Reproductive activity 



The spawning period for winter flounder was determined by examining 

 the weekly percentage of gravid females. When the proportion of 

 spawning females fell below 10%, spawning was considered to have been 

 completed (Fig. 4). This typically occurred by early to mid-April. 



Figure 4. Percenta.'^e of female adult winter flounder in 



spawning condition by week in the Niantic River 

 from 1977 through 1983. 



Apparently spawning in the Niantic River begins in January or early 

 February and in 1983 was Initiated under the ice in the upper river. 

 Usually more than 50% of the females were spent at the start of each 

 annual survey as ice and weather conditions precluded an earlier start 

 of the sampling. Little evidence was found that significant spawning 

 occurred elsewhere in the study area. Examination of adults taken by 

 the trawl monitoring program from February through April of 1983 showed 

 that only a few (5%) of the adult females were gravid at stations 

 outside the river but 48% were in spawning condition at station NR. 



Sex ratios during the spawning period ranged from 1.21 to 2.03 in 

 favor of females when fish larger than 20 cm were considered (Table 7) . 



Tabic 7. Female to male sex rottoB of winter flounder taken during thr spawning period In the Niantic Rlv 

 1977 throuRh 198 3. 



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