Age, Growth, and Mortality of the Banded Drum, Larimus fasciatus (Sciaenidae) in North Carolina

Age, growth, and mortality were examined for Larimus fasciatus collected off North Carolina from September 1975 through September 1976. Fish were aged using length-frequencies, scales, and to a lesser extent otoliths. Problems encountered with aging a rare, short lived, temperate fish were discussed. The maximum size observed was 182 mm SL, and 86% of the specimens were \u3c 128 mm SL. The oldest banded drum reached age 4. Mean weighted back-calculated sizes (scale data) for age classes 1·4 were 75.2 mm, 145.4 mm, 161.8 mm, and 170.8 mm, respectively. The von Bertalanffy growth equation was: Lt = 178 (1·e-0.98(t + 0.38)), which predicted sizes at ages 1-4 of 132 mm, 161 mm, 172 mm and 176 mm SL, respectively. Observed, back-calculated, and von Bertalanffy growth curves agreed closely and indicated the fastest growth was in young fish during the spring and summer. The von Bertalanffy growth coefficient (K = 0.98) suggested that maximum size was attained quickly. Instantaneous (Z) and total annual (A) mortality rates were 1.44 and 76%, respectively. Weight-length and total length-standard length conversions were derived

Observing Reef Fishes from Submersibles Off North Carolina

During August and September 1979, the submersibles JOHNSON SEA LINK-II and NEKTON GAMMA were used to observe fishes at 13 reefs in Raleigh, Onslow, and Long Bays, N.C., at depths ranging from 23 to 152m. Reefs with the highest profile (up to 10m) and in depths of 52 to 92 m exhibited the greatest fish species richness and abundance, while adjacent sandy areas were usually barren of fishes. Estimates of recreationally and commercially important reef fishes were 61/ha (S.E. 59.9) over sand and 774/ha (S.E. 748.1) over reefs, with considerable variation between stations. Ninety-nine species in 35 families were observed. Most numerous were Holocentridae, Serranidae, Priacanthidae, Haemulidae, Sparidae, Sciaenidae, Chaetodontidae, Pomacentridae, and Labridae. Many tropical species previously thought to be rare off North Carolina were abundant

Fish species associated with shipwreck and natural hard-bottom habitats from the middle to outer continental shelf of the Middle Atlantic Bight near Norfolk Canyon

Fish species of the Middle Atlantic Bight (MAB) continental shelf are well known; however, species occupying hard-bottom habitats, particularly on the outer shelf, are poorly documented. Reef-like habitats are relatively uncommon on the MAB shelf; therefore, shipwrecks may represent a significant habitat resource. During fall 2012 and spring 2013, 9 sites (depths: 42–126 m) near Norfolk Canyon were surveyed by using remotely operated vehicles. One site consisted of sand bottom, one consisted of predominantly natural hard bottom, and 7 sites included 8 large shipwrecks. Of 38 fish taxa identified, 33 occurred on hard bottom and 25 occurred on soft substrata. Fourteen fish taxa occurred almost exclusively on hard bottom, and 6 species were observed only on soft bottom. The most abundant taxa, especially on reef habitat, were the chain dogfish (Scyliorhinus retifer), a scorpionfish (Scorpaena sp.), the yellowfin bass (Anthias nicholsi), the red barbier (Baldwinella vivanus), the black sea bass (Centropristis striata), unidentified anthiine serranids, and the deepbody boarfish (Antigonia capros). Depth, location, and season did not significantly influence fish assemblages. Fish assemblages on natural and artificial hard-bottom habitat were similar but significantly different from soft-bottom assemblages. Deep-reef fishes of the southern MAB may be constrained by zoogeography, depth, and inadequate habitat— limitations that could increase their vulnerability

Frequency of sublethal injury in a deepwater ophiuroid, Ophiacantha bidentata, an important component of western Atlantic Lophelia reef communities

