A Comparative Study of the Yellowtail Flounder from Three Atlantic Fishing Areas

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Abstract
Yellowtail flounders, Limanda ferruginea, from two Nova Scotian fishing areas, Middle Ground and Western Bank, and a southern region near Cape Cod were compared in 1946 with reference to rate of growth, sexual maturity, age and size composition, otolith growth, relative growth of three body parts, and meristic characters. The oldest and slowest-growing fish occurred on Middle Ground, the youngest and fastest-growing fish in the Cape Cod area. Cape Cod yellowtails matured sexually at a much younger age and smaller size than yellowtails from the other regions. Old large fish predominated in commercial catches from Middle Ground and Western Bank; commercial catches from the Cape Cod area were largely composed of young small fish. The 1943 year-class was dominant among the young age-groups on Western Bank; this year-class was scarce in the Cape Cod sample. The yellowtails of each area showed distinctive patterns of otolith growth. Otoliths of Cape Cod yellowtails differed from those of Middle Ground and Western Bank in the relative amount of growth in different years. Cape Cod fish had smaller heads and pectoral fins and larger otoliths than specimens from the other areas. Mean values of dorsal and anal fin-ray numbers were highest in Middle Ground and lowest in Cape Cod fish. Significant differences existed between the numbers of dorsal and anal fin-rays in Cape Cod yellowtails and each of the other samples; Middle Ground and Western Bank samples were not significantly different. Cape Cod yellowtails differed in all respects from either Middle Ground or Western Bank fish and it was concluded that in 1946 the Cape Cod yellowtails formed a distinct population.Western Bank fish, although closely resembling those of Middle Ground, differed from them in some characteristics. It was suggested that the yellowtails of the two regions formed a large population possessing clines of characters.Water temperatures appeared to be important in contributing to the differences between the populations.

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