McBride et al.: Nursery habitats for Elops saurus 
451 
Cl) 
cr- 
Upper Tampa Bay 
Zone A (n= 326) 
Zone B (n=345) 
l\ \ l Zone C (n=621) 
0 50 100 150 200 250 300 350 400 450 500 550 600 
Standard length (mm) 
Figure 6 
Length frequency of ladyfish, Elops saurus, plotted by sampling zones 
in Tampa Bay. Early- and mid-metamorphic larvae were excluded. Data 
for all years (1989-95) of bay-wide sampling were plotted, n = number 
of fish sampled. 
Indian River Lagoon than in Tampa Bay. Overall, however, 
ladyfish were broadly distributed in both the Indian River 
and Banana River basins throughout the year (Fig. 11). 
Discussion 
Ladyfish were common, widely distributed, and fast grow- 
ing in both Tampa Bay and the Indian River Lagoon. 
Metamorphosing larvae and overwintering juveniles were 
linked together in a single study by using multiple sam- 
pling gears. Ladyfish ages inferred from length frequencies 
indicated that few fish older than 2-3 years were present 
in either estuary. Over a thousand ladyfish gonads from 
Tampa Bay and the Indian River Lagoon were examined 
macroscopically, and nearly all fish were found to be imma- 
ture (McBride, pers. obs.). Overall, our observations agree 
with previous reports that ladyfish arrive in coastal embay- 
ments as metamorphosing larvae and leave after about 2-3 
years to mature and eventually spawn at sea. Carles’ ( 1967) 
samples from a hypersaline Cuban lagoon contained only 
immature age 1-3 fish (115-375 mm SL). Others who have 
suggested that ladyfish mature at sea, where they reach a 
maximum age of about 6 years and a maximum length of 
570-660 mm SL, include Hildebrand (1963), Palko (1984), 
and Santos-Martinez and Arboleda (1993). 
