200 n 



> 



T3 



-O 



E 



3 



Centropristis striata 



(Block Sea Bass) 



Conger oceanicus 



(Conger Eel) 



a 



"D 





e 



3 



Spring Summer Fa 



Winter 



Menidia menidia 



(Atlantic Silverside) 



Spring Summer Fall Winter 



Lagodon rhomboides 



(Pinfish) 



Spring Summer Fall Winter 



Figure 24. Seasonal abundance of common fishes captured in modified crab traps at Murrells Inlet, SC. 

 Histograms show the total numbers captured In 24 traps set for 3 hours during each season (data from Van 

 Dolahetal. 1986). 



significant effect on 

 abundance of these species. 



the regional 



3.5 BIRDS 



Community Composition 



A great variety of birds in the South 

 Atlantic Bight use rubble structures as 

 loafing or roosting sites. However, birds 

 in a few ecological categories, or 

 "guilds", feed on or near jetties and can 

 be considered part of the rubble structure 



community. The guilds include: (1) 

 surface-searching shorebirds, (2) aerial - 

 searching birds, (3) floating and diving 

 water birds, and (4) wading birds (Table 

 3). Surface-searching shorebirds feed 

 primarily on crustaceans, polychaetes, 

 barnacles, molluscs, and insects. The 

 most common shorebird is the ruddy 

 turnstone, Arenari a interpres . When 

 feeding on jetties it is often found in 

 groups of 100 or more (C. Marsh; pers. 

 comm.). Purple sandpipers, Cal idri s 

 maritima , are also occasionally abundant, 

 in flocks of 40-50. Both the ruddy 



32 



