Relationships between Juvenile Winter Flounder and Multiple-Scale Habitat Variation in Narragansett Bay, Rhode Island

2005 ◽  
Vol 134 (6) ◽  
pp. 1509-1519 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lesa Meng ◽  
Giancarlo Cicchetti ◽  
Steve Raciti
Keyword(s):  
Rhode Island ◽  
Multiple Scale ◽  
Narragansett Bay ◽  
Winter Flounder ◽  
Habitat Variation

Seasonal Distributions of Bottom Fishes in the Narragansett Bay Area: Seven-Year Variations in the Abundance of Winter Flounder (Pseudopleuronectes americanus)

1974 ◽  
Vol 31 (6) ◽  
pp. 1057-1066 ◽  
Author(s):  
H. Perry Jeffries ◽  
William C. Johnson
Keyword(s):  
Rhode Island ◽  
Homarus Americanus ◽  
Narragansett Bay ◽  
Winter Flounder ◽  
Pseudopleuronectes Americanus ◽  
Commercial Catch ◽  
Average Temperature ◽  
Climatic Trends ◽  
Bay Area ◽  
Time Required

Weekly bottom trawl samples taken in Narragansett Bay and Rhode Island Sound from January 1966 through December 1972 showed patterns of occurrence within a diverse assemblage of migratory and resident stocks. Relative abundance of winter flounder (Pseudopleuronectes americanus), the commonest species in the Bay, appeared to be associated with climatic trends but not with fishing pressure. Catch decreased 78% from 1968 to 1972. Average temperature during 30-mo periods, the time required for flounder to reach catchable size, explained 76% of variation in abundance through the study. Annual abundance in the Bay is also reflected 2–3 yr later in the commercial catch. A speculative explanation for control of the population in an estuarine nursery is developed, based on subtle climatic trends whose effects have been magnified many times over by competitive processes among migratory populations.The sand flounder (Scophthalmus aquosus), second in general abundance, varied far less than the winter flounder. Catches of the lobster (Homarus americanus) and winter flounder were directly related, both on a monthly as well as yearly basis. The remaining species of numerical importance appeared to avoid peak abundances of one another in the Bay and Sound; rarely did seasonal maxima of two or more species occur during the same month.

Estimating growth and mortality of juvenile winter flounder, Pseudopleuronectes americanus, with a length-based model

2001 ◽  
Vol 58 (11) ◽  
pp. 2233-2246 ◽  
Author(s):  
Allison K DeLong ◽  
Jeremy S Collie ◽  
Carol J Meise ◽  
J Christopher Powell
Keyword(s):  
Growth Rate ◽  
Rhode Island ◽  
High Growth ◽  
High Growth Rate ◽  
Narragansett Bay ◽  
Winter Flounder ◽  
Individual Growth ◽  
Pseudopleuronectes Americanus ◽  
Maximum Likelihood Methods ◽  
Decreasing Functions

This study quantifies the combined effects of density and environmental factors on young-of-the-year (YOY) winter flounder (Pseudopleuronectes americanus) in Narragansett Bay, Rhode Island. We used a length-based model to estimate growth and mortality rates from June to October each year from 1988 to 1998. In this model, mortality and growth rates are decreasing functions of length and there is variability in individual growth. Maximum-likelihood methods were used to fit the model to length-frequency data collected by the Rhode Island Division of Fish and Wildlife beach-seine survey in Narragansett Bay during the study years. The monthly mortality rate was density dependent and was positively related to temperature. Growth rate was negatively related to density. There was a significant decline in YOY winter flounder abundance during the period of study. The most recent year of the study, 1998, had the lowest density, lowest mortality, low summer temperature, and high growth rate. Thus, growth and mortality during the juvenile stage do not appear to be limiting the recovery of this depleted winter flounder population.

Impact of elevated temperature on the growth, survival, and trophic dynamics of winter flounder larvae: a mesocosm study

2000 ◽  
Vol 57 (12) ◽  
pp. 2382-2392 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aimee A Keller ◽  
Grace Klein-MacPhee
Keyword(s):  
Rhode Island ◽  
Narragansett Bay ◽  
Winter Flounder ◽  
Trophic Dynamics ◽  
Zooplankton Abundance ◽  
Pseudopleuronectes Americanus ◽  
Egg Survival ◽  
Cumulative Impact ◽  
Commercial Fish ◽  
The Impact

Winter flounder (Pseudopleuronectes americanus) is a dominant commercial fish in Narragansett Bay, Rhode Island, and yet factors controlling its recruitment remain unclear. An experiment was conducted with six 13-m3 land-based mesocosms (5 m deep) from February to April 1997 to address the impact of increased temperature (+3°C) on growth, survival, and trophic dynamics of winter flounder larvae. Objectives were to determine if warmer winter temperatures result in lower survival of winter flounder as a result of increased predator activity or if temperature-induced alterations in the food web result in greater food availability, perhaps leading to increased survival. Analyses of variance revealed significant (P < 0.05) or near-significant (P < 0.10) differences in phytoplankton and zooplankton abundance and biomass between warm and cool mesocosms. Winter flounder egg survival, percent hatch, time to hatch, and initial size were significantly greater in cool systems (P < 0.05). Mortality rates were lower in cool systems and significantly related to the abundance of active predators (P < 0.05). The cumulative impact of decreased survival of eggs and larvae in warm systems may partially explain the decline of winter flounder in Narragansett Bay, which has experienced elevated winter water temperatures in recent years.

The fate of trace metals in Narragansett Bay, Rhode Island: Radiotracer experiments in microcosms

1980 ◽  
Vol 10 (6) ◽  
pp. 635-654 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter Hans Santschi ◽  
Yuan Hui Li ◽  
Steven Robert Carson
Keyword(s):  
Trace Metals ◽  
Rhode Island ◽  
Narragansett Bay

Fatty Acid Composition of Nephtys incisa and Yoldia limatula

1973 ◽  
Vol 30 (2) ◽  
pp. 181-185 ◽  
Author(s):  
John W. Farrington ◽  
James G. Quinn ◽  
Wayne R. Davis
Keyword(s):  
Fatty Acids ◽  
Fatty Acid Composition ◽  
Fatty Acid ◽  
Rhode Island ◽  
Acid Composition ◽  
Fatty Acid Distribution ◽  
Narragansett Bay ◽  
Total Fatty Acids ◽  
Polluted Station

Samples of the infaunal invertebrates Nephtys incisa and Yoldia limatula from Narragansett Bay, Rhode Island, have been analyzed for their fatty acid distribution. Based on total fatty acids, Yoldia contains 9–16% of an acid tentatively identified as 22:2. The ratios of 18:1/18:0 and 18:1/20:1 fatty acids of Nephtys from a polluted station in the bay are lower than the corresponding ratios for animals from relatively clean areas.

Use of a Fish Index to Assess Habitat Quality in Narragansett Bay, Rhode Island

2002 ◽  
Vol 131 (4) ◽  
pp. 731-742 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lesa Meng ◽  
Christopher D. Orphanides ◽  
J. Christopher Powell
Keyword(s):  
Rhode Island ◽  
Habitat Quality ◽  
Narragansett Bay ◽  
Fish Index
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