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the sea. The young of all anadromous species spend 

 varying periods of time in the freshwater areas where 

 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. 



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. 



