ECOLOGY OF BUZZARDS BAY: An Estuarine Profile 



49 



Table 4.2. Dominant commercially valuable fish species in Buzzards Bay in order of post-1960 

 abundance and their food preferences (adapted from Davis 1989). 



Common name 



Scup(orporgy) 

 Butterfish 

 Winter flounder 

 Alewife 



Blueback herring 

 Atlantic menhaden 

 Black sea bass 

 Tautog 

 Bluefish 

 Striped bass 



Scientific name 



Stenotomus chrysops 

 Peprilus triacanthus 

 Pleuronectes americanus 

 Alosa pseudoharengus 

 Alosa aestivalis 

 Brevoortia tyrannus 

 Centropristis striata 

 Tautoga onitis 

 Pomatomus saltatnx 

 Morone saxatilis 



Food preference 



Assorted benthos, occasionally small fish 



Copepods, small fish, jellyfish, worms 



Worms, gastropods, bivalves 



Copepods, shrimp, eggs, and larvae 



Copepods, shrimp, eggs, and larvae 



Phytoplankton 



Mysids and other benthic organisms 



Mollusks, crabs, worms, lobsters 



Fish, worms, shrimp, lobster, squid, crab 



Fish, worms, shrimp, lobster, squid, crab 



many coves, smaller embayments, salt marshes, and 

 tidal flats. Buzzards Bay represents a significant 

 spawning ground for southern New England, per- 

 haps the best area in all of New England (Davis 

 1 989). In conjunction with a larger spawning area, 

 including Vineyard and Long Island sounds, large 

 numbers of American shad (Alosa sapidissima), 

 striped bass, and alewives (Alosa pseudo- 

 harengus) migrate into the bay*s tributaries during 

 spawning season, attracted by the shallow, warm 

 waters and high productivity of the numerous smaller 

 estuaries and rivers. These migrations have pro- 

 vided a seasonally dependable source offish for 

 centuries (Table 4.3 ). The following is a brief natu- 

 ral history of the commercially and recreationally 

 important species dominant in the bay, with spe- 

 cies information summarized from Clayton et al. 

 ( 1 978). Meinkoth ( 1 98 1 ), Davis ( 1 989), and other 

 sources as identified. 



Scup (Stenotomus chysops). Also known 

 as "porgy," scup are the most abundant fish in Buz- 

 zards Bay. The variable populations of scup are 

 generally attributed to varying abundances of suc- 

 cessive year classes with recruitment influenced by 

 environmental factors rather than stock size. 



Summer and early fall residents of Buzzards Bay 

 waters, scup migrate to deeper warmer waters in 

 winter. Spawning migrations to inshore regions oc- 

 cur in late spring, with June the month of peak re- 

 production (Bigelow and Schroeder 1953). Scup 

 eggs are buoyant, and studies in the Weweantic 

 River estuary indicate eggs are most abundant from 

 May through June in water temperatures of 8.5° to 

 23.7° C (Lebida 1969). Sudden temperature de- 

 creases occurring in late fall have been identified as 

 a major environmental cause of scup mortality in 

 bays and estuaries such as Buzzards Bay (Clayton 

 et al. 1 978). Their main predators are other fish 

 such as cod, bluefish (Pomatomus saltatnx), and 

 weakfish (Cynoscion regalis). Scup are primarily 

 bottom feeders, consuming small crustaceans, 

 worms, mollusks, squid and occasionally small fish. 

 The healthy benthic and bottom-living communi- 

 ties of Buzzards Bay appear to provide highly suit- 

 able habitat for this species, as reflected by its con- 

 tinuous occurrence from the earliest records to 

 present. 



Winter flounder (Pleuronectes ameri- 

 canus). Winter flounder was a mainstay of the New 

 England groundfish industry until the mid 1 930"s; 



