REFERENCECOPY . . 

Do Not Remove from the Librar.. 

U. -.S. -~ Fish and Wildlife-Service 

Notional Wetlands Research Cznkr 

Biological Report 82 (1 1-43) 700 Cajun Dome Boulevard 

August 1986 

TR EL-82-4 

Lafayette, Louisiana 70506 

Species Profiles: Life Histories and 

Environmental Requirements of Coastal Fishes 

and Invertebrates (South Florida) 

SPOTTED SEATROUT 

Coastal Ecology Group 

Fish and Wildlife Service Waterways Experiment Station 

U.S. Department of the Interior U.S. Army Corps of Engineers 
Biological Report 82(11.43) 

TR EL-82-4 

August 1986 

Species Profiles: Life Histories and Environmental Requirements 

of Coastal Fishes and Invertebrates (South Florida) 

SPOTTED SEATROUT 

Darlene R. Johnson 

Center for Wetlands 

and 

William Seaman, Jr. 

Sea Grant College and 

School of Forest Resources and Conservation 

University of Florida 

Gai nesvi 11 e, FL 32611 

Project Officer 

John Parsons 

National Wetl ands Research Center 

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 

1010 Gause Boulevard 

Slidell, LA 70458 

This study was performed for the 

Coastal Ecology Group 

Waterways Experiment Station 

U. S. Army Corps of Engineers 

Vicksburg, MS 39180 

and 

National Wetl ands Research Center 

Research and Development 

Fish and Wildlife Service 

U.S. Department of the Interior 

Washi ngton , DC 20240 
This series should be referenced as follows: 

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. 1983-19-. Species profiles: life histories 

and environmental requirements of coastal fishes and invertebrates. U. S. Fish 

Wildl. Serv. Biol. Rep. 82(11). U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, TR EL-82-4. 

This profile should be cited as follows: 

Johnson, D.R., and W. Seaman, Jr. 1986. Species profiles: life histories and 

environmental requirements of coastal fishes and invertebrates (south 

Florida)--spotted seatrout. U. S. Fish Wildl. Serv. Biol. Rep. 82(11.43). U. S. 

Army Corps of Engineers, TR EL-82-4. 18 pp. 
PREFACE 

This species profile is one of a series on coastal aquatic organisms, 

principally fish, of sport, commercial, or ecological importance. The profiles 

are designed to provide coastal managers, engineers, and biologists with a brief 

comprehensive sketch of the biological characteristics and environmental 

requirements of the species and to describe how populations of the species may be 

expected to react to environmental changes caused by coastal development. Each 

profile has sections on taxonomy, 1 ife history, ecological role, environmental 

requirements, and economic importance, if applicable. A three-ring binder is 

used for this series so that new profiles can be added as they are prepared. 

This project is jointly planned and financed by the U. S. Army Corps of Engineers 

and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. 

Suggestions or questions regarding this report should be directed to one of 

the foll owing addresses. 

Information Transfer Specialist 

National Wetlands Research Center 

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 

NASA-Sl idel 1 Computer Complex 

1010 Gause Boulevard 

Slidell, LA 70458 

U. S. Army Engineer Waterways Experiment Station 

Attention: WESER-C 

Post Office Box 631 

Vicksburg, MS 39180 
CONVERSION TABLE 

Metric to U.S. Customary 

Mu1 tiply k To Obtain 

mill iineters (mm) 

cerltirneters (cm) 

meters (rn) 

ki 1 orneters ( km) 

2 square meters (rn ) 

square ki 1 ometers ( km2) 

hectares (ha) 

liters (1) 

cubic ineters (m3) 

cubic meters 

mil 1 igrams (mg) 

grams (9) kil ogralns (kg) 

metric tons ( t) 

metric tons 

ki 1 ocal ories ( kcal ) 

inches 

inches 

feet 

mil es 

square feet 

square niles 

acres 

gal 1 ons 

cubic feet 

acre-feet 

ounces 

ounces 

pounds 

pounds 

short tons 

British thermal units 

Celsius degrees 1.8(OC) + 32 Fahrenheit degrees 

U.S. Customary to Metric 

inches 25.40 

inches 2.54 

feet (ft) 0.3048 

fathoms 1.829 

miles (mi) 1.609 

nautical miles (mi) 1.852 

square feet (ft2) 

acres 2 square miles (mi 

gal 1 ons ( gal ) 3.785 

cubic feet (ft3) 0.02831 

acre- feet 1233.0 

ounces (02) 28.35 

pounds (lb) 0.4536 

short tons (ton) 0.9072 

British thermal units (Btu) 0.2520 

mil 1 imeters 

centimeters 

meters 

meters 

kil ometers 

ki 1 oTeters 

square meters 

hectares 

square kil ometers 

1 i ters 

cubic meters 

cubic meters 

grains 

ki 1 og rams 

metric tons 

ki 1 ocal ories 

Fahrenheit degrees 0.5556(OF - 32) Celsius degrees' 
CONTENTS 

Page 

PREFACE ................................. iii 

CONVERSION TABLE ............................ iV 

FIGURES ................................. vi 

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ............................. vi i 

NOMENCLATURE/TAXONOMY/RANGE ....................... 1 

MORPHOLOGY/IDENTIFICATION AIDS ..................... 1 

REASON FOR INCLUSION IN SERIES ..................... 1 

LIFE HISTORY .............................. 3 

Subpopulations ............................ 3 

Spawning ............................... 4 

FecundityandEggs .......................... 4 

Larval and Juvenile Stages ...................... 5 

Adult Stage .............................. 6 

GROWTH CHARACTERISTICS ......................... 6 

SPORT/COMMERCIAL FISHERIES ........................ 8 

Yield and Catch/Effort ........................ 9 

Length of Fish in the Fishery ..................... 9 

Population Dynamics .......................... 10 

ECOLOGICALROLE ............................. 11 

ENVIRONMENTAL REQUIREMENTS ....................... 12 

Temperature .............................. 12 

Salinity ............................... 13 

Oxygen ................................ 14 

Turbidity ............................... 14 

Habitat ................................ 14 

LITERATURECITED ............................ 15 
FIGURES 

Number Page 

1 

2 

Mature spotted seatrout .................... 1 

Distribution of spotted seatrout along the 

south Florida coast ...................... 2 

Early life stages of spotted seatrout ............. 3 

The life cycle of the spotted seatrout in a 

hypothetical estuary ..................... 3 

Age corresponded to average standard lengths (mm) for spotted 

seatrout from Indian River, Ft. Myers, and Florida Bay .... 7 

Growth rates of male and female spotted seatrout from 

estuaries near Cedar Key and Ft. Myers, Florida ........ 7 

Annual commercial landings of spotted seatrout in Florida, 

1952-82.. .......................... 9 

Annual commercial landings of spotted seatrout from the 

waters of selected Florida counties, 1951-81 ......... 10 

The occurrence of four major types of food in the stomachs 

of spotted seatrout of different lengths ........... 11 
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 

Reviews of the manuscript were provided by Edward Rutherford, U.S. 

