GEOGHEGAN and CHITTENDEN: REPRODUCTION, MOVEMENTS OF LONGSPINE POROY 



Table 5.— Analyses of total length-total weight (A), length-length (B), and total length-girth (B) relationships for 

 Stenotomus capriyius. Lengths and girths are in millimeters and weights are in grams. All regressions were significant 

 at a = 0.05. See Methods and Materials for symbols. 



nual mortality rate, theoretically 26% based on a 

 15-yr lifespan (Royce 1972:238); and 6) averages 

 120-155 mm TL at age I, 183-213 mm at age II, 

 and 232-257 mm at age III (Finkelstein 1969a; 

 Hamer footnote 9). 



The basic pattern of population dynamics 

 characteristics enumerated for 5. eaprinus is 

 similar to that reported from the Gulf for Micro- 

 pogonias undulatus (White and Chittenden 

 1977), Cynoscion nothus (DeVries and Chitten- 

 den 1982), C. arenarius (Shlossman and Chitten- 

 den 1981), and Peprilus burti (Murphy 1981). 

 These findings give additional support to the 

 suggestions (Chittenden and McEachran 1976; 

 Chittenden 1977) that the abundant species of 

 the white and brown shrimp communities in the 

 Gulf have evolved a common pattern of popula- 

 tion dynamics that stresses small size, short life- 

 span, high mortality rates, and rapid turnover of 

 biomass, especially when compared with conge- 

 ners or conspecifics north of Cape Hatteras. 



The intrageneric variation in Stenotomus sup- 

 ports the suggestion of White and Chittenden 

 (1977) that zoogeographic variation in life histor- 

 ies and population dynamics occurs at Cape Hat- 

 teras. Unfortunately, the meager information 

 published from the Atlantic coast south of Cape 

 Hatteras does not permit enumeration of popula- 

 tion dynamics of Stenotomus from that area. 

 However, our findings on Stenotomus are consis- 

 tent with the intrageneric variation in popula- 

 tion dynamics within the genus Cynoscion at 

 Cape Hatteras (Shlossman and Chittenden 

 1981), and are similar to the zoogeographic vari- 

 ation reported for M. undulatus (White and Chit- 

 tenden 1977). This zoogeographic variation in 



population dynamics characteristics has impor- 

 tant management implications, because Carolin- 

 ean Province fish should be less sensitive to 

 growth overfishing than their congeners or con- 

 specifics north of Cape Hatteras. 



ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 



We are much indebted to M. Burton, T. Craw- 

 ford, T. Fehrman, R. Grobe, M. Murphy, J. Pa- 

 vela, M. Rockett, J. Ross, P. Shlossman, B. 

 Slingerland, G. Standard, H. Yette, and Cap- 

 tains H. Forrester, J. Forrester, M. Forrester, P. 

 Smirch, and A. Smircic for assistance in field 

 collections and data recording. R. Darnell, E. 

 Klima, K. Strawn, J. Pavela, and J. Ross re- 

 viewed the manuscript. E. Gutherz and B. Rohr 

 made it possible to use data from the NMFS 

 groundfish survey 106. R. Case wrote and assist- 

 ed with computer programs. Financial support 

 was provided, in part, by the Texas Agricultural 

 Experiment Station and by the Texas A&M Uni- 

 versity Sea Grant College Program, supported 

 by the NO A A Office of Sea Grant, Department of 

 Commerce. 



LITERATURE CITED 



Bagenal, T. B., AND E. Braum. 



1971. Eggs and early life history. In W. E. Ricker (edi- 

 tor), Methods for assessment of fish production in fresh 

 waters. 2d ed., p. 166-198. Blackwell Sci. Publ., Oxf.. 

 Engl. 

 BlGELOW, H. B., AND W. C. SCHROEDER. 



1953. Fishes of the Gulf of Maine. U.S. Fish Wildl. 

 Serv.. Fish. Bull. 74, 577 p. 

 Caldwell, D. K. 



1955. Distribution of the longspined porgy, Stenotomus 



539 



