Title
Stock Identification of summer Flounder (Paralichthis dentatus) in the Southern Mid-Atlantic Bight
Document Type
Report
Department/Program
Virginia Institute of Marine Science
Publication Date
1990
Abstract
A total of 12, 339 summer flounder were tagged from Virginia waters during 1987-89. A total of 874 were recaptured for an overall return rate of 7 . 1%. Most of the returns ( 48.5%) were from Virginia waters, or areas to the south. A smaller number ( 21.6%) were from areas north and offshore of Virginia. Another 29. 9% were recaptured and returned with inadequate location data. Examining only the returns with adequate location data, yielded a separation of 69.2% and 30.8% between the groups. No differences were noted in the sizes at tagging between these groups. Tagged flounder held at VIMS exhibited no behavioral differences from untagged fish. No differences in growth and mortality were noted in these fish. The sex ratio of males to females was 1:1.16. Male summer flounder reached 50% maturity at approximately 280 mm, while females reached 50% maturity at about 330 mm. A total of 1040 flounder were successfully aged. The population was dominated by young fish ( 0- 2 years old). The compression of age structure i s indicative of a population being heavily overfished.
Keywords
Summer flounder -- Mid-Atlantic Bight, Fish tagging -- Mid-Atlantic Bight, Fish populations -- Mid-Atlantic Bight -- Measurement
Recommended Citation
Musick, J. A., Desfosse, J. C., Estes, A., & Lyons, P. (1990) Stock Identification of summer Flounder (Paralichthis dentatus) in the Southern Mid-Atlantic Bight. Virginia Institute of Marine Science, William & Mary. https://scholarworks.wm.edu/reports/2659
