150 



William F. Hettler, Jr. 



and similar densities at these inlets is not surprising even though the spawning 

 locations contributing Atlantic menhaden larvae to each inlet is unknown. 



Fig. 4. Mean densities of six selected species of fish larvae at Oregon Inlet (solid 

 line) and Ocracoke Inlet (dashed line), North Carolina, during the 1994-95 larval 

 fish immigration period. Error bars equal ± 1 standard error. 



P. lethostigma 



: 



j 

 \ 









16 1 P. dentatxLS 



2500 

 2000 

 1500 

 1000 

 500 

 



M. urtdxUattis 



360 



B. tyrannus 









I 



240 











I 



120 











I 







/ i \ i l 



l.i 



yx\ 



(r\ 



k , 



L. xartthrurus 



w 



01OCT 01NOV 01DEC OUAN 01FEB 01MAR 01APR 01MAY 



01OCT 01NOV 01DEC OIJAN OTFEB 01MAR 01APH 01MAY 



One or more prominent peaks in densities of each species occurred at 

 one or both inlets during the season (Fig. 4). Atlantic croaker were dominant 

 during the early season at Oregon Inlet with a weekly mean density of >2000 

 per 100 m 3 in late October. In one tow on 29 October 1994, the catch density was 

 3000 larvae per 100 m 3 . Another pulse of Atlantic croaker entered Oregon Inlet 

 in early December, a week after summer flounder peaked in density at that inlet. 

 Peak summer flounder densities at Oregon Inlet preceded the period of peak 

 recruitment into Ocracoke by more than 3 months. Summer flounder were found 

 to peak in Beaufort Inlet in February (Burke et al. 1991). The peak abundance 

 of Atlantic croaker and summer flounder larvae observed early in the season at 

 Oregon Inlet compared to the two inlets south of Cape Hatteras, suggests that 



