Although the biology of spotted seatrout is fairly well known, there 

 are some obvious deficiencies in the information. There is a scarcity 

 of detailed knowledge of the ecology of spawning and regional differences 

 in habits due to differences in the environment. (A. A., expanded) 



Keywords: estuarine communities, commercial fishes, fisheries, 

 U.S. south Atlantic and Gulf coasts 



IV-E-35 



Saila, S. B. 1961. The contribution of estuaries to the offshore winter 



flounder fishery in Rhode Island. Proceedings of the Gulf and Caribbean 



Fisheries Institute 14:95-109. 



The winter flounder, Pseudopleuronectes americanus (Walbaum), 

 has been found to be one of the important demersal fishes of Rhode 

 Island. The contribution of particular breeding areas and the 

 significance of shallow estuarine environments to the offshore flounder 

 fishery were studied by means of mark-recapture population estimation 

 procedures. The adult breeding population in one salt pond (Green 

 Hill Pond, Charlestown, Rhode Island) was inventoried. In addition, 

 an estimate of the offshore population, as well as the population of 

 juvenile winter flounder in another salt pond, was obtained. On the 

 basis of the juvenile population estimate, it was found that about 

 25 percent of the total recruits to the offshore fishery were 

 contributed by two shallow lagoons. An estimate of the mortality rate 

 from egg to juvenile (age 1) was also made, indicating a survival of 

 about 18 individuals from each 100,000 newly hatched eggs. It was 

 concluded from the projected population estimates that a significant 

 contribution to the fishery was derived from the shallow estuarine 

 environments. (A. A.) 



Keywords: estuaries, winter flounder, fisheries, Rhode Island 



IV-E-36 



Vince, S., I. Valiela, N. Backus, and J.M. Teal. 1976. Predation by the 

 salt marsh killifish Fundulus heteroclitus (L.) in relation to prey size 

 and habitat structure: consequences for prey distribution and abundance. 

 Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology 23:255'-266. 



Laboratory feeding preference experiments show that the maximum size 

 of prey eaten [the snail Melampus bidentatus (Say)] and the amphipod 

 Orchestia grillus (Bosc) increases with increasing size of the predator, 

 Fundu1us~heteroc1itus (L.). Melampus greater than 7 mm in shell height 

 escape predation by even the largest killifish. In the laboratory, 

 consumption of prey is reduced in high marsh habitat relative to low 

 marsh, particularly in the case of larger fish. Low marsh has few 



197 



