Abstract
During two years of sampling, 747 larval and 1,379 juvenile spotted seatrout,Cynoscion nebulosus, were collected in Tampa Bay, Florida; 93% were less than 75 mm SL. Length-frequency distributions and otolith analysis showed that spawning took place from early April until late October. Two seasonal spawning peaks (spring and summer) were made up of many smaller peaks, apparently timed with moon phases. Plankton samples contained larvae that measured up to about 7 mm SL (17 d old). Larvae collected from an upper bay station were less numerous and larger than those collected at other stations. The presence of small larvae from middle and lower bay stations indicated that spawning probably took place from the middle bay to nearshore Gulf waters. Juveniles used seagrass beds as their major habitat, but they were also found in unvegetated backwaters. Spotted seatrout grew to about 35 mm SL in 2 months, 84 mm SL in 4 months, and 140 mm SL in 6 months. Eighty-five percent of the alimentary tracts in larvae were empty; those with food contained primarily copepods. Eleven percent of the stomachs of juveniles were empty. Fish and shrimp were the most important food groups in the diets of fish >15 mm SL. Intraspecific comparisons of diets showed high dietary overlap between larval fish and those measuring 8–15 mm SL and among size classes >15 mm SL.
Similar content being viewed by others
Literature Cited
Adkins, G., J. Tarver, P. Bowman, and B. Savoie. 1979. A study of the commercial finfish in coastal Louisiana. La. Dep. Wildl. Fish. Tech. Bull. No. 29. 87 p.
Brown, N. J. 1981. Reproductive biology and recreational fishery for spotted seatrout,Cynoscion nebulosus, in the Chesapeake Bay area. M.A. Thesis, College of William and Mary, Williamsburg, Virginia. 119 p.
Carr, W. E. S., andC. A. Adams. 1973. Food habits of juvenile marine fishes occupying seagrass beds in the estuarine zone near Crystal River, Florida.Trans. Am. Fish. Soc. 102:511–540.
Colura, R. L., C. W. Porter, andA. F. Maciorowski. 1984. Preliminary evaluation of the scale method for describing age and growth of spotted seatrout (Cynoscion nebulosus) in the Matagorda Bay System, Texas. Tex. Parks Wildl. Dep., Mgt. Data Ser. No. 57:1–17.
Darnell, R. M. 1958. Food habits of fishes and larger invertebrates of Lake Pontchartrain, Louisiana, an, estuarine community.Publ. Inst. Mar. Sci. Univ. Tex. 5:81–87.
Dietz, R. A. 1976. Food and feeding habits ofCynoscion arenarius Ginsburg,Cynoscion nebulosus (Cuvier) andBairdiella chrysoura (Lacepede) (Pisces: Sciaenidae) in the Anclote Anchorage, Tarpon Springs, Florida. M.S. Thesis, Univ. South Florida, Tampa, Florida. 83 p.
Fable, W. A., Jr.,T. D. Williams, andC. R. Arnold. 1978. Description of reared eggs and young larvae of the spotted seatroutCynoscion nebulosus.U.S. Natl. Mar. Fish. Serv. Fish. Bull. 76:65–71.
Gunter, G. 1945. Studies on the marine fishes of Texas.Publ. Inst. Mar. Sci. Univ. Tex. 1:1–388.
Haake, P. W., C. A. Wilson, andJ. M. Dean. 1982. A technique for the examination of otoliths by SEM with application to larval fishes, p. 12.In C. F. Bryan, J. V. Conner, and F. M. Truesdale (eds.), Proc. Fifth Ann. Larval Fish. Conf., La. Coop. Fish. Res. Unit, Louisiana State Univ., Baton Rouge.
Hein, S., C. Dugas, andJ. Shepard. 1980. Total length-standard and length-weight regressions for spotted seatrout,Cynoscion nebulosus; red drum,Sciaenops ocellata; and black drum,Pogonias cromis, in south-central Louisiana. La. Dep. Wildl. Fish., Contrib. Mar. Res. Lab., tech. Bull. 31. p. 41–48.
