Habitat use of the inner continental shelf off southern New Jersey by summer-spawned bluefish (Pomatomus saltatrix)

The goal of this study was to provide insight into habitat use of the inner continental shelf off southern New Jersey by summer-spawned bluefish (Pomatomus saltatrix). Throughout the August-October 1998 sampling period, a total of 1071 bluefish were collected from shelf surface waters, during which the mean density and body size was 3.7 bluefish/1000 m³ and 13.7 mm standard length (SL), respectively. Spatiotemporal variability in bluefish density was explained by an inverse relationship with Secchi depth, and body size was explained by water temperature and depth. Bluefish size-structure in August was bimodal and comprised larval, transitional, and juvenile stages (3-48 mm SL). Size frequencies in subsequent months were unimodal and consisted of bluefish <25 mm SL. Synoptic sampling of multiple habitats indicated that the earliest life stages of bluefish extensively, and perhaps exclusively, use inner continental shelf surface waters. Summer-spawned bluefish numerically dominated the population across all habitats and temporal scales examined.