percentage of fishermen directing their effort towards winter flounder and shift of larger vessels inshore has 

 exacerbated the problem and serious concern was expressed about the fishery. 



The annual geometric mean trawl catch of winter flounder by the CT DEP in eastern Long Island 

 Sound declined fivefold from 1984 through 1986 (P. Howell, CT DEP, pers. comm.), a decrease even 

 greater than seen in the Niantic River. Conversely, annual landings from Cormecticut-licensed commercial 

 trawlers increased threefold from an average of 87,657 kg during 1979-82 to 271,160 kg during 1983-86 

 (CT DEP, unpublished data). It should be noted that some of the increase in landings in recent years 

 was due to more accurate reporting by fishermen (E. Smith, CT DEP, pers. comm.). From 13 to 43% 

 of these fish were caught in eastern Long Island Sound, with increasing proportions (27-43%) for recent 

 years. Percent landings from outside Long Island Sound decreased during the same period from more 

 than half to about one-third of the total. At the same time, overall catch-per-trawl-hour decreased from 

 an average of 41.9 kg during 1979-83 to 30.0 kg in 1984-86. 



Life history studies 



Reproduction 



Sex ratio 



The sex ratio of winter flounder larger than 20 cm during the spawning period in the Niantic River 

 varied from 0.92 to 2.03 females for each male (Table 9). The average from 1977 through 1986 was 1.44; 

 the latest survey was the only one in which more males than females were taken. Sex ratios of 1.50 to 

 2.33 in favor of females were also reported by Saila (1962a, 1962b) and Howe and Coates (1975) for other 

 populations in southern New England. 



Size at maturity 



Female winter flounder can become sexually mature when they are age 3 or when about 20 cm in 

 length (Dunn and Tyler 1969; Dunn 1970; Kermedy and Steele 1971; Beacham 1982). More northerly 

 populations mature at smaller sizes and older ages than in Southern New England. Results of a probit 



37 



