Ingress Of Postlarval Snappers (Principally Lutjanus Griseus) Into The Newport River Estuary, North Carolina

Mimi W. Tzeng*
Department of Biological Sciences , University of North Carolina at Wilmington, 601 S. College Rd., Wilmington, NC 28403-3297. Phone: 910-790-5639. Fax: 910-962-4066. Email: mtzeng@indiana.edu

Jonathan A. Hare
NOAA Beaufort Laboratory, 101 Pivers Island Rd., Beaufort, NC 28516. Phone: 252-728-8732. Fax: 252-728-8784. Email: Jon.Hare@noaa.gov

Allyn B. Powell
NOAA Beaufort Laboratory, 101 Pivers Island Rd., Beaufort, NC 28516. Phone: 252-728-8769. Fax: 252-728-8784. Email: Allyn.Powell@noaa.gov

David G. Lindquist
Department of Biological Sciences , University of North Carolina at Wilmington, 601 S. College Rd., Wilmington, NC 28403-3297. Phone: 910-962-3474. Fax: 910-962-4066. Email: lindquist@uncwil.edu

An understanding of the process of estuarine ingress of larval fishes is important for understanding the variations in abundance of adults. Along the southeastern U.S. coast, summer-spawning, estuarine dependent species have not been as well studied as winter-spawning species. Ingressing postlarval snappers were sampled with a fixed neuston net from a bridge over a channel in the Newport River Estuary in 1993 and 1998. Lutjanus griseus was the most abundant species found, at densities as high as 11 per cubic meter. Other species collected include L. analis, L. synagris, and L. apodus. In both years, ingress of snappers occurred from July to October. A lunar pattern was found; snappers ingress primarily during new moon and secondarily during full moon. Interestingly, snappers which ingress into the estuary are rare as adults in offshore waters of North Carolina. Larvae may be transported to North Carolina estuaries from the south by Gulf Stream processes. Whether these fish survive to join adult populations is unclear. Age and growth studies are currently underway for Lutjanus griseus. A pilot study is also in progress to assess the ability of the juvenile snappers to survive egress in North Carolina.