Nelson: Abundance, growth, and mortality of young-of-the-year Lagodon rhomboides 
323 
and positively correlated with mean sea-surface tem- 
peratures in November (the month before first appear- 
ance) in Charlotte Harbor and with indices of adult 
abundance from 1988 to 1993 in Tampa Bay (Table 2). 
Growth 
Growth rates were estimated with mean length data 
from fixed seine stations only from April through July 
to minimize biases associated with potential move- 
ments ofYOY pinfish. Year-class growth rates were 
similar among bays. Instantaneous growth coeffi- 
cients ranged from 0.18 to 0.26/month for Choctaw- 
hatchee Bay, 0.06-0.21/month in Tampa Bay, and 
0.14-0.26/month for Charlotte Harbor, indicating 
that monthly growth ofYOY pinfishes is rapid dur- 
ing late spring and mid-summer months (Table 3). 
Comparisons among bays revealed no consistent 
interannual patterns in growth except from 1993 to 
1994 when rates declined in all bays (Table 3). 
E 
l — l Choctawhatchee Bay 
l wwa Tampa Bay 
V / / I Charlotte Harbor 
Figure 6 
Least-squares means and 95% confidence intervals for main effects of (A) presence or absence of 
bottom vegetation, (Bl zones, (C) deployment techniques, and (Dl sediment type. Zones A-E en- 
compass bay areas, whereas zone F encompasses rivers. 
