SECTION 15 

 Scup [Stsnotomus ^hrysovs) 



Life History Summary 



Scup (also called porgy) are found from Cape Hatteras to just north of 

 Cape Cod (Morse 1978) and, in depths ranging from 73 to 183 m, during the 

 winter from southern New Jersey to Cape Hatteras. Scup migrate inshore during 

 the spring, arriving off Chesapeake Bay during April and off southern New 

 England by early May. There is some evidence that larger fish arrive inshore 

 first followed by smaller fish (Morse 1978). During the summer, the larger 

 fish tend to stay within the 37 m contour or near the mouth of larger bays, 

 while the smaller fish enter the shallow areas of the bays. Late in October 

 and during November, scup migrate offshore to overwinter. 



Scup traditionally have supported both a recreational and a commercial 

 fishery. In 1970 the recreational catch was estimated at 2,010 metric tons 

 (MT) (Deuel 1973), about half of the reported domestic and foreign commercial 

 catch estimates of 4,700 MT (ICNAF 1972). The otter trawl is used as the 

 primary commercial gear, however haul seines, pound nets, gill nets, and hand 

 lines are used also. 



Scup reach sexual maturity at age 2, and spawning occurs from May through 

 August, peaking in June. The principle spawning areas ire nearshore ocean 

 waters and estuaries off Long Island and New Jersey. Scup eggs are buoyant 

 and hatch in approximately 40 hours at 22°C. Newly-hatched larvae are 

 pelagic, and become bottom-dwelling when they reach 1.5-3.0 cm (Morse 1982). 

 Juveniles continue a demersal life style and are generally found in bays and 

 the more saline areas of estuaries. 



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