Department of the Interior, National Park Service, Homestead, Florida; Durbi n 

Tabb, Tropical Bio-Industries, Inc. , Miami, Florida; and Roy Wi 11 iams, Florida 

Department of Natural Resources, Marine Research Laboratory, St. Petersburg , Florida. 
Figure 1. Mature spotted seatrout 

SPOTTED SEATROUT 

NOMENCLATUREITAXONOMYIRANGE 

Scientific name.. . Cynoscion nebulosus 

(Cuvier) 

Preferred common name ... Spotted seatrout (Figure l) 

Other common names ... Speckled trout, 

spotted weakfish, spotted squeteague, 

winter trout, trucha de mar 

Class ...................... Osteichthyes 

Order ....................... Perciformes 

Family ...................... Aciaenidae 

Geographic range: U. S. coastal waters 

from Massachusetts to Texas (and into 

Mexico). The center of abundance is 

in the northern Gulf of Mexico and 

Florida (Pearson 1929). The 

distribution of the spotted seatrout 

in southern Florida is illustrated in 

Figure 2. 

MORPHOLOGY/IDENTIFICATION AIDS 

This spiny-rayed, fusifon-shaped 

fish is most immediately recognized by 

its irregular spotted color pattern on 

the two dorsal fins, caudal fin, and 

silvery upper body. Extension of the 

lateral line onto the tail is diagnostic 

of sciaenids. We1 1-developed canine 

teeth are present; the lower jaw 

projects. Maxi 11 a extends beyond rear 

margin of the eye. 

Key morphological characters are: D.X 

+ I, 24-26; A. 11, 10-11; scales 66 or 

more; gi 11 rakers 4 + 7-9 (Hoese and Moore 

1977). The inside of the mouth is orange. 

In contrast with other Florida 

species of Cynoscion, spotted seatrout 

have relatively short and thick gill 

rakers, and lack scales on the soft 

dorsal and anal fins. Comparative osteology is reported by Moshin (1973) ; protein taxonomy is described by Weinstein 

(1975) and Weinstein and Yerger (1976). 

Immature stages are shown in Figure 3. 

REASON FOR INCLUSION IN SERIES 

This species is a major sport and 

commercial fish. Many shellfish and 

finfish along the Florida coast are estuari ne-dependent 1 argely during the 

1 arval and juvenile stages, but most 

spotted seatrout spend their entire 

lives in estuaries (Figure 4). Maintenance of habitat quality in coastal 

and a1 ong non-barri er (1 ow energy) shorelines is essential to the production of 

spotted seatrout. This carnivorous fish 

is near t h e t o p of t h e e s t u a r i n e food web. 
PALM BEACH 

CHARLOTTE 

ORT MYERS 

VERGLADE 

MILES 

Coastal distribution 

Areas of high abundance KILOMETERS 

p, 

OKEECHOBEE 

FLORIDA 

Figure 2. Distribution of spotted seatrout along the south Florida coast. 
LIFE HISTORY 

Subpopul ations 

S~otted seatrout in Florida tend to 

spawn and live in particular estuaries, 

and to move only short distances. s long 

the Florida coast, geographic isolation 

is enhanced by separation of estuaries 

by 1 arge distances of uninterrupted 

coastline (Iversen and Tabb 1962; Tabb 

1966; Weinstein 1975). In a tagging 

studv of miaratorv at terns on the west 

coas't of ~lirida, "over 95% of the tagged 

spotted seatrout recovered were within 

30 miles from their point of release 

(Moffett 1961 ; Beaumari age 1969). Protein studies using gel electrophoresis 

have shown that a population of spotted 

seatrout in the Everglades National Park 

Figure 3. Early life stages of is distinct from other Florida popula- spotted seatrout (from Tabb 1966 as tions. There is a strong negative coradapted from Guest and Gunter 1958). relation between increase in geographic 

Courtesy of herican Fisheries Society. 

Figure 4. The life cycle of the spotted seatrout in a hypothetical estuary (used by permission of R. Lewis, Mangrove Systems, Inc., Tampa, 

Florida). 
separation and the morphological similarity of the populations (Weinstein 

1975). There also is evidence of differences between subpopulations based 

on growth rates (Iversen and Tabb 

1962), maximum length (Moffett 1961; 

Stewart 1961; Tabb 1961), length at 

maturity (Moody 1950; Stewart 1961; 

Tabb 1961; Klima and Tabb 1959), and 

length of spawning season (Moffett 

1961; Moody 1950; Stewart 1961; Jannke 

1971; Rutherford et al. 1982). 

Most south Florida spotted seatrout 

studies have concentrated near Cedar 

Key and Charlotte Harbor/Ft. Myers, on 

the west coast; Indian/Banana River 

lagoons along the east coast; and 

Everglades National Park/Fl orida Bay 

to the south. 

Spawni ng 

In south Florida, the spawning periods of spotted seatrout at different 

locations are as fol lows : 

1. Ft. Myers/Cedar Key--late March 

to September, peaking in JuneAugust (Moody 1950; Moffett 

1961). 

2. Indian River--mid April to late 

July, peaking in April-June (Tabb 

1961 ). 

3. Everglades National Park--year 

round, peaking in spring and 

again in late summer/fall 

(Stewart 1961; Jannke 1971; 

Rutherford et a1 . 1982). 

The time of spawning is controlled 

largely by temperature and salinity. 

