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Near-Surface Larval and Juvenile Fish in Coastal Habitats: Comparisons Between the Inner Shelf and an Estuary in the New York Bight During Summer and Fall

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Abstract

Exchanges of fish larvae between the inner continental shelf and estuaries can be critical to the functional significance of these habitats as nurseries. We sampled near-surface fishes on the inner continental shelf off New Jersey and in an adjacent estuary during the summer and fall of 2005 and 2006 to evaluate the occurrence and variation in these connections. Very few of the abundant taxa (Anchoa mitchilli, Brevoortia tyrannus, Urophycis regia, Etropus microstomus, Peprilus triacanthus, and Pomatomus saltatrix) were exclusive to either habitat but some did change in relative habitat affinity among seasons. For some species, this was indicative of a departure from the ocean for estuaries (e.g., Micropogonias undulatus) while others used both habitats during the summer and fall (e.g., Syngnathus fuscus, Scophthalmus aquosus, and A. mitchilli). Together, these observations confirm the high degree of connectivity between the near-surface larval fishes from the inner continental shelf and estuaries.

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Acknowledgments

We appreciate the experience of Captain J. Zlotnik and R. Hoden while sampling aboard R/V Arabella. G. Bell, D. Bottinelli, B. Rokeach, R. Nichols, J. Conwell, and M. Greaney assisted in the collection and laboratory workup of samples. A. Muzeni and J. Lamonaca provided expertise in larval fish identification. R. Hagan and S. Zeck collected many of the estuary samples. Anonymous reviewers and an associate editor markedly improved the quality of the manuscript with careful comments. This study was funded through a Bluefish/Striped Bass Research Program (Rutgers University and National Marine Fisheries Service collaborative program). We are grateful to all of the above. This paper is contribution no. 2011-2 of the Rutgers University Institute of Marine and Coastal Sciences.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Marine Field Station, Institute of Marine and Coastal Sciences, Rutgers University, 800 c/o 132 Great Bay Blvd., Tuckerton, NJ, 08087-2004, USA

    Kenneth W. Able, Thomas M. Grothues, Peter M. Rowe, Mark J. Wuenschel & James M. Vasslides

  2. NOAA/NMFS/NEFSC, Woods Hole Laboratory, 166 Water Street, Woods Hole, MA, 02543, USA

    Mark J. Wuenschel

  3. New Jersey Sea Grant Consortium, 22 Magruder Road, Fort Hancock, NJ, 07732, USA

    Peter M. Rowe

  4. Barnegat Bay Partnership, Ocean County College, PO Box 2001, Toms River, NJ, 08754, USA

    James M. Vasslides

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  1. Kenneth W. Able
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  2. Thomas M. Grothues
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Correspondence to Kenneth W. Able.

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Able, K.W., Grothues, T.M., Rowe, P.M. et al. Near-Surface Larval and Juvenile Fish in Coastal Habitats: Comparisons Between the Inner Shelf and an Estuary in the New York Bight During Summer and Fall. Estuaries and Coasts 34, 726–738 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12237-011-9399-1

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