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they were spawned, but all eventually migrate to the 

 estuaries and then the sea. 



There are few truly catadromous species that mature in 

 the fresh or brackish water environments, and then 

 migrate to higher salinity waters of the estuary of the 

 adjacent sea to spawn. The American eel and the Blue 

 crab are examples of this type. 

 3. Migratory Estuarine Species 



The great majority of estuarine dependent species fall 

 under this classification. Some use the brackish and 

 freshwater areas of the estuarine zone for reproduction; 

 some as a source of food; some for shelter, either as 

 adults or young; and some for all these reasons. They 

 all have in common the basic need for both estuarine and 

 ocean environments at some point in their life cycle. 

 This group includes the great majority of fish and 

 shellfish of direct importance to man, such as shrimp, 

 menhaden, flounders, and red drum. {Fiqure IV. 1. 38) 



Estuarine wildlife can be classified into four categories: (1) fur 

 bearing animals, (2) game waterfowl, (3) ornamental shore birds, 

 and (4) the common wildlife that can tolerate human presence. 



The primary fur bearers are the fur seal in Alaska, nutria in the 

 South Atlantic and Gulf States, the common eastern muskrat in 



