Sampling success was significantly reduced during January-February. Only six fish were 

 caught at BK, 12 at SC and only one each at the OK and VJ sites (Table 24). The fish 

 caught at SC were slightly larger and considerably heavier than those at the other sites. 

 However, the condition factors were similar among all the fish. The fish caught in January- 

 February were considerably larger than those caught in November-December. 



Table 24. Summary of biological characteristics of mature female (Platichthys stellatus) 

 from four sites sampled in January-February, 1987. 



Liver Microsomal Enzyme Activity (Nov-Dec). Aryl hydrocarbon hyroxylase (AHH) 

 activity was highest among fish in November-December from the OK and VJ sites and 

 lowest in fish from the BK and RR sites (Table 25). The biggest difference observed was 

 between samples from the OK and RR sites, where the OK fish had nearly a 5-fold greater 

 mean activity among the males and immatures. A 3-fold difference occurred in mean 

 activity between these two sites for mature females. No major differences occurred in 

 samples treated with the cytochrome P-450E inhibitor, 7,8-benzoflavone. 



Plasma Steroid Hormones (Nov-Dec). Testosterone concentrations were among the lowest 

 in fish from BK and among the highest at VJ (Table 25). Patterns in estradiol concentrations 

 in mature males and mature females varied among sites. However, among the immature fish 

 the values in three BK fish were higher than in those at the other sites. 



Two of the female fish from the OK site were large (>40 cm), but had no vitellogenic 

 oocytes. Two large females from the VJ site had very little gonadal material and were very 

 thin. Based upon previous experience with this species in San Francisco Bay (Spies, 

 personal communication); these four fish should have had vitellogenic oocytes during this 

 sampling season. However, based upon their apparent condition they likely would not have 

 spawned. 



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