FISHERY BULLETIN: VOL. 80, NO. 3 



100 1 

 75 | 11 0CT 78 



25 



5 °la 



HP 



8O-1 

 60 

 40 

 20 



20 APR 79 ^ 



J 



^ 



20 

 15 

 10 

 5 



19 JUL 79 



LI 





100 

 75 

 50 

 25 



i 



3 NOV 79 



60 

 45 



30-| 



15 



16 JAN 80 



1 



80 -i 

 60 

 40 

 20-1 



n 



i 



DEC 78 



40 

 O 30 



LU 



Z) 



O 



LU 

 CC 

 LL 



20 



10 



24 FEB 79 



n 



_ 



601 ^ 15 NOV 79 



45 

 30- 

 15 





lL 



4 FEB 80 



777\ 



40 

 30 

 20 



M m 



1 DEC 79 



i 



160 



120 



80 



40 



12 MAR 79 



120 



i 9 °i 



n 



21 JUN 79 



80 

 60 



P 



^ 60-^ 



30-g 20- 



. i 1 



2 OCT 79 





60 

 451 

 30 

 15 



14 DEC 79 



I 





50 



25 



5 MAR 80 



J 



100-1 

 75- 

 50 

 25- 



5 APR 79 160 "R^ 5 JUL 79 



I | 



D 



1 2 3 4 5 6 7 



1 2 3 4 5 6 7 



U 16 OCT 79 60 



pi 



15 



25 



3 JAN 80 



12 3 4 5 6 7 

 MATURITY STAGE 



J 

 I 



1/7 1 i- 



1 2 3 4 5 6 7 



50-1 



25 



19 MAR 80 



J 



12 3 4 5 6 7 



Figure 8.— Monthly maturity stages of female Stenotmnus caprinus. Maturity stages are described in Table 1. 



Discussion 



The spawning periodicity of S. caprinus ap- 

 pears timed to coincide with the late winter- 

 early spring periodicity of onshore surface cur- 

 rents on the continental shelf of the northwestern 

 Gulf. Rising sea levels in the period January- 

 April (Marmer 1954) coincide with onshore sur- 

 face currents (Kimsey and Temple 1963; Smith 

 1975). This current system could transport eggs 

 and larvae from offshore spawning areas to in- 



shore nurseries where the young recruit, assum- 

 ing that S. caprinus have pelagic eggs and larvae 

 like iS. chrysops (Johnson 1978). 



Our findings on the movements and distribu- 

 tion of S. caprinus agree with the literature. The 

 size-depth relationship in which younger indi- 

 viduals occur inshore in the spring has been re- 

 ported (Hildebrand 1954; Caldwell 1955; Miller 

 1965). Our findings on size-depth gradients 

 during the summer support Henwood's (1975) 

 suggestion that young-of-the-year gradually dis- 



532 