In Everglades National Park, Stewart 

(1961) correlated spawning peak8 with 

waher temperatures between 28 and 

30C, and Jannke (1981) found that 

temperatures above 30 C reduced the 

intensity of spring spawning. In south 

Florida, the fish spawned when water 

temperatures were near 25 C buJ. ceased 

when temperatures reached 28 C (Tabb 

1958). Spawning usually peaked in the 

spring when salinities were high (30-35 

PP~) 

Information about preferred spawning 

habitat for spotted seatrout is based 

1 argely on the location and abundance of 

eggs or small larvae in sampling gears 

(Perret et a1 . 1980). Spawning has been 

reported in non-tidal portions of estuaries and lagoons (Pearson 1929; Miles 

1950; Tabb 1961), near tidal passes 

(Stewart 1961 ; Tabb et a1 . 1962; Roessler 

1967), and outside estuaries (Pearson 

1929; Jannke 1971; King 1971). Spotted 

seatrout usually spawn during the night 

in bays and 1 agoons, and in deeper 

channels and depressions adjacent to 

grassy flats (Tabb 1961 ). Tabb stated 

"During spawning there is a constant 

mi 11 ing of the spawning school, with 

1 ight, side to side body contact among 

the fish ." Spawning is accompanied by 

soft croaking by the males. 

Throughout its range, the spotted 

seatrout matures at 1 to 4 years of 

age (Miles 1950; Guest and Gunter 1958;, 

Klima and Tabb 1959; Lorio and Perret 

1980). In Florida, some investigators, 

have reported that females mature in 

the Everglades National Park and Indian 

River estuaries at 3-4 years of age, 

and males at 2-3 years (Tabb 1961;' 

Rutherford et al. 1982). Stewart 

(1961), however, reported no difference, 

in age of maturity between sexes for 

Everglades National Park populations. 

Females are typically larger at 

maturity than males (Moody 1950; 

Moffett 1961; Tabb 1961). Estimates 

of the shortest length at maturity 

vary among estuaries (Table 1). Data 

from Cedar Key reveal that the length 

of ripe females ranged from 210 to 250 

mm standard length (SL) and the ripe 

males ranged from 200 to 240 mm SL. 

According to Moody (1950), most 

spotted seatrout spawn when 240-250 mm 

long SL, usually in their second and 

third year of 1 ife (Moody 1950). A1 1 

lengths given in this report are 

standard lengths (SL) unless otherwise 

stated. 

Fecundity and Eqgs 

In general, fecundity increases with 

age and size. In Florida, one female 397 
Table 1. Average length (mm SL) at onset of maturity for four 

spotted seatrout populations in Florida. 

Sex 

Location Female Male Source 

Northwest Florida 2 10 180 Kl ima and Tabb 1959 

Cedar Key 210 200 Moody 1950 

Everglades Nat. Park 190 237 Stewart 1961 ; Rutherford 

et al. 1982 

Indian River 31 5 285 Tabb 1961 

mm long from Cedar Key contained 

464,000 eggs (Moody 1950), and 15,000 

to 1,100,000 eggs were reported by Tabb 

(1961) from 12 Indian River spotted 

seatrout, 325 to 625 mm long (ages 

IV-VIII). 

Sundarara j and Suttkus (1962) 

reported an increase in the average 

number of eggs with age: age I-140,485 

eggs; age 11-345,325 eggs; age 

111-660,960 eggs; and age IV-1,144,492 

eggs. Because of their abundance, age 

I1 I females have the greatest 

reproductive potential of all of the 

ages. They contribute 4% of all eggs 

spawned, followed by age IV females 

(27%), age I1 (24%), and age I (9%). 

In a study in Everglades National Park, 

age I11 and IV females contributed most 

of the eggs, whereas most male spawners 

were ages 11, 111, and IV (Rutherford 

et al. 1982). 

The fecund i ti es reported by Tabb 

(1961 ) and Sundararaj and Suttkus (1 962) 

were probably underestimates because 

only the large yolky eggs were counted 

(Overstreet 1983). However, all 

oocytes over 30 mm should be count.ed 

because seatrout spawn over several 

months, and vitel logenesis can proceed 

rapidly. 

Spotted seatrout eggs are spherical, 

generally with one oil droplet, but 

occasionally two or three ,(Tabb 1966; 

Fable et al. 1978). Eggs have been 

reported to be both demersal (Tabb 1966) 

and pelagic (Fable et al. 1978) depending 

upon salinity (Perret et al. 1980). At 

higher salinities (30 ppt) eggs are 

buoyant, but sink at 25 ppt. This phenomenon could be an effective mechanism for 

keeping eggs from being transported too 

far into the estuary where salinities may 

be too low for survival. Optimum sal inity for the survival of eggs and larvae 

is about 28 ppt (Taniguchi 1980). 

Larval and Juveni 1 e Stages 

Larvae hatched 18 hours after ferti 1 ization range from 1.3 to 1.6 rim under 

laboratory conditions (Fable et a1 . 1978). Field data on newly hatched 

spotted seatrout larvae are meager 

because of the difficulty of collectin 

such small individuals. Larvae (3-6 mm 

were coll ected in Everglades Nationa 

passes during flood tides (King 1971). 

3 

Park (Jannke 1971) and in Texas at tidal 

In the summer, when spotted seatrout 

are 10 to 15 mm long, they are more easily 

collected in shallow vegetation and 

grassbeds in bays and 1 agoons (Tabb 1966; 

Perret et al. 1980). In winter, juveniles and adults migrate to deeper, more 

temperature-stable waters. At 6-8 weeks 

of age (25-50 mm long), they often form 
schools of 5 to 50 individuals (Tabb 

1966). 

Adult Stage 

Although spotted seatrout may move in 

and out of an estuary, they are not 

considered migratory (Tabb 1966). 

Tagging studies have shown that 95% of 

recaptured seatrout moved less than 30 

miles from where they were originally 

tagged and released (Iversen and Tabb 

1962). Movements in general seem to be 

associated with spawning, feeding, 

protection from predators, changes in 

water temperatures, and avoidance of low 

salinities (Lorio and Perret 1980). In 

north Florida and in Georgia populations, winter offshore and spring 

inshore movements are more common and 

more pronounced than in southern populations (Pearson 1929; Tabb 1966; Mahood 

1974). 

The schooling behavior of spotted 

seatrout is strong until the fish are 

age VI and older. By age VII, most 

males disappear and the remaining large 

females adopt a semisol i tary existence 

(Tabb 1966). The life spans of females 

in different populations range from age 

VI to age X (Pearson 1929; Guest and 

Gunter 1958; Mahood 1974). The oldest 

males and females reported for the 

Florida west coast were ages VII-IX; 

for the east coast, ages VIII to IX; 

and for the Everglades National Park, 

ages VII to VIII, as reported by 

Moffett (1961), Stewart (1961), Tabb 

(1961), and Rutherford et al. (1982). 

The longest male at Cedar Key was 

372 mm and the longest female was 

590 mm (Moody 1950). For the Everglades National Park, the maximums were 

450 mm for males and 525 mm for females 

(Rutherford et al. 1982). The longest 

fish taken from Indian River was 

725 mm; the longest fish at Ft. Myers 

was 540 mm (Tabb 1961; Iverson and Tabb 

1962). 

