Species profiles: Life histories and environmental requirements of coastal fishes and invertebrates (South Atlantic): Black sea bass

Technical Report · Sat Jul 01 04:00:00 EDT 1989

OSTI ID:5703866

Mercer, L P

Species profiles are literature summaries on the taxonomy, morphology, range, life history, and environmental requirements of coastal aquatic species. They are designed to assist in environmental impact assessment. The black sea bass, Centropristis striata, is an abundant species associated with the inshore sponge-coral habitat in the South Atlantic Bight (Cape Hatteras to Cape Canaveral). It is a protogynous hermaphrodite (each individual is first a female and then a male) that spawns from January to June on the Continental shelf. Juveniles utilize estuaries, as well as offshore areas, for nurseries. It is a slow growing species with a life span of about 10 years. Juveniles and adults are bottom-feeding carnivores. Adults have been collected at temperatures as low as 6 /degree/C but are most abundant at temperatures of 8 to 10 /degree/C and above. Juveniles tolerate lower temperatures and greater salinity ranges than adults. Black sea bass are primarily harvested by the recreational hook and line fishery and the commercial trap fishery. Yield-per-recruit analyses indicate that the harvest of black sea bass is less than the maximum possible due to a combination of high fishing pressure and harvest of small fish. 58 refs., 2 figs., 6 tabs.

• Research Organization: North Carolina Div. of Marine Fisheries, Morehead City, NC (USA); Army Engineer Waterways Experiment Station, Vicksburg, MS (USA); National Fish and Wildlife Lab., Washington, DC (USA)
• OSTI ID: 5703866
• Report Number(s): TR-EL-82-4/82(11.99); BR-82(11.99); ON: TI89016534
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

520100* -- Environment
Aquatic-- Basic Studies-- (-1989)
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
ANIMAL GROWTH
ANIMALS
AQUATIC ORGANISMS
ATLANTIC OCEAN
BASELINE ECOLOGY
COASTAL WATERS
ECOLOGY
ESTUARIES
FEEDING
FISHERIES
FISHES
GROWTH
HABITAT
LIFE CYCLE
MIGRATION
POPULATION DYNAMICS
PREDATOR-PREY INTERACTIONS
REPRODUCTION
SEAS
SEASONAL VARIATIONS
SURFACE WATERS
TEMPERATURE DEPENDENCE
VARIATIONS
VERTEBRATES