followed in the 

 periods: 1) December 1977-July 1978 and De- 

 cember 1978-August 1979 off Freeport (Figure 4), 



2) February-July 1977 off Port Aransas (Figure 5), 



3) December 1977-May 1978 and November 

 1978-May 1979 in Galveston Bay (Figure 6), and 4) 

 September-December 1978 at Cedar Bayou (Fig- 

 ure 7). Little spawning occurred in June and July, 



654 