In the Indian River, northwest 

Florida, Ft. Myers, and Everglades 

National Park, young males were more 

abundant than young females, but the 

females lived longer (Klima and Tabb 

1959; Moffett 1961; Tabb 1961; 

Rutherford et al. 1982). The percentage of females in the population from 

the Indian River was 19% for age I, 47% 

for age 11, 68% for age 111, 73% for 

age IVY 82% for age V, 85% for age VI, 

96% for age VII, and 100% for ages 

VIII-IX (Tabb 1961). In the Everglades 

National Park population, females made 

up 28% of age group I, 63% of age 

groups 11-V, and 78% of age group VI 

and older (Rutherford et al. 1982). 

GROWTH CHARACTER1 ST1 CS 

In Texas, larval spotted seatrout 

held under c o n t r o l l e d conditions at 

temperatures of 24O -260 C grew from 1.5 

mm at the time of hatching to 4.5 mrn in 

15 days (Fable et al. 1978). This growth 

was exceeded by spotted seatrout raised 

in the laboratory and fed wild copepods 

(Perret et a1 . 1980). 

The use of scale annuli and otoliths 

has been the best method to determine 

growth and age of spotted seatrout 

(Perret et al. 1980). The annulus 

usually forms in March when growth rates 

accelerate (Tabb 1961 ) . Lengthfrequency data are generally unrel iable 

for calculating growth rates and age 

structure of a population because of the 

protracted spawning season of spotted 

seatrout and the tendency for length 

ranges of the various age groups to overlap one another (Higgins and Pearson 

1927; Guest and Gunter 1958). Spotted 

seatrout tend to school according to 

size; therefore, extensive sampling of 

many schools may be required to 

accurately estimate the size distribution of the population (Tabb 1961). 

Age and length frequencies of spotted 

seatrout have been examined at Punta 

Gorda (Welsh and Breder 1924), Ft. Myers 

(Moffett 1961 ), Cedar Key (Moffett 

1961 ), Evergl ades National Park (Stewart 

1961; Rutherford et a1. 1982), and Indian 

River (Tabb 1961 ). Calculated standard 

lengths of f i s h o f each age group for Ft. 

Myers, Indian River, and Florida Bay are 
given in Figure 5. Fish from Indian River 

are larger and length differences 

between populations seem to i ncrease 

with distance between them. Whether 

these size differences among subpopulations are genetically control led or 

due to environmental factors such as 

habitat, temperature, or sal i ni ty has 

not been determined (Perret et al. 

1980). 

Based on scale analysis, annual 

growth rates were slightly greater for 

females than for males from Cedar Key and 

Ft. Myers (Figure 6; Moffett 1961). 

Growth rates ranged from 0.7-13 

INDIAN RIVER 

50 

FLORIDA BAY 

I 1 I I 

I 11 III IV v vll vil VIII I 

AGE 

Figure 5. Age corresponded to average 

standard lengths (mm) for spotted 

seatrout from Indian River, Ft. Myers, 

and Florida Bay (Moffett 1961; 

Stewart 1961; Tabb 1961). 

I I I I I 1 I I 

I 11 Ill IV v VI VII Vlll 

AGE 

Figure 6. Growth rates (cm/yr) of 

male and female spotted seatrout from 

estuaries near Cedar Key and Ft. 

Myers, Florida (Moffett 1961). 

cm/year. In the Everglades National 

Park, males grew faster during their 

first year of life, but females grew 

faster in the second year (Stewart 

1961). In another study (Rutherford et 

al. 1982), growth was greatest during 

the first year (21.2 cm), slower but 

relatively uniform for age groups 11-IV 

(4-5 cm/year), and slowest for older 

fish (2.2 cm/year). At Cedar Key, 

spotted seatrout were 13 cm long by the 

.first winter and 24 cm long by the 

second winter. Growth rates calculated 

from recovered tagged fish showed that 

growth for west coast spotted seatrout 

was only 0.3 cm/month (Beaumariage and 
Wittich 1966). Growth equations 

calculated by Rutherford et al. (1982) 

for fish in Everglades National Park 

are as follows: 

males L = 

591 k-exp (-0.12 (t + 2.95)) 1 

females Lt = 

656 p-exp (-0.13 (t + 2.04)) ] 

combined sexes L = 

774 [I-exp (-8.09 (t + 2.54)) 1 

where Lt = 

length in mm SL and t = age in 

years. 

The growth of spotted seatrout 

decreases or stops in the winter because 

of decreased metabol ism and reduced feeding (Guest and Gunter 1958; Tabb 1961 ). 

Growth rates are highest in July and 

August (Welsh and Breder 1924; Pearson 

1929). 

The fol lowing length-wei ght regression equations were reported for 

Everglades National Park (Rutherford et 

al. 1982) and Ft. Myers/Cedar Key areas 

(Mof fett 1961) : 

Everglades National Park Log W = 

-5.1917 + 2.7450 Log L 

Ft. MyersjCedar Key Log W = 

-5.3333 + 3.1131 Log L 

Where W = weight in decagrams and 

L = SL in mn. 

Reference to length-wei ght and length 

conversions for spotted seatrout was 

made by Darovec (1983). Condition factors for spotted seatrout in Florida have 

not been reported. 

SPORT/COMMERCIAL FISHERIES 

The spotted seatrout is a valuable 

sport and commercial fish in Florida's 

estuaries. Based on a survey of sport 

fishermen in Evergl ades National Park 

(1972-1977), spotted seatrout was the 

first or second choice as a preferred 

species in 4 out of 5 years (Davis 1980). 

In 1981, it ranked tenth in pounds 1 anded 

among saltwater fish taken commercially 

in Florida waters (National Marine 

Fisheries Service, unpublished data 

1981). The spotted seatrout commercial 

catch in 1981 was 2.7 million pounds 

worth $2.1 million dockside. Most of 

the commercial catch is sold fresh to 

local wholesalers, fish markets, and 

restaurants. 

The history of the economics and 

management of the Gulf of Mexico spotted 

seatrout fishery was sumnari zed by 

Perret et al. (1980), and the Indian 

River fishery and its history were 

summarized by Tabb (1 960). Most coastal 

waters of southern Florida support a 

spotted seatrout fishery. The 1 argest 

fishery is located on the southwest coast 

from Pinell as to Collier Counties, 

especially in Lee and Charlotte 

Counties. There are also important fisheries in Everglades National Park and on 

the east coast in Indian River, Brevard, 

and Volusia Counties (Tabb 1960). 

