...shelf and in the polyhaline portion of an adjacent estuary in order to elucidate aspects of their presettlement distribution. The postlarvue were collected with a frame net (5 [m.sup.2], mm mesh) daring six cruises in 1988 and 1990 and in the Great Bay New Jersey estuary under nightlights with dip nets from 1986-1992. They were common in surface waters of the New York Bight in June and July, and from June to August in Great Bay. In both areas most collections occurred at temperatures of 17-24[degrees]C. On the continental shelf postlarvae occurred throughout the spatial limits of the sampling from the eastern tip of Long Island to the mouth of Delaware Bay. They were most abundant inshore, especially off the eastern tip of Long Island and off Great Bay. Despite the large number of postlarvae collected in Great Bay there is no evidence of successful settlement there, and there are no data on the early benthic phase for the continental shelf in the New York Bight, thus the habitat for recently settled individuals is unknown and should receive further attention.

Key Words: Homarus americanus, lobster, Stage IV, postlarvae, New York Bight

INTRODUCTION

The natural history and population dynamics of American lobster, Homarus americanus, in the New York Bight are poorly known despite the value of this species in inshore and offshore fisheries elsewhere in the northeastern United States (Grosslein and Azarovitz, 1982; MacKenzie, 1992). In a review of the life history and recruitment processes of lobsters, larval supply, including that of the pelagic postlarvae (Stage IV), was identified as a focus for further research (Cobb and Wahle, 1994). The issue of larval supply is a particularly complex problem for H. americanus because both inshore and offshore populations (Uzmann et al. 1977; Andrews, 1980; Incze et al., 2000a) may contribute larvae, and extensive movement of adults, including ovigenous females, are common (Cooper and Uzmann, 1971; Cooper, 1980; Campbell, 1986; Watson et al., 1999). Larval supply in the New York Bight is virtually unstudied (see Clark and Hughes, 1965 for the only prior record) although there are numerous field studies of larval distr ibution and abundance in New England and the Gulf of Maine (Fogarty, 1983; Harding et al., 1987; Harding and Trites, 1988; Cobb et al. 1989; Incze and Wahle, 1991; Katz et al., 1994; Incze et al., 1997, 2000a; Incze and Naime, 2000).

In this paper we have concentrated on the distribution and relative abundance of postlarval lobsters on the continental shelf of the New York Bight and in an adjacent estuary in order to provide an improved understanding of their presettlement distribution. These studies were facilitated because the pelagic postlarvae are accessible in surface collections due to their abundance in the top one meter of water (Bibb et al, 1983; Fogarty, 1983; Hudon et al., 1986; Harding et al., 1987).

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Samples of postlarval lobster (Stage IV) were collected incidental to other extensive studies designed to collect larval fishes in continental shelf water of the New York Bight and in an adjacent estuary (Fig. 1). All postlarval lobsters were easily identified based on their similarity to the adults (Herrick, 1911). Terminology for the postlarval stage of development follows Lavalli and Lawton (1996).

Continental Shelf Sampling

Postlarval lobsters were collected during two years of intensive plankton sampling in the New York Bight. During 1988, eight cruises were conducted from May through August. Five transects were run perpendicular from shore between Cape May, New...

NOTE: All illustrations and photos have been removed from this article.



More articles from Bulletin of the New Jersey Academy of Science
Health assessment of captive raised and wild diamondback terrapins (Ma..., September 22, 2002

Looking for additional articles?
Search our database of over 3 million articles.

Looking for more in-depth information on this industry?
Search our complete database of Industry & Market reports by text, subject, publication name or publication date.

About Goliath
Whether you're looking for sales prospects, competitive information, company analysis or best practices in managing your organization, Goliath can help you meet your business needs.

Our extensive business information databases empower business professionals with both the breadth and depth of credible, authoritative information they need to support their business goals. Whether it be strategic planning, sales prospecting, company research or defining management best practices - Goliath is your leading source for accurate information.