11-55 



Haven (1971 and 1972) and 1976 Northport (LILCO, 1978) data indicate 

 July to be the peak month for catches of menhaden larvae. 



Densities of menhaden larvae collected in New Haven Harbor in 



3 

 July of 1971 and 1972 (2.26 and 0.57 per m , respectively) were higher 



than larval densities more recently reported for New Haven Harbor and 



other Long Island Sound power plant studies. The highest menhaden egg 



3 

 densities in New Haven Harbor (0.05 per m ) were reported in June 1977, 



relatively low compared to peak densities reported for Glenwood (5.41 



3 3 



per m ), Millstone (18.84 per m , NUSCO, 1977) and Northport (1.1 per 



3 

 m ; LILCO, 1974) . It would appear that principal spawning grounds are 



remote for New Haven Harbor but that in some years, (e.g., 1971 and 

 1972) , currents may carry the larvae into the harbor in considerable 

 numbers. Menhaden are believed to spawn offshore rather than in estu- 

 aries. Nelson, Ingham and Schaaf (1977) showed that larvae are probably 

 transported shoreward and into estuaries by physical processes. 



Alewife (Alosa pseudoharengus ) 



The alewife is a schooling fish related to the herring but 

 differing markedly in that it is anadromous. Almost any freshwater body 

 above the influence of the tide is suitable for spawning so long as it 

 is accessible from the sea and has some stretches of slow-moving water. 

 Spawning runs that may occur locally take place in late winter or early 

 spring (March, 1976) . Adult alewives typically return to the ocean soon 

 after spawning, while the juveniles remain in freshwater their first 

 summer, migrating downstream from late summer through fall (Bigelow and 

 Schroeder, 1953) . Alewives feed primarily on large copepods and mysids 

 (Richards, 1963). 



Small numbers of juvenile and adult alewives (averaging from 

 5 to 30 cm long) have been captured in New Haven Harbor by beach seine, 

 otter trawl and gill net in this study (Figure 11-19) . The largest 

 seine catches (approximately 40 to 100 fish) have occurred in July, in 



