N. C, and approximately 19 miles 

 north of station 3. The bottom had 

 little slope, was free of vegetation and 

 debris, and consisted of coarse sand. 

 Water levels remained relatively con- 

 stant. Salinity was usually %o , and 

 the highest recorded was 5.6 %o . 



MATERIALS AND METHODS 



From March 1957 through Feb- 

 ruary 1960, sampling was conducted 

 during daylight hours at stations 1, 2, 

 and 3 at 2-week intervals, and at 

 station 4 at 4- week intervals. A nylon 

 haul sein, 70 feet long, 5 feet deep, 

 with a funnel-shaped bag 15 feet long 

 was used. The wings of the seine 

 were 3/8-inch stretched mesh and 

 the bag 5/32-inch stretched mesh. 

 Seining was conducted about 20 feet 

 from the shoreline in 3 to 5 feet of 

 water. A sample consisted of the fish 

 caught in three hauls, each haul was 

 approximately 50 feet in length. Each 

 haul was made parallel to the shore 

 and completed by pulling to shore. 

 Seining was advanced about 50 feet after 

 each haul to avoid areas seined pre- 

 viously. Salinity in parts per thousand 

 (hydrometer reading corrected for 

 temperature) and surface water tem- 

 perature in degrees centigrade were 

 obtained at each station. 



Fish were placed in labelled jars 

 and preserved in 10 percent formalin 

 for later examination. Specimens in 

 each sample were identified, and the 

 number and size range of each species 

 determined. Lengths of specimens pos- 

 sessing forked tails were measured 

 from the tip of the snout to caudal 

 fork. Those with nonforked tails were 

 measured from the tip of the snout to 

 the tip of the longest caudal ray. Ref- 

 erences used for identification were 

 Bigelow and Schroeder (1953), Breder 

 (1929), Deubler (1958), Hildebrand and 

 Cable (1930, 1934, 1938), Hildebrand 

 and Schroeder (1928), Jordan and Ever- 

 mann (1896-1900), and Smith (1907). 

 Nomenclature followed that of Bailey, 

 et al. (1960). 



Specimens representing the size 

 distribution of each species collected 

 were donated to the University of North 



Carolina Institute of Fisheries Re- 

 search, Morehead City, N. C, for 

 cataloging and inclusion in their col- 

 lection of fishes. 



SPECIES COMPOSITION AND 

 SEASONAL OCCURRENCE 



The collections obtained totaled 

 211,994 marine fish, consisting of 65 

 species, 34 families, and 11 orders. 

 The number of each species collected 

 by station, and salinity and temperature 

 ranges at capture are presented in table 

 1. Numerically predominant at station 

 1 were Atlantic menhaden (Brevoortia 

 tyrannus), striped a.nchovy(Anchoahepsetus), 

 and rough silverside (Membras martinica); 

 at station 2- -Atlantic menhaden, spot 

 (Leiostomus xanthurus), and Atlantic silver- 

 side (Menidia rnenidia); at station 3--bay 

 anchovy (Anchoa mitchilli), spot, and At- 

 lantic silverside; and at station 4-- 

 Atlantic menhaden, bay anchovy, and 

 tidewater silverside (Menidia beryllina). 

 Twenty-four species occurred at three 

 or more stations, and 19 species col- 

 lected at station 3 were not found at 

 station 4. Many species showed tol- 

 erance to wide ranges in salinity and 

 temperature, especially the Atlantic 

 silverside which was collected in 

 waters ranging from to 37.8 %o and 

 1.5° to 32.0° C. The striped anchovy, 

 striped killifish (Fundulus majalis), rough 

 silverside, and five species of flounder 

 were collected primarily in waters of 

 high salinity (stations 1 and 2) whereas 

 the bay anchovy, mummichog (Fundulus 

 heteroclitus), tidewater silverside, and 

 southern flounder (Paralichthys lethostigma) 

 were most abundant in waters of low 

 salinity (stations 3 and 4). 



Monthly occurrence of marine 

 fishes and range in length (mm.) are 

 given for each station in tables 2 through 

 5. Ranges in water temperature and sa- 

 linity recorded at each station by month 

 are listed in table 6. Forty species were 

 collected at station 1, 34 species at sta- 

 tion 2, 43 species at station 3, and 26 

 species at station 4. Fishes collected 

 every month of the year from inside wa- 

 ters (stations 2-4) were Atlantic menha- 

 den, bay anchovy, striped killifish, spot, 

 pinfish (Lagodon rhomboides), striped mul- 

 let (Mugil cephalus), tidewater silverside, 



