Conclusions and Recommendations 



1. Knowledge of the larval stage of the winter flounder is of paramount 

 importance because mortality is greatest then, it is most likely the 

 stage at which any compensatory mortality occurs, and it is when the 

 impact of the Millstone power station is greatest. Consequently much 

 effort should be directed towards understanding larval dynamics and how 

 they affect subsequent year class strength. The key to understanding 

 local winter flounder larval production remains the Niantic River spawning 

 area. 



One of the strengths of the Millstone ichthyoplankton program has 

 been the continual evaluation of the sampling programs which led to 

 revisions when deemed necessary. Unfortunately, the changes have resulted 

 in little continuity in the offshore sampling program from year to year, 

 therby decreasing the comparability of the data. Although sampling 

 occurred in the Niantic River as early as 1974, the number of samples 

 taken were less than adequate until 1980 at station 2 and 1981 at station 

 1. This occurred mostly because the sampling in previous years wasn't 

 specifically designed to provide the information now needed. 



Inadequate sampling design for the most part can be seen in the 

 failure to estimate larval mortality because of flattened catch curves 

 in the River. The fact that significant differences can be found between 

 day and night at the same station because of the differential catch of 

 large larvae is indicative of this. The problem of advection of larvae 

 also requires a carefully conceived design if it is to be measured. 

 Based on the recommendation from the June 1982 Millstone Ecological 

 Advisory Committee Meeting, a workshop will be scheduled for Fall 1982 



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