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Growth parameters for typical anadromous and dwarf stocks of alewives,Alosa pseudoharengus (Pisces, Clupeidae)

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Growth parameters for anadromous alewives,Alosa pseudoharengus (Clupeidae) from two Gulf of Maine watersheds are described. Fish from Damariscotta Lake are typical of other coastal anadromous stocks whereas fish from Walker Pond are dwarfs. The dwarf stock has a life history pattern intermediate between that of fully landlocked and typical anadromous stocks. The dwarfs are anadromous but their young remain in freshwater approximately 16 months, compared to the 2 to 4 months typical of anadromous stocks. This prolonged period of freshwater residence includes a greatly extended larval period and a reduced growth rate. The data suggest that the principal adaptive interval in alewife life history occurs during early ontogeny and that variations in larval development may be the basis for the evolution of fully landlocked stocks from anadromous ancestors.

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  1. Maine Department of Marine Resources, Marine Research Laboratory, 04575, West Boothbay Harbor, Maine, U.S.A.

    Clement J. Walton

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  1. Clement J. Walton
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Walton, C.J. Growth parameters for typical anadromous and dwarf stocks of alewives,Alosa pseudoharengus (Pisces, Clupeidae). Environ Biol Fish 9, 277–287 (1983). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00692376

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00692376

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