Spotted seatrout are scarce along the 

populated southeast corner of the State 

(Ft. Lauderdale-Miami), according to 

commerci a1 1 andi ngs in 1951-81 (Florida 

Department of Natural Resources, 

formerly the Florida Board of Conservation, 1951-76; National Marine 

Fisheries Service 1977-79; National 

Marine Fisheries Service, unpublished 

data, 1980-81). 

From 1952 to 1982, Florida commercial 

landings declined from 4.8 million 

pounds to 2.5 mil lion pounds (Figure 7). 

The commercial landings in 1951-81 for 

Lee and Charlotte Counties, for Collier, 

Monroe, and Dade Counties (Evergl ades 

National Park), and for Indian River, 

Brevard, and Volusia Counties are given 

in Figure 8. The landings over most of 

the west coast have been relatively uniform, whereas landings in recent years 

have declined along the east coast and 

Florida Bay. The decrease in landings 

on the east coast may be due to a 

decreased fishing intensity because the 

fishermen sought higher paying jobs 

(Tabb 1960). Deterioration of coastal 

waters due to urbanization, pollution, 
of the sport catch, because sport 

catches were about the same in areas 

where commercial fishing was either 

allowed or prohibited. 

I 

I i\ 

\I\ 

\I \ 

\I \ 

h Pounds 

I 

YEAR 

Figure 7. Annual commerci a1 1 andi ngs 

(in millions of pounds and U.S. 

do1 1 ars) of spotted seatrout in 

Florida, 1952-82 (reprinted by permission of F. Prochaska, University 

of Florida, Gainesvi 1 le). 

dredging, and other human activities has 

contributed to the decline in spotted 

seatrout abundance. This apparent downward trend is also evident in the Tampa 

Bay area (Hillsborough, Pinellas, and 

Manatee Counties ) where 1 andings 

declined from 846,000 1b in 1951 to 

215,000 1b in 1981. 

Yield and CatchIEffort 

Information about sport fishing catch 

and intensity in south Florida is scarce, 

except for Everglades National Park. In 

1972-77, the annual sport catch there 

was about 0.13 Ib/acre (55% of the 

combined sport and commercial catch), 

and the commercial catch was about 0.12 

1 b/acre (Davis 1980). The commercial 

fishery was not blamed for the decline 

The catch per man-hour of sportfishing in the Everglades National Park 

was highest (0.48 f ishlhr) in the spring 

and summer, and somewhat lower (0.45) in 

fall and winter (Perret et al. 1980). 

Between 1959 and 1979, spotted seatrout in the sport catch in Everglades 

National Park were first dominated by 

fish in age groups I11 and IV, and then 

by age groups IV and V (Davis 1980; 

Rutherford et al. 1982). Although the 

dominant age group in the fishery shifted 

from age IV in 1959 to age V in 1979 

(Stewart 1961; Rutherford et al. 19821, 

the difference may have reflected 

sampling bias. 

Lenaths of Fish in the Fisheries 

The minimum legal length for spotted 

seatrout taken by sport or commercial 

fishermen in 1982 was 12 inches. The 

1 ength of seatrout caught varies 

according to the method of capture and 

locality (Tabb 1960). The total length 

of fish caught by anglers and gill net 

fishermen near Ft. Myers ranged from 

10.6 to 23.2 inches and from 11.6 to 

26.0 inches, respectively. Near Cedar 

Key, the average lengths of fish caught 

by anglers and gill net fishermen 

ranged from 11.4 to 20.1 and from 12.2 

to 21.3 inches, respectively. The 

lengths of those caught in trammel nets 

ranged from 11.8 to 21.3 inches. 

The size of fish caught at Indian 

River was largely dependent on the 

method of capture and the skill of the 

fisherman (Tabb 1960). The standard 

lengths of fish taken by unskilled 

fishermen were 10.0 to 17.9 inches, 

whereas those caught by skilled sport 

fishermen were 19.5 to 27.4 inches 

long. The range of lengths for fish 

caught by commercial troll fishermen 

was 14.8 to 21.1 inches; for gill net 

fishermen, the range was 11.6 to 16.3 

inches. 
J 

i2 ' k 'i6 '$8 '60' 6216h16k '6b '7b 'i2 '7i '7k '78 'do I I I 

YEAR 

Figure 8. Annual commercial landings (1951-81) of spotted seatrout (mi 11 ions 

of pounds) from the coastal waters of Lee and Charlotte counties on the gulf 

coast of Florida; from Collier, Monroe, and Dade counties on the south coast; 

and from Indian River, Brevard, and Volusia counties on the east coast (Fla. 

Dep. Nat. Resour. for 1951-76; Natl. Mar. Fish. Serv. 1977-79 and unpubl. data 

1980-81). 

Population Dynamics Hol tls (1957) mortal ity equation and 

calculated that, over a 4-week period, 

natural mortality for fish near Ft. 

Mortality estimates have been Myers was 36% and fishing mortality 

calculated for spotted seatrout in the was about 9%. On the basis of the age 

Everglades National Park and from composition of sport catches, 

coastal waters near Ft. Myers. Iverson Rutherford (1982) calculated 42% total 

and Moffett (1962) used Beverton and annual mortality for fish near Ft. 
Myers and 77% for fish in the abundant large carnivore in some 

Everglades National Park. estuaries (Tabb 1966). 

In the Everglades National Park, the 

conditional natural mortality (which 

measures the components of mortality in 

a stock, assuming that fishing and 

natural mortal i ty are independent 

variables) was about 30% for both males 

and females. Conditional fishing 

mortal i ty, however, was greater for 

males (75%) than for females (64%) 

(Rutherford et a1 . 1982). Mortal i ty 

estimates in the Everglades National 

Park for 1959 and 1979 indicated that 

natural mortality stayed about the same 

(35-36%) during this period, but 

fishing mortality increased from 56% in 

1959 to 64% in 1979. From 1959 to 

1979, annual total mortal i ty increased 

from 72% to 77% (Rutherford et al. 

1982). 

Yield/recrui t models were prepared 

for the Everglades National Park sport 

fishery (Rutherford 1982). Yield/ 

recruit in 1979 for each sex was 

slightly lower than the maximum sustainable yield. Calculated yield/ 

recruit for female spotted seatrout (249 

g) was lower than the yield for males 

(265 g) and was obtained at a lower 

fishing mortal i ty rate. If Everglades 

National Park's management objective is 

to maximize yield, it could be reached 

at the current fishing level by 

increasing the mi nimum-size 1 imi t to 

15.5 inches total length (TL) 

(340 mm) for males and 18.0 inches TL 

(398 mm) for females (Rutherford 1982). 

