Distribution and Relative Abundance of Fishes in 

 Newport River, North Carolina 



WILLIAM R. TURNER' and GEORGE N. JOHNSON'' 



ABSTRACT 



Monthly sampling in Newport River during 1970 disclosed a total of 104 species of fishes 

 within the system. Sampling extended from the lower reaches of the estuary upstream into 

 tidal fresh waters, and covered a mid-channel distance of 34.87 km. To sample as wide a 

 range of species as possible, an array of collecting gear was used, i.e., haul seine, surface trawl, 

 bottom trawls (two sizes), and gill nets. In terms of catch per unit of effort the surface trawl 

 was the most successful gear employed, whereas gill nets, the least efficient gear, captured 

 the greatest variety of species. 



Most of the species of fishes collected in the system were marine forms. Only 15 essen- 

 tially freshwater species were collected and 5 of these (longnose gar, gizzard shad, golden 

 shiner, white catfish, and black crappie) showed varying degrees of tolerance for saline waters 

 (0.6-3.3.7^^.). 



Relative numbers of fishes in collections by the different gears indicated that seven species 

 made up 97% of the total catch which comprised nearly 129,000 individuals. The dominant 

 species were all marine euryhaline forms that used the estuary as a nursery area, penetrating 

 well upstream into brackish or even tidal fresh waters. Seasonal distribution and abundance 

 of the dominant species, as well as other species collected in substantial numbers, are discussed. 



Biomass of fishes in collections by haul seine was estimated at 0.93 g/m~ for littoral waters 

 of the estuary. Samples collected by other gears did not yield satisfactory estimates of biomass. 



INTRODUCTION 



In 1970 we initiated a study of the fishes of 

 Newport River to obtain an inventory of species 

 within the system and to determine their sea- 

 sonal distribution and relative abundance. Dur- 

 ing the past decade researches in estuarine ecol- 

 ogy have been conducted on Newport River near 

 Beaufort, N.C., by the National Marine Fisher- 

 ies Service, Atlantic Coastal Fisheries Center, 

 to obtain data for construction of a mathematical 

 model describing energy flow within the system 

 and to develop study techniques applicable to 

 estuaries in general. Annual phytoplankton pro- 



' Atlantic Estuarine Fisheries Center, National Ma- 

 rine Fisheries Service, NO.\A, Beaufort, N.C.; present 

 address: State-Federal Relationships Division, National 

 Marine Fisheries Service, NOAA, St. Petersburg, FL 

 3.3701. 



' Atlantic Estuarine Fi.sheries Center, National Ma- 

 rine Fisheries Service, NOAA, Beaufort, NC 28516. 



duction in Newport River estuary and vicinity 

 was reported by Williams and Murdoch (1966) 

 and Williams (1966). Zooplankton production 

 was estimated by Williams, Murdoch, and Thom- 

 as (1968). Williams and Thomas (1967) also 

 estimated the biomass of benthic organisms in a 

 small segment of the estuary. The importance 

 of cord grass, Spartiria aJterniflora, was assessed 

 by Williams and Murdoch (1969), and evalua- 

 tions of other salt-marsh and rooted aquatic veg- 

 etations are currently in progress. Cycling of 

 trace elements in the sediments, waters, and 

 polvchaetous worms of the estuary was reported 

 by Cross, Duke, and Willis (1970). To date, 

 however, estimates of the population size and 

 energy requirements of pinfish, Lagodon rhom- 

 boides, (Angelovic, Hoss, and Thayer, 1969) 

 represent the only published information on fish- 

 es in the system. Thus, although parts of the 

 research essential to developing the model are 

 completed, fishes until now have received little 



