skilletfish

ionthas) and skilletfish, were strongly positively associated with the number of live oysters.

The trophic positions of the hooked mussel, eastern oyster, grass shrimp, skilletfish, and naked goby were elevated at the harvested site compared to the nonharvested site (Fig.

Pelagic source contributions were elevated at the harvested site for all organisms except skilletfish. The trophic positions of all organisms were elevated at the harvested site, except that of eastern oysters.

The CCA results indicate that the bigclaw snapping shrimp (Alpheus heterochaelis) and estuarine mud crab are associated with fragmented reef habitats exposed to high levels of chlorophyll-a and that the skilletfish and freckled blenny are associated with the presence of shell clusters (larger interstitial spaces) and high densities of live oysters.

Of the 3 dominant resident fish (naked goby, darter goby, and skilletfish) only the naked goby and skilletfish were caught at greater densities within the marsh edge habitat, whereas the darter goby was dominant within the nonvegetated shallow habitat.

Common name Scientific Total name catch Total fish 2,562 Atlantic Micropogonias 1,124 croaker undulatus Red drum Sciaenops 440 ocellatus Darter goby Ctenogobius 245 boleosoma Naked goby Gobiosoma 245 bosc Bay anchovy Anchoa 109 mitchilli Black drum Pogonias 108 cromis Silver perch Bairdiella 104 chrysoura Pinfish Lagodon 33 rhomboides Bay whiff Citharichthys 30 spilopterus Skilletfish Gobiesox 28 strumosus Green goby Microgobius 25 thalassinus Blackcheek Symphurus 15 tonguefish plagiusa Southern Menticirrhus 12 kingfish americanus Spotted Cynoscion 11 seatrout nebulosus Striped Mugil 9 mullet cephalus Ladyfish Elops saurus 4 Shrimp eel Ophichthus 4 gomesii Pipefish Syngnathus 4 spp.

Oyster shell serves as spawning substrate for skilletfish (Runyan 1961), Florida blenny Chasmodes saburrae (Peters 1981), feather blenny Hypsoblennius hentz (Breitburg 1999) and frillfin goby Bathygobius soporator (Peters 1983); such fishes select for length and gape of empty oyster shells relative to their own size (Crabtree & Middaugh 1982).

Other fishes occurring frequently in the samples included the feather blenny Hypsoblennius hentz, frillfin goby Bathygobius soporator, skilletfish Gobiesox strumosus, and gulf toadfish Opsanus beta (Table 1).

Other fishes such as the naked goby, striped blenny and skilletfish are also known to lay their eggs on the unfouled, inner surface of articulated oyster shell (Runyan 1961, Breitburg 1999).

mojarra 5 0 4 Gobiesox strumosus skilletfish 5 14 13 Gobiosorna robustum code goby 36 85 74 Haemulon plumieri white grunt 0 l 0 Hypsoblennius hentz feather blenny 6 8 13 Lagodon rhomboides pinfish 0 7 5 Lupinoblennius nicholsi highfin blenny 0 0 1 Lutjanus griseus gray snapper 1 0 0 Opsanus beta gulf toadfish 1 13 24 Symphurus plagiusa blackcheek tonguefish 1 0 0 Habitat treatments are sand bottom (SB), articulated cleaned shell (CS), and live oyster clusters (LC).

For example, the skilletfish (Gobiesox strumosus), feather blenny (Hypsoblennius hentz), and snapping shrimp (Alpheus heterochaelis) have all been previously collected from oyster reefs ranging from the Carolinas to Virginia and Maryland (Breitburg 1999, Coen et al.

Mojarra Gobiesox strumosus Skilletfish Gobiosoma bosc Naked goby Gobiosoma robustum Code goby Hypsoblenius hentz Feather blenny Lagodon rhomboides Pinfish Lophogobius cyprinoides Crested goby Lupinoblennius nicholsi Highfin blenny Lutjanus griseus Gray snapper Lutjanus synagris Lane snapper Opsanus beta Gulf toadfish Number Relative Collected Occurrence Species CAL EST FUC CAL EST FUC Decapods Alpheus heterochaelis 107 49 41 F C C Eurypanopeus depressus 3442 2525 3040 F F F Libinia dubia 3 0 7 U U Menippe mercenaria 19 11 0 U U Palaemonetes sp.