Document Type
Report
Department/Program
Virginia Institute of Marine Science
Publication Date
6-1992
Series
Sportfish Restoration Project F104R2
Abstract
Provisional annual indices of juvenile abundance have been generated from trawl survey data for five species of key recreational importance in the Virginia portion of Chesapeake Bay (spot, croaker, weakfish, summer flounder and black sea bass) and one species of secondary importance (scup) for the period 1988-1991. Only summer flounder catches resulted in an index that showed a consistent (upward) trend over the four years sampled, but the maximal value recorded for 1991 (2.8) was not statistically significantly higher than the prior year, in contrast to the previous increases observed. Atlantic croaker showed the greatest variability between years, with the 1989 index of 65 being 5 to 7 times higher than that seen in the other three years. The spot and weakfish indices both exhibited minimal values in 1991 (17 and 4 respectively) and suggested a declining trend, but there was considerable overlap of confidence intervals between years and the pattern was not definitive. Black sea bass and scup juvenile recruitment to lower Chesapeake Bay showed no evidence of a trend over the four year period.
DOI
https://doi.org/10.25773/9t0x-tc20
Keywords
Fisheries, Management, Abundance, Virgina
Recommended Citation
Colvocoresses, J. A., Geer, P. J., & Bonzek, C. F. (1992) Estimation of Relative Abundance of Recreationally Important Finfish in the Virginia Portion of Chesapeake Bay: Annual Progress Report 1991-1992. Sportfish Restoration Project F104R2. Virginia Institute of Marine Science, William & Mary. https://doi.org/10.25773/9t0x-tc20