Hein, S. H., andJ. A. Shepard. 1979. Spawning of spotted seatrout in a Louisiana estuarine ecosystem. Proc. Annu. Conf. Southeast. Assoc. Fish. Wildl. Agencies 33:451–465.
Herke, W. H., B. D. Rogers, and E. E. Knudsen. 1984. Habits and habitats of young spotted seatrout in Louisiana marshes. La. Agric. Exp. Stn., Res. Rep. No. 3. 48 p.
Hildebrand, S. F., andL. E. Cable. 1934. Reproduction and development of whitings or kingfishes, drums, spot, croaker, and weakfishes or seatrouts, family Sciaenidae, of the Atlantic Coast of the United States.Bull. U.S. Bur. Fish. 48:41–117.
Holt, G. J., S. A. Holt, andC. R. Arnold. 1985. Diel periodicity of spawning in sciaenids.Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser. 27: 1–7.
Houde, E. D., andJ. A. Lovdal. 1984. Seasonality of occurrence, foods and food preferences of ichthyoplankton in Biscayne Bay, Florida.Estuarine Coastal Shelf Sci. 18:403–419.
Jannke, T. E. 1971. Abundance of young sciaenid fishes in Everglades National Park, Florida, in relation to season and other variables. Univ. Miami Sea Grant Program Sea Grant Tech. Bull. 11. 128 p.
Jones, R. S., R. G. Gilmore, Jr.,G. R., Kulczycki, W. C. Magley, andB. Graunke. 1975. Chapter 4. Studies of the fishes of the Indian River coastal zone, p. 57–88.In Indian River Coast Zone Study, 1974–75 Annu. Rep. Vol. 1. Harbor Branch Consortium, Florida.
Joseph, E. B., andR. W. Yerger. 1956. The fishes of Alligator Harbor, Florida, with notes on their natural history. Fla. State Univ. Studies No. 22, Papers from the Oceanogr. Inst. No. 2:111–156.
King, B. D., III. 1971. Study of migratory patterns of fish and shellfish through a natural pass. Tex. Parks Wildl. Dep., Tech. Ser. 9. 54 p.
Klima, E. F., and D. C. Tabb. 1959. A contribution to the biology of the spotted weakfish,Cynoscion nebulosus (Cuvier), from northwest Florida, with a description of the fishery. Fla. Board. Conserv. Mar. Res. Lab. Tech. Ser. 30. 25 p.
Maceina, M. J., D. N. Hata, T. L. Linton, andA. M. Landry, Jr. 1987. Age and growth analysis of spotted seatrout from Galveston Bay, Texas.Trans. Am. Fish. Soc. 116:54–59.
Mercer, L. P. 1984. A biological and fisheries profile of spotted seatrout,Cynoscion nebulosus. N.C. Dep. Nat. Resour. Comm. Dev., Div. Mar. Serv., Spec. Sci. Rep. No. 40. 87 p.
Miles, D. W. 1950. The life histories of spotted seatrout,Cynoscion nebulosus, and the redfish,Sciaenops ocellatus. Tex. Game Fish. Comm., Mar. Lab. Annu. Rep., 1949–1950. 30 p.
Miller, J. M., andM. L. Dunn. 1980. Feeding strategies and patterns of movement in juvenile estuarine fishes, p. 437–448.In V. S. Kennedy (ed.), Estuarine Perspectives. Academic Press, New York.
Moffett, A. W. 1961. Movements and growth of spotted seatrout,Cynoscion nebulosus, in west Florida. Fla. Board Conserv. Mar. Res. Lab. Tech. Ser. 36. 3 p.
Moody, W. D. 1950. A study of the natural history of spotted seatrout,Cynoscion nebulosus, in the Cedar Key, Florida area.Q. J. Fla. Acad. Sci. 12:147–171.
Music, J. L., Jr., and J. M. Pafford. 1984. Population dynamics and life history aspects of major marine sportfishes in Georgia’s coastal waters. Ga. Dep. Nat. Resour., Coastal Resour. Div., Coastal Fish. Sect., Final Rep. Study VI. Fed. Aid Proj. F-31.