According to a Petersen estimate on 

tagged fish recoveries, the spotted seatrout population of Ft. Myers (Pine 

Island) was calculated to be 973,000 2 

99,500 1b (Iversen and Moffett 1962). 

Numerous studies have been made on the 

food habits of spotted seatrout (Moody 

1950; Darnel1 1958; Stewart 1961; Tabb 

1961; Adams et al. 1973; Rutherford et 

a1 . 1982). Like many other fishes in the 

estuary, small spotted seatrout (20-50 

mm SL) are planktivorous and feed largely 

on copepods as shown in Figure 9. Newly 

hatched spotted seatrout in the laboratory grow faster on a copepod diet than 

on a rotifer diet (Taniguchi 1980). 

Probable competitors for food and space 

in the early planktivore stage of the 

'spotted seatrout are larvae of other 

sciaenids, pinfish, and hardhead 

.catfish; juveniles of menhaden, 

anchovies, and si lversides; and adult 

menhaden and anchovies (Darnel 1 

1958). In addition, invertebrate 

'larvae and adults of crustaceans, 

coelenterates, molluscs, ctenophores, 

and polychaetes may also compete with 

larva1 spotted seatrout for food. 

fish 

---copepods -.-.-peneidea ........ caridea 

length in cm 

ECOLOGICAL ROLE 

Figure 9. The percentage of occurrence 

A brief summary of the ecology of the of four major types of food in the 

spotted seatrout, and other sci aeni ds, stomachs of spotted seatrout of 

was reported by Darovec (1983). different 1 engths (Moody 1950; Darnel 1 

Spotted seatrout may be the only 1958; Adam et al. 1973). 
As the spotted seatrout increases in 

size it selects larger food items. When 

20-70 mm long, seatrout feed mostly on 

bottom-dwel 1 ing mysi ds (Moody 1950; 

Darnel1 1958). Cedar Key seatrout, 40 

to 100 mm long, feed largely on caridean 

shrimp; those 150 mm long and longer 

feed mainly on penaeid shrimp and fishes 

(Moody 1950). Spotted seatrout from 

Indian River largely consume shrimp in 

the summer and early winter (when shrimp 

are abundant in the estuary), but 

switch to fish in late winter and early 

spring (Tabb 1961). Major fishes eaten 

by spotted seatrout are anchovies, 

pinfish, silversides, mu1 let, croaker, 

menhaden, silver trout, snapper, 

gobies, sheepshead, grunts, toadfish, 

mojarras, and the occasional seatrout 

(Moody 1950; Darnel1 1958; Adams et al. 

1973; and Rutherford et al. 1982). 

Spotted seatrout commonly feed in midwater or near the surface (Stewart 1961 ). 

In Texas they are reported to have higher 

metabolic rates at night than in the day 

(Vetter 1977) ; however, anglers have 

reported that spotted seatrout feed 

readily during the day, usually in the 

early and mid-morning hours (Stewart 

1961). 

Interspecific competition is common 

at all stages of the life cycle, and the 

suscepti bi 1 ity of spotted seatrout to 

predation by other pisci vorous species 

is greatest among larvae and juveniles. 

Spotted seatrout is second only to sea 

catfish and mullet in the diet of ospreys 

in Florida Bay (Tabb, BioTropical 

Industries, 1983 personal communication). As adults, spotted seatrout 

compete with those species that also feed 

heavily on shrimp and fish such as sand 

trout (Cynoscion arenari us), r e d f i s h 

(Sciaenops ocel latumnder, saltwater catfishes, gar, snook, snapper, 

jacks, and tarpon (Me a10 s atlanticus). 

According to darn el*^ spotted seatrout, silver perch, and tarpon of similar lengths have similar food habits. 

The potential impact of the spotted 

seatrout as an estuarine predator might 

be surmised from studies of communitylevel interactions for a power plant 

cooling lake in upper Galveston Bay, 

Texas (Johnson 1982). For 1972-79, the 

abundance of various prey (white 

shrimp, brown shrimp, blue crabs, 

menhaden, croaker, anchovies, and 

si 1 versides) was inversely re1 ated to 

the abundance of predatory fishes (of 

which spotted and sand seatrout comprised over 90%). Salinity, but not 

temperature, apparently regulated the 

abundance of predatory fishes in this 

study. 

The various ecto- and endoparasi tes 

known to infect spotted seatrout were 

reported by Lorio and Perret (1980) and 

Overstreet (1983). Most were isopods, 

copepods , protozoans, flatworms , and 

tapeworms. None are serious threats to 

the spotted seatrout. 

ENVIRONMENTAL REQUIREMENTS 

Temperature 

Young spotted seatrout (18 to 130 mm 

SL) were collgcted ato water temperatures from 12 to 29 C at Cedar Key 

(Jannke 1971); in the Everglades 

National Park, young spotted seatrouh 

were ~ollected at temperatures from 16 

to 32 C (Reid 1954; Jannke 1971). In 

Florida, optimum temperapres f8r adult 

spotted seatrout were 15 to 27 C (Tabb 

1958). In south Florida, optimum terperatures for larvae were 23 to 33 C 

(Taniguchi 1980). These temperabures 

arg slightly higher than the 20 to 

30 C range reported by Arnold et al. 

(1978) in Texas. 

In the Everglades National Park 

large-scale spawning of spotted seatrout kegi ns when water tmperatu res 

near 24 C (Jannke 1971; Stewart 1961). 

In east-central Florida, seatrout spap 

when water temperatures are near 27 C 

(Tabb 1958). Spawning sharply decl in s 8 when water temperatures rise above 30 C 

(Tabb 1958; Jannke 1971). Fall 

spawning peaks in the Everglades 

National Park failed to material ize 

when ea~ly fa1 1 temperatures remained 

above 30 C (Jannke 1971). 
Winter fish kills of spotted seatrout reported by Gunter (1941) and 

Gunter and Hildebrand (1951) in Texas 

and the Gulf of Mexico, are unlikely in 

south Florida populations because 

excessively low winter water temperatures there are rare. At Sanibel Island, spotted seatrout is one of the 

coastal species least affected by 

unusual ly col d water (Storey 1937; 

Storey and Gudger 1936). Yet, in 

Everglades National Park in the winter 

of 1960, some spotted seatrout were 

numb or dead fol lowing a sudden temperatgre drop from 20'~ at high tide to 

18 C at low tide (Stewart 1961). Apparently the shallow depth (less than 3 

m) induced the sharp temperature drop. 