The occurrence and relative abundance of tissue (arm) regeneration in the ophiuroid, Ophiacantha bidentata (Retzius), was examined in individuals collected primarily among colonies of the deep-water coral Lophelia pertusa off the southeastern United States. Seven deep-water coral sites (384–756 m), located between Cape Lookout, NC, and Cape Canaveral, FL, were sampled in June 2004 using a manned submersible. The presence of regenerative tissue was evaluated by visual inspection of each individual ophiuroid, and the proportion of regenerating arms per individual was examined relative to size of individual, geographic location, and depth of collection. Ophiacantha bidentata, the dominant brittle star collected, commonly displayed signs of sublethal injury with over 60% of individuals displaying some evidence of regeneration. These levels of regeneration rival those reported for shallow-water ophiuroids. Larger individuals (\u3e6.5 mm disc size) had a higher incidence of regeneration than smaller individuals. Size of individual and percent of regeneration were negatively correlated with depth. Although O. bidentata was significantly less abundant in southern versus northern sites, ophiuroid abundance did not appear to be influenced by amount or density of coral substratum. Presence of dense aggregations of O. bidentata indicates that they are an important component of the invertebrate assemblage associated with deep-water coral habitat especially in the northern part of the study area. Assuming that observed frequencies of injury and subsequent regeneration represent predation events then dense ophiuroid aggregations in deepwater coral habitats represent an important renewable trophic resource within these communities

Anguilliform larvae collected off North Carolina

The distinctive larval stage of eels (leptocephalus) facilitates dispersal through prolonged life in the open ocean. Leptocephali are abundant and diverse off North Carolina, yet data on distributions and biology are lacking. The water column (from surface to 1,293 m) was sampled in or near the Gulf Stream off Cape Hatteras, Cape Lookout, and Cape Fear, North Carolina during summer through fall of 1999–2005, and leptocephali were collected by neuston net, plankton net, Tucker trawl, and dip net. Additional samples were collected nearly monthly from a transect across southern Onslow Bay, North Carolina (from surface to 91 m) from April 2000 to December 2001 by bongo and neuston nets, Methot frame trawl, and Tucker trawl. Overall, 584 tows were completed, and 224 of these yielded larval eels. The 1,295 eel leptocephali collected (combining all methods and areas) represented at least 63 species (nine families). Thirteen species were not known previously from the area. Dominant families for all areas were Congridae (44% of individuals, 11 species), Ophichthidae (30% of individuals, 27 species), and Muraenidae (22% of individuals, ten species). Nine taxa accounted for 70% of the overall leptocephalus catches (in order of decreasing abundance): Paraconger caudilimbatus (Poey), Gymnothorax ocellatus Agassiz complex, Ariosoma balearicum (Delaroche), Ophichthus gomesii (Castelnau), Callechelys muraena Jordan and Evermann, Letharchus aliculatus McCosker, Rhynchoconger flavus (Goode and Bean), Ophichthus cruentifer (Goode and Bean), Rhynchoconger gracilior (Ginsburg). The top three species represented 52% of the total eel larvae collected. Most leptocephali were collected at night (79%) and at depths \u3e 45 m. Eighty percent of the eels collected in discrete depth Tucker trawls at night ranged from mean depths of 59–353 m. A substantial number (38% of discrete depth sample total) of larval eels were also collected at the surface (neuston net) at night. Daytime leptocephalus distributions were less clear partly due to low catches and lower Tucker trawl sampling effort. While net avoidance may account for some of the low daytime catches, an alternative explanation is that many species of larval eels occur during the day at depths \u3e 350 m. Larvae of 21 taxa of typically shallow water eels were collected at depths \u3e 350 m, but additional discrete depth diel sampling is needed to resolve leptocephalus vertical distributions. The North Carolina adult eel fauna (estuary to at least 2,000 m) consists of 51 species, 41% of which were represented in these collections. Many species of leptocephali collected are not yet known to have juveniles or adults established in the South Atlantic Bight or north of Cape Hatteras. Despite Gulf Stream transport and a prolonged larval stage, many of these eel leptocephali may not contribute to their respective populations