Odum, W. E. 1971. Pathways and energy flow in a south Florida estuary. Univ. Miami Sea Grant Program Sea Grant Tech. Bull. No. 7. 62 p.
Orth, R. J., andK. L. Heck, Jr. 1980. Structural components of eelgrass (Zostera marina) meadows in the lower Chesapeake Bay—Fishes.Estuaries 3:278–288.
Pearson, J. C. 1929. Natural history and conservation of the redfish and other commercial sciaenids on the Texas coast.Bull. U.S. Bur. Fish. 64:178–194.
Purvis, C. 1976. Nursery area survey of northern Pamlico Sound and tributaries. N.C. Div. Mar. Fish. Complet. Rep. Proj. No. 2-230-R. 62 p.
Reid, S. K., Jr. 1954. An ecological study of the Gulf of Mexico fishes, in the vicinity of Cedar Key, Florida.Bull. Mar. Sci. Gulf Caribb. 4(1):1–94.
Ross, S. T. 1974. Resource partitioning in searobins (Pisces: Triglidae) on the west Florida shelf. Ph.D. Dissertation, Univ. South Florida. Tampa, Florida. 205 p.
Rutherford, E. S. 1982. Age, growth and mortality of spotted seatrout,Cynoscion nebulosus, in Everglades National Park, Florida. M.S. Thesis, Univ. Miami, Coral Gables, Florida. 65 p.
SAS Institute Inc. 1982. Cary, North Carolina.
Schoener, T. W. 1968. TheAnolis lizards of Bimini: Resource partitioning in a complex fauna.Ecology 49:704–726.
Simmons, E. G. 1951. Fish trap investigation.Tex. Game Fish. Comm. Mar. Lab. Annu. Rep. 1950–1951:1–23.
Snedecor, G. W., andD. G. Cochran. 1967. Statistical Methods. Iowa State University Press, Ames, Iowa. 507 p.
Spitsbergen, D. L., and M. Wolff. 1974. Survey of nursery areas in western Pamlico Sound, North Carolina. N.C. Div. Mar. Fish. Complet. Rep. Proj. No. 2-175-R. 80 p.
Springer, V. G., andK. D. Woodburn. 1960. An ecological study of the fishes of the Tampa Bay area. Fla. Board Conserv. Mar. Res. Lab. Prof. Pap. Ser. 1:1–104.
Stewart, K. W. 1961. Contributions to the biology of the spotted seatrout (Cynoscion nebulosus) in the Everglades National Park, Florida. M.S. Thesis, Univ. of Miami, Coral Gables, Florida. 103 p.
Tabb, D. C. 1961. A contribution to the biology of the spotted seatrout,Cynoscion nebulosus. Fla. Board Conserv. Mar. Res. Lab. Tech. Ser. 35. 24 p.
Tabb, D. C. 1966. The estuary as a habitat for spotted seatrout,Cynoscion nebulosus.Am. Fish. Soc. Spec. Publ. 3:58–67.
Taniguchi, A. K. 1981. Survival and growth of larval spotted seatrout (Cynoscion nebulosus) in relation to temperature, prey abundance, and stocking densities.Rapp. P.-V. Reun. Cons. Int. Explor. Mer. 178:507–508.
Tucker, J. W., Jr., andB. E. Faulkner. 1987. Voluntary spawning patterns of captive spotted seatrout.Northeast Gulf Sci. 9:59–63.
Wolff, M. 1976. Nursery area survey of the Outer Banks region. N.C. Div. Mar. Fish. Complet. Rep. Proj. No. 2-222-R. 47 p.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
McMichael, R.H., Peters, K.M. Early life history of spotted seatrout,Cynoscion nebulosus (Pisces: Sciaenidae), in Tampa Bay, Florida. Estuaries 12, 98–110 (1989). https://doi.org/10.2307/1351501
Received:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.2307/1351501