4-59 



to Anchoa spp., AnimorJytcs americanus (February-April) and Pseudopleuro- 

 nectes americanus (A])ril-May) larvae were seasonal dominants (Figure 4- 

 24) . Fish larval densities were most often highest at Station 20, and 

 to a lesser extent, Stations 11 and 3, and least abundant at Station 6 

 (Table 4-9) . Anchoa spp. larvae accounted for 71 to 100% of the larvae 

 collected at a given station during any sampling year (Table 4-10) . 

 Larval abundance changed little between pre- and post-operational 

 sampling dates (Table 4-9) . 



General seasonal comparisons of total egg and larval abundance 

 may be made between recent data from New Haven Harbor and that presented 

 by Richards (1959) for Station 1 near Milford, Connecticut for the years 

 1952 through 1955. Differences in sampling gear (Richards used a 12.5- 

 cm Clarke-Biompus sampler with 570ijm and 366ym mesh nets) and station 

 location limit the conclusions, but comparison of general abundance 

 levels is instructive. As shown in Table 4-11, seasonality was quite 

 similar and abundances were generally within an order of magnitude; 

 dominant taxa were also similar (Tables 4-6, 4-7 and 4-8) . On the other 

 hand, comparison with Millstone Point data (Battelle, 1977) showed that 

 egg and larval densities in New Haven Harbor (daytime collections) were 

 up to several orders of magnitude less than at Millstone where nighttime 

 oblique hauls with 333vim mesh nets (61 cm diameter) were made. Such 

 differences probably reflect day-night differences due to avoidance and 

 vertical migration (Clutter and Anraku, 1968) more than differences in 

 gear type. 



Selected Species 



Anchoa sp. 



Anchoa mitchilli eggs have been present in Long Island Sound 

 from June through August at water temperatures ranging between 13.3- 

 24. 4C and salinities of 19.3-27.9 ppt (Herman, 1963; Wheatland, 1956). 

 Both eggs and larvae are more abundant inshore (<20m) (Herman, 1963; 

 Richards, 1959; Wheatland, 1956), with eggs more abundant at the surface 