Sport fishing intensity for spotted 

seatrout in Everglades National Park is 

highest during cold winters when the 

fish congregate in deep holes and 

channels and are more available to the 

fishermen (Higman 1967). 

To escape low winter water temperatures, spotted seatrout in central 

Florida waters (Cedar Key and Indian 

River) move into the warm waters of 

rivers and deep streams, channels and 

depressions near grass flats, and 

occasionally offshore (Moody 1950; Tabb 

1966). Mortality was reported when air 

temperatures fell from about 200C to 

about 70C for 12 hours (Tabb 1958). Some 

estuaries can become death traps during 

cold waves because the fish become numb 

before they can escape to warmer offshore 

waters (Tabb 1966). More than one fish 

ki 11 per season is rare because the fish, 

once driven to deeper waters by fa1 1 ing 

temperature, tend to overwinter there 

(Tabb 1958). 

High water temperatures in the summer 

a1 so may regul ate spotted seatrout abundance in coastal waters. When waters are 

unusually warm, seatrout are likely to 

seek deeper, colder waters and 

concentrate there to the advantage of the 

sport f ishermen (Mahood 1974). Seatrout 

larvae grown in Texas ponds died when 

temperatures increased rapidly from 25' 

to 34OC in 3.5 hr (Colura et al. 1976). 

Mortality from coastal power plants is 

probably minimal because spotted seatrout can avoid thermal plumes. 

The growth of spotted seatrout is 

temperature-dependent. Growth is 

slowed in the winter because of reduced 

metabolism and feeding (Tabb 1961). 

Following a cold wave in Everglades 

National Park, the catch of spotted 

seatrout dropped to low levels for 10 

days, and most of the fish stomachs 

examined were empty (Stewart 1961). At 

Ft. Myers and Cedar Key, growth is 

greatest in the summer (Moffett 1961). 

Salinity 

In Florida, spotted seatrout have 

been caught in salinities ranging from 0 

to 37 ppt (Herald and Strickland 1949; 

Reid 1954; Springer and Woodburn 1960; 

Tabb et al. 1962; Tabb 1966; Jannke 

1971 ) . The abundance of spotted seatrout 

is greatest in salinities that range from 

15 to 35 ppt (Tabb 1966). 

Optimum salinity for spotted seatrout in Texas, based on maximum sustained swimming performance, was 20 ppt 

for fish 174 to 435 mn long (Wohlschlag 

and Wakeman 1978). The fish had difficu lty maintaining swimming speeds at 

salinities below 10 ppt and above 45 ppt. 

In one study, the optimum salinity for 

eggs and larvae was 28 ppt; in another, 

100% survival was reported in salinities 

from 19 to 38 ppt (Taniguchi 1980). 

Adults and juveniles have similar 

salinity preferences. Young spotted seatrout may not be as physiologically 

adapted as juveniles of other estuarine species to thrive in low-salinity 

(below 5 ppt) nursery grounds (Tabb 

1966). Catches of larval spotted seatrout in sampling gears in Everglades 

National Park were greatest when 

salinities were high, and smallest when 

salinities were low. 

Spotted seatrout are especially vulnerable to abrupt changes in salinities 

(e .g., a drop from 35 to 50 ppt to 10 to 

15 ppt in 3 to 5 days), during high 

freshwater inflow fo! lowing heavy rainfall (Tabb 1966). Apparently, a salinity 
of 5 ppt is the minimum tolerance level 

of 1 arvae and j uven i 1 es. 

In the Everglades, a significant positi ve correlation was calculated between 

the sport catch of adult spotted seatrout 

in a particular year and annual rainfall 

in the 3 previous years (Higman 1967). 

Oxygen 

The oxygen requirements of spotted 

seatrout partly depend upon water 

temperature and salinity. The optimum 

temperature and salinity for spotted seatrout at Port Aransas, Texas, is 28% 

and 20 ppt, respectively (Wohl schl ag 

and Wakeman 1978). Hourly oxygen consumpti on (standard metabol i sm-maximum 

rate of 0 consumption) at 280C ranged 

from 214 $0 574 mg 02/kg body weight 

at 20 ppt, and from 148 to 502 mg 

0 /kg body weight at 30 ppt. Spotted 

sgatrout larvae grown in aquaculture 

ponds in Texas died when dissolved 

oxygen dropped below 4 ppm (Colura et 

al. 1976). 

Turbidity 

Spotted seatrout live in a wide range 

of turbidities in estuaries in the 

northern Gulf of Mexico (Darnel1 1958). 

In Everglades National Park, excessively 

turbid waters following Hurricane Donna 

were reported to cause mortality in 

spotted seatrout when their gill 

chambers became packed with suspended 

solids (Tabb et al. 1962). 

Habitat 

Spotted seatrout in south Florida 

clearly prefer brackish shallow water 

habitats with extensive submerged vegetation, such as turtle grass (Thalassia 

testudinum) and shoal grass (Halodule 

wri htii) adjacent to deep waters 

Fh that can be used as refuges from the cold and during low tides in 

the winter (Moody 1950; Reid 1954; Tabb 

1958). In contrast, although such 

habitat in the northern Gulf of Mexico 

is scarce, this species is still common 

(Darnel 1 1958). 
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55 PP. 

Arnold, C.R., T.D. Williams, W.A. 

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Beaumariage, D. S. , and A. C. Wi ttich. 

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-- nebulosus. U.S. Natl. Mar. Fish. 

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1 : 1-40. 

Gunter, G. 1941. Death of fishes due to 

cold on the Texas coast, January 1940. 

Ecology 22: 203-208. 

Gunter, G., and H. H. Hildebrand. 1951. 

Destruction of fishes and other organisms on the south Texas coast by the 

cold wave of January 28-February 3, 

1951. Ecology 32:731-736. 

Herald, E. S., and R. R. Strickland. 

1949. An annotated list of fishes of 

Homasassa Springs, Florida. Q. J. 

Fla. Acad. Sci. 11:99-109. 

Higman, J.B. 1967. Relationships 

between catch rates of sport fish 

and environmental conditions in 

Everglades National Park, Florida. 

Proc. Gulf Caribb. Fish. Inst. 

1966: 129-140. 

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Louisiana, and adjacent waters. 

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Station. 327 pp. 

Iversen, E. S., and A. W. Moffett. 1962. 

