Abstract. — The bluefish, Poma- 

 tomus saltatrix (Linnaeus), is 

 abundant in the South and Middle 

 Atlantic Bights, where more than 

 75% of the shore-based catches are 

 juveniles (age 0). No information is 

 available on the distribution, food, 

 and age of juvenile bluefish north 

 of the Middle Atlantic Bight. The 

 objectives of the present study were 

 to review and summarize unpub- 

 lished records of catch locations, to 

 characterize the diet of juvenile 

 bluefish, and to derive parent 

 spawning dates (and possible 

 spawning locations) for juvenile 

 bluefish in Maine. Most observa- 

 tions of juvenile bluefish were from 

 southwestern Maine. The most 

 northeasterly site was Little 

 Kennebec Bay (near Machiasport, 

 Maine). During this study, juvenile 

 bluefish were collected from three 

 locations: Marsh River (1990- 

 1991), Sagadahoc Bay (1990), and 

 Merepoint Bay (1991). The diet of 

 juvenile bluefish varied with size. 

 Fish from Sagadahoc Bay, measur- 

 ing 37-64 mm fork length ( FL ), fed 

 predominantly on mysids and cope- 

 pods. Fish from the Marsh River, 

 measuring 81-200 mm FL, fed on 

 fish and large crustaceans. Daily 

 growth rings were counted on the 

 sagitta of juvenile bluefish. Spawn- 

 ing dates, backcalculated from 

 these counts, suggest that fish cap- 

 tured in the Marsh River (1990- 

 1991) originated from a spring 

 spawning (March-May), and fish 

 captured in Sagadahoc Bay ( 19901 

 originated from a summer spawn- 

 ing (predominantly June). We do 

 not believe that these spring and 

 summer spawned fish originated 

 from the known major spring and 

 summer spawning grounds in the 

 South and Mid-Atlantic Bights, 

 respectively. The time required to 

 swim from even the northern por- 

 tion of these major spawning 

 grounds to the site of capture ex- 

 ceeds the known age of the fish 

 derived from counting daily growth 

 rings. The results suggest that both 

 major spawning areas have been 

 extended to the northeast, or un- 

 known spawning areas exist closer 

 to Maine. 



The distribution, food, and age of 

 juvenile bluefish, Pomatomus 

 saltatrix, in Maine 



Edwin P. Creaser 

 Herbert C. Perkins 



Fisheries Research Laboratory, Department of Marine Resources 

 West Boothbay Harbor. Maine 04575 



Manuscript accepted 7 January 1994. 

 Fishery Bulletin 92:494-508 ( 1994). 



494 



Bluefish, Pomatomus saltatrix, are 

 widely and irregularly distributed 

 along the continental shelf in tem- 

 perate and warm water regions 

 (Briggs, 1960; Wilk, 1977). On the 

 Atlantic coast of North America the 

 species is particularly abundant in 

 southern Florida, North Carolina, 

 Virginia, and from New Jersey to 

 southern Massachusetts, where it 

 is highly sought by salt water rec- 

 reational anglers for its superior 

 fighting qualities. Stray adult blue- 

 fish have been reported during the 

 summer in New Brunswick waters 

 (Bay of Fundy, Passamaquoddy Bay, 

 St. Johns River) and the south shore 

 of Nova Scotia (Scott and Scott, 

 1988). In the Gulf of Maine, the 

 abundance of bluefish has fluctu- 

 ated widely over time (Bigelow and 

 Schroeder, 1953). During the mid- 

 1970's, an increase in abundance 

 resulted in the development of a 

 major recreational fishery for adult 

 fish in Maine. This increase is re- 

 flected in the incidental bluefish 

 catch recorded since 1986 from 

 gillnet fishing activity for more de- 

 sirable commercial species (cod, etc.): 

 46.9 metric tons (t) (1986); 8.8 t 

 ( 1987 ); 3.9 1 ( 1988); 34.6 1 ( 1989 ); 24.4 

 t ( 1990); 51.9 t ( 1991): 37.0 1 ( 1992). 1 

 Both shore and boat-based recre- 

 ational fisheries exploit young blue- 

 fish (age and 1) in the South At- 

 lantic. More than 75% of the shore- 

 based recreational catch along the 

 south and mid-Atlantic coasts are 

 juvenile fish (age ()).- Although iso- 



lated reports of juvenile bluefish 

 have been reported in Maine waters 

 (Bigelow and Schroeder, 1953; 

 Lund, 1961; Targett and McCleave, 

 1974), no information is available 

 on the distribution, food, and age of 

 these fish. The objectives of this 

 study were 1) to review and sum- 

 marize unpublished locations where 

 juvenile bluefish have been cap- 

 tured between the Piscataqua River 

 (Maine-New Hampshire border) 

 and Passamaquoddy Bay (Maine- 

 New Brunswick border), 2) to char- 

 acterize the diet of juvenile bluefish 

 in Maine, and 3) to derive parent 

 spawning dates and possible spawn- 

 ing locations from counts of daily 

 growth rings on juvenile bluefish 

 otoliths obtained in Maine. 



Materials and methods 



Records of juvenile bluefish 

 in Maine 



Unpublished records of juvenile 

 bluefish along coastal Maine were 

 reviewed. Sightings were consid- 

 ered reliable if we actually observed 

 the specimens of juvenile bluefish 

 reported or if the observers could 



1 Morrill, R. NMFS Port Agent, Portland, 

 Maine. Personal commun.. 1993. 



2 ( Irecco, V., M. Terceiro, and C. Moore. 1987. 



A stock assessment of Atlantic coast blue- 

 fish, Ptimatiimus saltatrix. Special report 

 prepared for the Atlantic States Marine 

 Fisheries Commission, Washington, D.C., 

 86 p. 



