Shore-Spawning and Survival of Eggs of the American Smelt
- 1 April 1965
- journal article
- research article
- Published by Oxford University Press (OUP) in Transactions of the American Fisheries Society
- Vol. 94 (2) , 160-168
- https://doi.org/10.1577/1548-8659(1965)94[160:sasoeo]2.0.co;2
Abstract
Eggs of the American smelt, Osmerus mordax, spawned naturally at 11 sites near shore at Branch Lake, Maine, experienced a mean survival-to-hatching of 1.065%, with individual site values ranging from 2.096 to 0.027%. Mean survival did not differ importantly from survivals reported from stream-spawning sites, leading to the conclusion that shore spawning imputes no intrinsic disadvantage to the eggs laid. The grinding actions of surf, declining water levels, and trampling are probable causes of mortality among shore-spawned eggs. Several features of shore-spawning behavior show that density-dependent intragroup stimulation is probably the main factor operating in the release of the spawning act and explain the absence of site selectivity.This publication has 1 reference indexed in Scilit:
- Variation in the Life History of the American Smelt in Inland Waters of MaineTransactions of the American Fisheries Society, 1959