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Estimating Relative Juvenile Abundance of Ecologically Important Finfish in the Virginia Portion of Chesapeake Bay: 2024 Annual Report (1 July 2023 – 30 June 2024)
Tuckey, Troy D. Fabrizio, Mary C
Tuckey, Troy D.
Fabrizio, Mary C
Abstract
The VIMS Juvenile Finfish Trawl Survey provides crucial data to state, regional, and national fisheries management agencies, including the Virginia Marine Resources Commission (VMRC), the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC), the Mid-Atlantic Fisheries Management Council (MAFMC), and the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS). Annual indices of juvenile abundance have been generated from trawl survey data for species of key recreational and ecological importance in the Virginia portion of Chesapeake Bay. These include Spot, Atlantic Croaker, Weakfish, Summer Flounder, Black Sea Bass, Scup, Striped Bass, White Perch, White Catfish, Channel Catfish, Blue Catfish, Silver Perch, American Eel, and Bay Anchovy. We completed 1,202 tows from July 2023 to June 2024 and collected 645,919 fishes. We were unable to complete sampling in the James River in Dec 2023 due to mechanical issues with the R/V Tidewater. Bay Anchovy continue to be the most abundant species observed in the survey, accounting for 61% of all fishes collected, however the Bay Anchovy index for 2023 was below average for the third year in a row. Of the 36 target species categories for which we provide indices of relative abundance, 26 species categories (considering YOY and age 1+ as distinct categories) exhibited below-average abundance in 2023. Scup was particularly low and exhibited the lowest index of the time series with only four individuals captured during the index period; three were of appropriate size to be included in the index. Five species categories exhibited abundances that were similar to their long-term average abundance including Black Sea Bass, Spot, Striped Bass, Summer Flounder, and age 1+ White Perch (York River). Atlantic Croaker, age 1+ Blue Catfish (York River), Silver Perch, and age 1+ White Perch (James and Rappahannock rivers) exhibited above-average abundances in 2023.
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2024-09-01
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Fisheries Science Reports
Juvenile Fish and Blue Crab Trawl Survey
Research and Technical Reports, Fisheries, Chesapeake Bay
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Virginia Institute of Marine Science
DOI
https://doi.org/10.25773/zs7v-t423