Reproductive biology and egg mortality of bay anchovy, Anchoamitchilli, in the Hudson River estuary

摘要

Bay anchovy, Anchoa mitchilli, is an ecologically important species in coastal systems, acting as predators on zooplankton while serving as prey for many birds and economically important finfish species. Despite the importance of bay anchovy, limited information exists concerning reproductive biology and egg mortality from the northern parts of its range. Spawner demographics suggested Hudson River fish were older and larger than reported elsewhere. Egg mortality rates were higher in the Hudson River than reported in more southerly systems. Differences in the reproductive biology of bay anchovy suggest either anthropogenic factors or latitudinal differences between populations exist and therefore should warrant further investigations on this species in the northern portions of its range.