Figure 28. — Distribution and relative abundance of fourspot 

 flounder, Hippoglottina oblonga, hrvae collected duruiE 

 1965-66 survey. * 



peak until fall; and, at that time, it recommenced off Virginia 

 and North Carolina. 



Larvae first appeared in April, when we caught newly 

 hatched specimens at a few nearshore stations off Virginia 

 and North Carolina over bottom temperatures of 8° to 13°C. 

 In May, their distribution extended northward to New 

 Jersey, with concentrations off Virginia and North Carolina. 

 Most larvae were small; only eight were >6 mm (Table 11). 

 Bottom temperatures at the two areas of maximum 

 abundance ranged from 9° to 12''C. There was a seaward 

 sweep in the distribution of larvae off North Carolina that 

 probably resulted from coastal circulation (Fig. 36). 



Spawning was light in June, but some newly hatched 

 larvae were collected in the northern half of the survey area 

 (Table 11). With few exceptions, larvae were restricted to 

 the nearshore area over bottom temperatures between 9° 

 and WC. The cold mass of bottom water off Long Island 

 and New Jersey apparently restricted either the seaward 

 distribution of adults or the offshore limits of spawning. 

 Spawning ceased in the southern half of the bight in June, 

 perhaps because the 16° to 17°C bottom temperatures that 

 prevailed there were too warm (Fig. 37). 



In August, spawning was again light and restricted to 

 waters off Long Island and southern New England, 

 shoreward of the cold cell (Fig. 38). The distribution of 

 larvae in September was similar to that in August, but some 

 spawning evidently took place off New Jersey in water 

 deeper than that noted during the June cruise (Fig. 39). 



Spawning peaked in the northern part of the survey area 

 in October. We caught specimens at all but the seaward 

 stations on transects between Maryland and southern New 

 England, mostly over depths of 20 to 40 m. A large center of 

 abundance, consisting of small larvae, extended from 

 Delaware Bay to Long Island, where bottom temperatures 

 were between 9° and 16°C (Fig. 40). Despite the most 

 seaward occurrence to date, the distribution of larvae 

 resembled the June and August results, in that the offshore 

 edge of their center of abundance was closely alined with the 

 inshore edge of the cold cell. 



On the following cruise in November and early December, 

 the distribution of larvae was continuous from eastern Long 

 Island to North Carolina, but the center of abundance, 

 consisting mostly of small larvae, remained off New Jersey 

 over bottom temperatures between 10° and 12°C. Although 

 spawning was light in comparison with what we had 

 observed in May, it evidently recommenced off North 

 Carolina, where we caught larvae <4 mm for the first time 

 since the spring cruises (Fig. 41). Bottom temperatures 

 dropped since the previous cruise to 14°C, where the 

 recently hatched larvae occurred off the outer banks of 

 North Carolina. 



We made the biggest catch in December (1965), when the 

 distribution of larvae was continuous from Long Island, the 

 northernmost transect on the cruise, to Cape Lookout (Table 

 11). Based on the distribution of larvae <4 mm, recent 

 spawning activity remained centered off New Jersey over 

 bottom temperatures between 8° and 10°C, but spawning 

 occurred along the entire survey area (Fig. 42). The 

 distribution of specimens >6 mm was restricted to waters 

 between Maryland and Long Island, suggesting that 

 spawning recommenced south of Chesapeake Bay during the 

 late fall of 1965, as it did in 1966. 



Spawning apparently ended abruptly. By late January, 

 when bottom temperatures dropped to less than 4°C along 

 the inner half of the shelf, where spawning occurred earlier, 

 we caught only five larvae. 



30 



