The biology of the night smelt, [Spirinchus starksi (Fisk 1913)], off northern California
Slama DJ. 1994. The biology of the night smelt, [Spirinchus starksi (Fisk 1913)], off northern California. Humboldt State University
A Master of Science thesis from Humboldt State University, California. From the Abstract: "The general biology of the night smelt, Spirinchus starksi, was studied from April 1992 through September 1993 at Freshwater Beach, [Redwood National and State Parks], in northern Humboldt County, California. Forty-five sampling trips over two spawning seasons, March to September, yielded a total of 9,310 fish. Most smelt were caught during receding high tides, at night, in slow moving surf, over a gravel substrate. Males outnumbered females 22:1 and attained greater average standard lengths and weights. Females produced two size classes of eggs. Although this suggests a protracted spawning season, the ratio of the mean number of mature eggs, per female, to the mean number of immature eggs, per female, did not change over the spawning season. Scale analysis indicated that night smelt spawn at two years of age and then probably die before age three. Their diet consists mainly of gammarid amphipods, mysid shrimp and onuphid worms." Appendices contain graphical data.
- Type
- Academic
- Authors
- Slama, David
- Date of Issue
- 1994-08
- Publisher
- Humboldt State University
- Units
- REDW
- Keywords
- Age, Biology, Fish Studies, Freshwater Beach, length, Marine Fish, night smelt, Sex Ratio, Spawning Habitat, Spirinchus starksi, Thesis, Weight