Appendix 3, continued. Species life history notes 



al. 1 974, Auster 1 989). In general, cunnerand juvenile 

 tautogs have a home range of less than several hun- 

 dred meters and are assumed to remain in a particular 

 system even though they may be relatively 

 "uncatchable" in the winter. These species are gener- 

 ally found in >25 ppt but both species occasionally 

 enter brackish water. Competition for shelter may be a 

 limiting factor in some areas. Tautog are much more 

 common south of Massachusetts Bay. In the northern 

 Gulf of Maine it is unclear if there are established 

 populations of tautog, however, there are some reports 

 of juveniles, eggs and larvae in systems as far north as 

 Penobscot Bay (Alexander 1976, B. Blackwell, pers. 

 comm.). It is possible that these are rare exogenous 

 specimens that can survive during the warmer months 

 of the year. 



• Ocean pout: Macrozoarces americanus prefers 

 sand/sand-gravel areas and depths of 1 5-80 m. In the 

 late summer, they stop feeding and move to rocky 

 areas to spawn in the early fall. They are typically 

 unavailable to the fishery during this time, while they 

 guard their eggs for the 2.5-3.5 month incubation 

 period. Nonetheless, we assume that they are still 

 present in the system even though their catchability is 

 reduced. The southern stock is considered to extend 

 from Cape Cod Bay south to Delaware, and a second 

 stock from Cape Elizabeth east to the Bay of Fundy 

 (NEFSC1992). 



• Sand lance: Ammodytes americanus are a\so called 

 sand eels. This species may co-occur with Ammodytes 

 dubius in some areas. Adults and juveniles can be 

 found in <25 ppt, but tolerance of low salinity seems to 

 decrease with increasing age. This species is difficult 

 to sample due to its burrowing behavior and heavy 

 schooling. Ichthyoplankton surveys suggest that spawn- 

 ing occurs primarily inshore, but there is some evi- 

 dence of later offshore spawning. Demersal eggs are 

 laid in, or on, sand or gravel. Spawning is seldom 

 observed, but it is inferred from egg/larval presence 

 and/or proper habitat. Larvae are planktonic for 2-3 

 months before settling and then burrowing into the 

 bottom. Sand lance generally mature in 1-2 years 

 (Bigelow and Schroeder 1953, Auster and Stewart 

 1986). Sampling indicates that peak abundance oc- 

 curs in the summer months and that sand lance are 

 rare to absent in many inshore areas in the winter. 

 However, because most spawning occurs inshore in 

 the winter, we assume that this species is present year- 

 round in most of the systems studied, but simply 

 unavailable to the sampling gear used. 



• American plaice and yellowtail flounder: Both 

 Hippoglossoides platessoides and Pleuronectes 

 ferrugineus are primarily marine and caught in rela- 

 tively deep water (Bigelow and Schroeder 1 953). How- 



ever, they can be common to highly abundant in 

 seawater zones (>25 ppt) and just outside of many 

 estuary mouths. Hippoglossoides platessoides is also 

 known as dab. 



• Winter flounder: Pleuronectes americanus is also 

 called blackback or lemon sole. This species may 

 move out of shallow areas in the summer months if 

 waters become too warm (Buckley 1989). Demersal 

 eggs are seldom mentioned in ichthyoplankton work, 

 as is true of other species with demersal eggs. Al- 

 though winter flounder are still one of the most impor- 

 tant commercial species in the region and have domi- 

 nated recent trawl surveys, historic data indicate that 

 the Gulf of Maine population has waned considerably 

 (NEFSC1992). 



Literature Cited 



Abraham, B.J. 1985. Species profiles: life histories 

 and environmental requirements of coastal fishes and 

 invertebrates (Mid-Atlantic) — mummichog and striped 

 killifish. U.S. Fish Wildl. Serv. Biol. Rep. No. 82(1 1 .40). 

 23 p. 



Alexander, L.C. 1976. Fish survey of upper Penobscot 

 Bay, Maine: September 1 974-1 975. Unpublished data. 

 Environmental Studies Dept., Central Maine Power. 

 200 p. 



Anonymous. 1993. Annual report of the U.S. Atlantic 

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 Activity. U.S. Atlantic Salmon Assessment Commit- 

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Auster, P.J. , and L.L. Stewart. 1986. Species profiles: 

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 Fish Wildl. Serv., Biol. Rep. No. 82 (1 1 .66). 1 1 p. 



Auster, P.J. 1989. Species profiles: life histories and 

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Berrill, M. 1982. The life cycle of the green crab 

 (Carcinus maenus) at the northern end of its range. J. 

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Bigelow, H.B., and W.C. Schroeder. 1953. Fishes of 

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