Wood et al.: A comparison between warm-water fish assemblages of Narragansett Bay and Long Island Sound waters 
97 
Figure 5 
Weekly mean (surface and bottom) temperature data from Narragansett Bay, including all 
catch data from Narragansett Bay waters as well as from Rhode Island Salt Ponds, and Long 
Island Sound graphed with the percentage of total occurrences of warm-water fish caught in 
trawl and seine surveys in these two locations (1987-2000). The line graphs represent the mean 
annual temperatures, and the bar graphs represent the annual fish catch at each location. 
mg sampling area and effort (Ugland et 
al., 2003). Because Long Island Sound 
is much larger than Narragansett Bay, 
there is a greater potential sampling 
area, which could explain the steeper in- 
crease and the more asymptotic nature 
of the species accumulation curve of the 
former area. The warm-water fish as- 
semblages were largely similar between 
the two estuaries but there were spa- 
tially-specific variables that may have 
influenced the temporal occurrence of 
these species. 
Timing of occurrence is an important 
factor in the structure of warm-water 
fish faunas; however, the processes that 
lead to the appearance of warm-water 
fishes in the early summer and to their 
disappearance in the fall are not com- 
pletely understood. The mean weeks of 
first, last, and peak appearances are all 
very similar between Narragansett Bay 
and Long Island Sound and there is the 
same 4-week time lag between the week 
of peak temperatures (week 33) and the 
week of peak fish abundance (week 37) 
Figure 6 
Percentage of warm-water fish sampled in Narragansett Bay and Long 
Island Sound (1987-2000) as a function of concomitant temperature data 
and the cumulative percentage of fish caught at each temperature. Bar 
graphs represent the percentage of total fish catch at each temperature, 
and the line represents the cumulative temperature percentage. 
