11-17 



are usually dominant. Other common resident species include cunner, 

 pipefish, tautog, and the grubby. Long Island Sound residents which are 

 abundant generally during May and June and October through December 

 include hakes, silver hake, little skates, fourbeard rockling and rock 

 gunnel. Summer migrants which frequent New Haven in abundance include 

 scup, striped and northern searobins, and smooth dogfish. Several flat- 

 fishes which are found in New Haven in the summer months include summer 

 flounder, hogchoker, fourspot flounder, and Gulf Stream flounder. This 

 assemblage is similar to that described by NUSCO (1977) for the Mill- 

 stone Point area, for the Mystic River estuary by Pearcy and Richards 

 (1952) , and for Long Island Sound by Richards (1963) . 



Overall abundance is highest during the summer nursery period 

 and lowest in midwinter, when only the winter flounder and windowpane 

 are active. 



Pelagi-o Fishes ' 



To our knowledge, there have been no studies of the pelagic 

 fish assemblages of estuaries per se although many of the component 

 species have been studied in detail. None of the pelagic species found 

 in New Haven can be classified as "resident"; however, three categories 

 based on the temporal distribution of the abundant species were desig- 

 nated. These categories are: winter migrants, of which the Atlantic 

 herring [Clupea harengus) is the sole example; anadromous species which 

 spawn in the harbor's tributaries or other Long Island Sound tributaries 

 (striped bass, alewives, bluebacks, shad, smelt); and summer migrants, 

 which include bluefish, weakfish, kingfish, butter fish, menhaden, bay 

 anchovy, mackerel, and northern puffer. 



Herring and smelt overwinter in the harbor and are joined by 

 alewives and early menhaden in March and April. By the end of April, 

 smelt remain in the harbor only as stragglers and young-of-the-year. 

 Striped bass, butterfish, bluefish, bluebacks, shad, mackerel, and 



