1000 



900 



800 



700 



600 



o 500 



400-1 



CONNECTICUT TRAWLER UVNDINGS 



79 



80 



82 



83 

 YEAR 



84 



85 



86 



87 



Fig. 11. Comparison of the total annual winter flounder landings with the percentage taken in eastern 

 Connecticut from 1979 through 1987. 



Reproduction 



The sex ratio of winter flounder larger than 20 

 era during the spawning season in the Niantic 

 River ranged from 0.78 to 2.03 females for each 

 male during the past 11 years (Table 9). The 

 geometric mean was 1.33, but the last 2 years 

 were the only ones in which more males than 

 females were taken. This was unusual, based on 



past ratios in the river and reported ratios of 1.50 

 to 2.33 in favor of females by Saila (1962a, 1962b) 

 cmd Howe and Coates (1975) for other populations 

 in southern New England. The reduced number 

 of females may have resulted from increased fish- 

 ing pressure on females. They are larger than 

 males and tend to move longer distances away 

 from the Millstone area (NUSCO 1987), which 

 could have increased their vulnerability to offshore 

 commercial fisheries. 



TABLE 9. Female to male sex ratios of winter flounder taken during the spawning season in tlie Niantic 

 River from 1977 through 1987. 



Geometric 

 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 mean 



All fish 1.03 2.23 1.37 2.66 1.42 1.16 1.52 1.07 1.37 0.92 0.78 1.32 



captured 



Measured fish 1.26 1.95 1.21 2.03 1.61 1.50 1.52 1.07 1.37 0.92 0.78 1.33 



>20 cm 



Female winter flounder can become sexually 

 mature when they are age 3 or when about 20 

 cm in length; northerly populations mature at 



smaller sizes and older ages than in Southern New 

 England (Dunn and Tyler 1969; Dunn 1970; 

 Kennedy and Steele 1971; Beacham 1982). Re- 



170 



