11-42 



Catches have been low, with the greatest catch per effort occurring in 

 1975 and 1976 (up to 5 fish per trawl) . A few young-of-the-year (12 to 

 18 cm long) were taken in the fall of 1974 by both otter trawl and beach 

 seine; otherwise, the catch has essentially been composed of adults 20 

 cm to 54 cm in length (Figure 11-13) . Their occurrence in New Haven is 

 limited to May through October. Prior to 1974, only one individual (34 

 cm long) had been caught (July 1972, by otter trawl). 



With one exception, the incidence of summer flounder impinge- 

 ment has been very low at New Haven Harbor Station. The only time more 

 than 10 fish have ever been recovered from the traveling screens was on 

 the first survey date, 6 August 1975, when 61 fish were found. By 

 contrast, impingement of simmer flounder has been much more frequent at 

 Millstone during the spring and summer. 



Slammer flounder spawn well offshore during the colder months; 

 therefore, the occurrence of eggs and larvae in inshore areas are 

 largely incidental. In New Haven Harbor, the eggs and larvae have been 



collected in very low densities (ranging from 0.003 to 0.001, and 0.0002 



3 

 to 0.0012 per m in March and April, respectively). The only other Long 



Island Sound power-plant study reporting the presence of summer flounder 



eggs and larvae has been Millstone (NUSCO, 1977) , where larval densities 



have been comparable to those observed in New Haven Harbor. In the case 



of the eggs, however, the density reported for Millstone in May 1976 was 



3 

 a relatively high 2.5 eggs per m . Wheatland (1956), Richards (1959) 



and Pearcy and Richards (1963) found no summer flounder eggs or larvae 



in their studies on Long Island Sound and the Mystic River estuary. 



Atlantic Herring (Ctupea harengus) 



The herring is a transient in New Haven Harbor, regularly 

 making brief appearances primarily during winter and spring. This 

 species is virtually absent from the Harbor during August and September. 