Estimation of abundance and mortality 

of a spotted seatrout population. 

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tagging studies of spotted seatrout, 

Cynoscion nebulosus, in ~loridal 

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National Park, Florida, in relation 

to season and other variables. 

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Johnson, D. R. 1982. Effects of rainfall, 

recruitment, and the operation of the 

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dynamics of fish and macrocrustacean 

communities in the brackish water 

intake and discharge areas. Ph.D. 

dissertation, Texas A&M University, 

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contribution to the bioloav -" of the 

spotted weakfish, Cynoscion 

nebulosus (Cuvier), from northwest 

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fishery[ Fla. Board donserv. Mar. 

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Contrib. Ser. 26: 1-35. 

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the seatrout Cynoscion nebulosus and 

the redfish, Sciaenops ocellatus. 

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of spotted seatrout, C noscion 

nebulosus (Cuvier), in West +- F orida 

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history of the spotted trout, 

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of the At1 antic and Gulf coasts of the 

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155 ppl. 

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Cynoscion arenarius, in a south 

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University of Texas, Austin. 113 

PPWeinstein, M. P. 1975. Electrophoretic investigation of the Gulf 

of Mexico and Atlantic Ocean seatrouts of the genus Cynoscion with 

special reference to the population 

structure of the spotted seatrout, 

Cynosci on nebulosus. Ph. D. 

Dissertation. Florida State 

University Tallahassee. 80 pp. 

Weinstein, M. P., and R. W. Yerger. 1976. 

Protein taxonomy of the Gulf of Mexico 

and At1 antic ocean seatrouts, genus 

Cynoscion. U.S. Natl. Mar. Fish. 

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Welsh, W. W., and C. M. Breder, Jr. 1924. 

Contributions to the life histories 

of Sciaenidae of the eastern United 

States coast. Bull. U. S. Bur. Fish. 

39: 141-201. 

Uohlschlag, D. E., and J. M. Wakeman. 

1978. Salinity stresses, metabolic 

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Tex. 21:171-185. 
JOI11 -101 

1 REPORT DOCUMENTATION I 1. n"OL" *. 1 z. 1 L ~U~OI~W'S ~~cass~on NO. 1 

PAGE Biological Report R7( 11.43)* 1 1 

L tl(h and wmnla I k R*wa 0.1. I 

*U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Report No. TR EL-82-4 

16. AktncC (Umlt: 200 word.) 

Species Profiles: Life Histories and Environmental 

Requirements of Coastal Fishes and Invertebrates (South 

Florida) - - Se-t. 

1. Auihor(s1 

Darlene R. Johnson and William Seaman, Jr. 

i. h~own~ry Omanl~atlon ~anw and mrass 

Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit 

117 Newins-Ziegler Hal 1 

University of Florida 

Gainesvil le, FL 32611 

It Sponloriy Omanhatlon Nama and Addms 

National Wetlands Research Center U.S. Army Corps of Engineers 

Fish and Wildlife Service Waterways Experiment Station 

U.S. Department of the Interior P.O. Box 631 

Washington, DC 20240 Vicksburg, MS 39180 

Species profiles are literature summaries of the taxonomy, morphology, range, 1 ife history, 

and environmental requirements of coastal aquatic organisms. They are prepared to assist 

in environmental impact assessment. The spotted seatrout (Cynoscion nebulosus) is an 

estuarine-dependent species of sport and commercial importance. Populations do not exhibit 

great movement and tend to be isolated from each other in coastal bays of south Florida. 

August 1986 

6. 

hdonninc Omanl~ation am. ~o. 

10. rmiectnankmorcl Unit NO. 

11. bntract(0 or Crant(~~ NO. 

(CI 

(0 

- 

IS. Ty# ol Rema L Parid hnd 

14. 

Depending on temperature and salinity, spotted seatrout may spawn in the spring, summer, or 

fa1 1. They mature when 200 to 250 mm long (SL) , during their second and third sumrners of 

life. Fecundity may exceed 1,000,000 eggs. The buoyant eggs sink when salinity falls to 

25 ppt. In the summer young seatrout inhabit shallow, vegetated bays. Older individuals 

move to deeper waters in winter. Strong school ing behavior is exhibited. Longevity is 

about 9 years. 

From 1953 to 1982 commercial landings fell from 3.6 mil lion to 2.5 mil lion pounds annually. 

The best data on sport harvest and population dynamics are for the populations in extreme 

south Florida. 

Estuaries 

Fi shes 

Feeding 

Growth 

b. ld*ntlRen/0Orn.End*d T*rms 

Spotted seatrout Life history Temperature requirements 

Cynoscion nebul osus Spawni ng Salinity requirements 

I 1 ~nclassified I 

(Saa ANS1-7.39.lm OFTlONAL FORM 272 (4-77) 

(Forrnorlv NTlS351 

c. COSATl FialdlCmup 

1% Avallablllty Statamant 19. Securtty CIasn (Th~s RrgorO 21. NO. of Paars 

Unl imi ted 

20. Security 

Unclassified 

Class (This pn Pam*) 22. Pric* 
REGION 1 

Regional Director 

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 

Lloyd Five Hundred Building, Suite 1692 

500 N.E. Multnornah Street 

Portland, Oregon 97232 

REGION 4 

Regional Director 

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 

Richard B. Russell Building 

75 Spring Street, S.W. 

Atlanta, Georgia 30303 

REGION 2 REGION 3 

Regional Director Regional Director 

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 

P.O. Box 1306 Federal Building, Fort Snelling 

Albuquerque, New Mexico 87 103 Twin Cities, Minnesota 55 1 1 1 

REGION 5 REGION 6 

Regional Director Regional Director 

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 

One Gateway Center P.O. Box 25486 

Newton Corner, Massachusetts 02158 Denver Federal Center 

Denver, Colorado 80225 

REGION 7 

Regional Director 

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 

101 1 E. Tudor Road 

Anchorage, Alaska 99503 
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

U.S. FISH AID WILDLIFE SERVICE 

As the Nation's principal conservation agency, the Department of the Interior has responsibility for most of our,nationally owned public lands and natural resources. This includes 

fostering the wisest use of our land and water resources, protecting our fish and wildlife, 

preserving theenvironmental and cultural values of our national parks and historical places, 

and providing for the enjoyment of life through outdoor recreation. The Department assesses our energy and mineral resources and works to assure that their development is in 

the best interests of all our people. The Department also has a major responsibility for 

American Indian reservation communities and for people who live in island territories under 

U.S. administration.