Anthony S. Overton

Adult alewife (Alosa pseudoharengus) and blueback herring (A. aestivalis) (collectively referred to as river herring) have rarely been trapped and transported during the spawning period to restore spawning runs in southern coastal U.S. watersheds, though this is a common practice in New England. We tested the feasibility of this practice in North Carolina to develop a protocol to assist in restocking and conservation efforts. River herring were collected using pound nets in the Scuppernong River at Columbia, North Carolina, from February-April 2007. Fish were removed from pound nets,...

Yellow perch (Perca flavescens) is recognized as a widely distributed and valuable freshwater species, but few reports have described estuarine populations in coastal river systems. We conducted a two-year study to assess the age, growth, mortality, and fecundity of yellow perch in Albemarle Sound, North Carolina. Fish were collected (n = 2,674) in 2005 and 2006 (January-February) by trap from Yeopim River, Yeopim Creek, and Bethel Creek. Yellow perch ranged in age from 1-9 years, and the catch was dominated by age-2 fish (82.1%) in 2005 and age-3 fish (84.2%) in 2006. Lengths ranged from...

Juvenile stages of striped bass (Morone saxatilis) depend on estuarine productivity for rapid growth and estuarine habitat diversity for predator protection. The distribution of juvenile striped bass within estuaries may be influenced by salinity. The potential influence of salinity on the suitability of estuaries as nursery areas was investigated in laboratory experiments using four age groups 67- and 91-d post hatch (25 C) and 112- and 133-d (28 C) post hatch of juvenile striped bass reared for 14 days at three different salinities (0, 5, and 10 ppt) representing conditions encountered...