Appendix 3, continued. Species life history notes 



merged until the next spring tide after they are laid 

 (Abraham 1985). 



• Silversides: Menidia menidia is the dominant spe- 

 cies in the North Atlantic region but M. beryllina co- 

 occurs in some systems. This species exhibits at least 

 some seasonal migration to warmer waters in winter 

 months. Spawning occurs primarily in the intertidal 

 zone during high tide and seems to be dependent upon 

 lunar phase and daylight (Fay et al. 1983a). Most 

 silversides mature by age one and die after their first 

 spawning, although a small percentage may live a 

 second year. Early life history stages are not as eury- 

 haline as the adults and juveniles. 



• Sticklebacks: The threespine (Gasterosteus 

 aculeatus), fourspine (Apeltes quadracus), and 

 ninespine (Pungitius pungitius) are the most common 

 stickleback species in the region and are sympatric. 

 Gasterosteus wheatlandii may also be present in 

 some areas and grouped with these sticklebacks. All of 

 these species have highly plastic life histories, with 

 anadromous and non-migratory populations often ex- 

 isting in the same estuarine systems. These species 

 build nests and have highly ritualized breeding behav- 

 iors. Temperature and salinity can cause morphologi- 

 cal variations. A.quadracuscan be found in fresh water 

 (Wooten 1976, Hardy 1978), but not as commonly as 

 G. aculeatus or P. pungitius. Spawning usually occurs 

 in brackish or fresh water for these species, but prima- 

 rily in brackish water for A. quadracus. In all species, 

 most individuals are mature by their first year of age. 

 However, reproductive maturity is not recognized until 

 the spring/early summer prior to breeding when tem- 

 perature and/or photoperiod trigger this condition 

 (Wooten 1976, Wooten 1984). 



• Northern pipefish: Male pipefish (Syngnathusfuscus) 

 brood their young. Upon hatching (about 1 days post- 

 spawning), young pipefish are considered larvae until 

 they reach a length of approximately 20 mm (Hardy 

 1978). It is assumed that pipefish move to deeper, 

 warmer waters in winter (Bigelowand Schroeder 1 953). 

 For the purposes of the ELMR program, spawning 

 refers to mating (M)(female places eggs into male's 

 brood pouch) and the concomitant fertilization of eggs. 

 The egg stage (E) was not considered in this study. 



• Longhorn and shorthorn sculpins: Both 

 Myoxocephalus octodecemspinosus and M. scorpius 

 generally prefer salinities >25 ppt (Bigelow and 

 Schroeder 1953, Scott and Scott 1988). Longhorns 

 appear to be the more abundant of the two species in 

 North Atlantic estuaries. Shorthorns tend to be re- 

 stricted to relatively cold, shallow water, whereas the 

 longhorn has a greater temperature and depth range. 

 Nonetheless, there is considerable overlap in the habi- 



tats utilized by both species. There also seems to be 

 some seasonal onshore-offshore movements, particu- 

 larly by longhorns. 



• White perch: Relative to the mid-Atlantic, few large 

 populations of Morone americana occur in estuaries 

 north of Cape Cod. Nonetheless, this species is abun- 

 dant in many rivers, lakes and ponds throughout New 

 England. Spawning occurs in fresh water above and 

 below the head of tide, and in low salinity estuarine 

 waters. Juveniles and adults typically remain within 

 estuarine and freshwater areas throughout their lives. 

 In the North Atlantic region, this species is only occa- 

 sionally seen in the seawater zone, possibly in associa- 

 tion with feeding movements. This species is not 

 considered to be a regular component of this zone in 

 the Gulf of Maine even though they are commonly 

 found in higher salinities south of Cape Cod (Bigelow 

 and Schroeder 1953, Stanley and Danie 1983). 



• Striped bass: Morone saxatilis spawn in the spring 

 in tidal freshwater where there is sufficient current. 

 Most of the fish found in Gulf of Maine waters are 

 suspected to spawn to the south in the Hudson River 

 or Chesapeake Bay, but there is some evidence of 

 limited spawning in some northern rivers (e.g., 

 Kennebec/Androscoggin rivers) (Squiers 1 990). There- 

 fore, most of the striped bass in the North Atlantic seem 

 to be involved in a coastal feeding migration, not a 

 spawning migration. Females mature at 4-5 years old, 

 whereas males do so at 2-3 years. Studies in the mid- 

 Atlantic indicate that most juveniles remain in or near 

 their natal rivers until they are mature. Consequently, 

 most of the individuals in the North Atlantic are adults, 

 and a large proportion of these may be female (Fay et 

 al. 1 983b, Boreman and Lewis 1 987). Johnson (1 987) 

 listed striped bass as a species of special concern in 

 Maine. 



• Bluefish: Adult Pomatomus saltatrix are found in 

 estuaries throughout the Gulf of Maine, but juveniles 

 are primarily found south of Maine (Bigelow and 

 Schroeder 1 953). Schools migrate north to feed in the 

 summer months and their distribution tends to be 

 patchy, with high intra- and interannual variability. 

 Spawning, egg and larval development occur primarily 

 offshore and south of Cape Cod. 



• Tautog and cunner: Both Tautoga onitis and T. 

 adspersus are found in rocky areas, eelgrass beds, 

 and other areas with significant habitat structure and 

 tend to be solitary or in small groups. Both are also 

 active daytime feeders and tend to be less active at 

 night and in winter months. As the temperature de- 

 creases, both species become torpid within shelters 

 and there is some movement to deeper water. This 

 seasonal movement is greatest in adult tautogs (Olla et 



157 



