species are not biting. Their fighting ability has earned them the reputation 

 as a "poor man's tarpon." 



Lady fish are estuarine dependent but spawn offshore. Little is known of 

 their age composition and growth, but it is clear that they grow rapidly and 

 have a short life span. 



Other Finfish 



Tha catch of the fish species just described is only a small percentage 

 of the total catch of over 75 species. Other valuable species are used for 

 food, bait, and as a source of oil, fish meal, and pet food. Valuable sport 

 species such as tarpon and sail fish are prohibited from commercial trade. 

 These fish support annual fishing tournaments along the Florida coast and con- 

 tribute substantially to marine related industries, e.g. tourism, retail sales 

 of fuel, fishing equipment, boats, nets, ice, and storage. 



SHELLFISH 



By far the most valuable marine species produced for market in Florida 

 are shrimp, blue crabs, oysters, and scallops. These highly productive, estu- 

 arine dependent species are heavily fished throughout their range by commer- 

 cial fishermen. Sport fishing for these species is heavy in some areas, but 

 it does not contribute as much to the total catch as does sport fishing for 

 finfish. Shellfishes have a relatively short life span (from 1 to 5 yrs) and 

 high fecundity. 



Shrimp 



Shrimp is Florida's most valuable marine resource. In Northwest Florida, 

 four species (white, brown, pink, and rock) make up almost the entire catch. 

 In 1980, about 6.3 million lb of shrimp worth $8.4 million dollars dockside 

 were produced. The monthly commercial landings, and their value, of all 

 shrimps from the west coast of Florida in 1965, 1970, and 1975 are given in 

 Tables 41-42, in the Data Appendix. 



Pink shrimp ( Penaeus duorarum) spawn year-round, but largely in spring 

 and fall in water 12 to 26 fathoms (72 to 156 ft) deep. White shrimp (£. 

 setiferus ) spawn from spring through fall in water 4 to 17 fathoms (24 to 102 

 It) deep. Brown shrimp (P^. aztecus ) spawn from spring to early summer in 

 water 15 to 60 fathoms (90 to 360 ft) deep. Rock shrimp ( Sicyonia 

 brevirostris ) spawn from winter through spring in water 20 to 70 fathoms (120 

 to 420 ft) deep. About 500,000 fertilized eggs are released into the water 

 column by each female. Some females spawn several times in one season. 



Larval development is 15 to 30 days long depending upon water tempera- 

 ture. Larvae remain in offshore waters until attaining the postlarval stage 

 when they utilize tidal currents and salinity gradients to enter the estua- 

 ries. The pink, white, and brown shrimp use various portions of bays and 

 tidal marshes for nursery areas, whereas rock shrimp use higher salinity bays 

 and nearshore areas out to depths of 10 fathoms (60 ft). 



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