RED DRUM, SCIAENOPS OCELLATUS, TAGGING IN NORTH CAROLINA WATERS
by Jeffrey L. Ross Tonya M. Stevens Sean A. McKenna and Beth L. Burns
August 1987
North Carolina Department of Natural Resources and Community Development Division of Marine Fisheries P.O. Box 769 Morehead City, NC 28557
This project was conducted under the Federal Aid in Sport Fish Restoration Act (Dingell-Johnson Act) through the Wallop-Breaux Amendment, and funded, in part, by the U.S. Department of the Interior, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service under Project No. F-29-1. RED DRUM TAGGING PROJECT IN NORTH CAROLINA WATERS
Tagging of red drum, Sciaenops ocellatus, in North Carolina in 1986 proceeded along two avenues which will be described in separate sections of this report due to a) the different tags used; b) the different gears employed; c) the different personnel employed; and d) the different locations fished. The first section describes an intensive tagging program for yearling drum in the Pamlico River conducted for the first time in 1986 by DMF personnel in cooperation with local commercial fishermen. The second section presents results of tagging by sport fishermen cooperating with the Division of Marine Fisheries (DMF). This is the third year (and third annual report) of this cooperative program (Ross and Burns 1986). Most of this tagging activity takes place along the North Carolina coastal shorelines and on a broad size range of fish. Both of these tagging projects are continuing in 1987.
SECTION 1 COOPERATIVE RECREATIONAL FISHERMEN TAGGING PROGRAM
INTRODUCTION
A preliminary investigation into the feasibility of tagging red drum, Sciaenops ocellatus, was begun in the fall of 1983 and tagging has continued through the 1986 fishing season (Ross and Burns, 1986). The objectives of this project are: 1) to determine various aspects of the life history and population dynamics of red drum, particularly seasonal movements and annual migrations of various size classes of red drum; 2) to determine age and growth rates of red drum in North Carolina waters; and 3) to determine mortality rates and describe the gear and user groups involved in the fishing effort on various size classes of red drum in coastal North Carolina.
METHODOLOGY
In 1986, 17 sportfishermen, 3 fishing guides, and the Raleigh Sportfishing Club participated in the voluntary tagging program (Table 1); the only fishing gear used was hook and line. All participants were provided with tags, -2-
Table 1. List of volunteers participating in red drum tagging during 1986.
Gary Austin Graham Farmer 1825 Lightwood Lane P.O. Box 409 Norfolk, VA 23518 Wrightsville Beach, NC 28480 Jim Bahen N.C. Sea Grant Doug and Joan Hinson Fort Fisher, NC Baum Bay Harbor Kill Devil Hills, NC 27948 Charley and Peggy Bernard Bernie McCants 14775 Shelter Lane Raleigh Sport fishing Club Haymarket, VA 22069 2504 Grant Avenue Raleigh, NC 27608 Pat and Arch Bracher 3804 Prince Andrew Lane Keith Nifong Virginia Beach, VA 23452 Rt. 12, Box 8 Winston-Salem, NC 27107 Pete Bregant Norman Miller Fishing Guide Drum Guide-Lakeside Tackle Shop 9310 Chelsea Avenue P.O. Box 264 Norfolk, VA 23503 Ocracoke, NC 27960
David Deuel John Nicholson NMFS R-D Designer Washington, D. C. ICI Americas Inc. P.O. Box 411 Hopewell, VA 23860 Mi chae 1 Di 11 on Route 12, Box 38 Winston-Salem, NC 27107 Frank Schwartz Raleigh Sport Fishing Club Ben Doer Raleigh, NC 27608 Diamond Shoals Surf Guide Service P.O. Box 329 Avon, NC 27915 Gil Wilson 3334 Shallowford Track Midlothian, VA 23113 Bob Eakes Red Drum Tackle Shop Buxton, NC -3- applicators and data notebooks. Upon capturing a red drum, the fork length (mm or inches), date, and location were recorded as well as additional data, including time of day, wind, cloud cover, and tide. During 1986, Floy Stainless Steel Dart Tags (FH-69) were in use by all taggers, except for one who, due to the predominance of small puppy drum in his area, used both FT-1 and FH-69 tags. Two dollar rewards were paid for returned tags, at which time requests were made as to date, size, and location of fish when recaptured.
RESULTS:
During 1986, 263 drum were tagged (Table 2); the greatest percentage were released in October {n=136). Fish were caught in the following areas: 7 on Nags Head beaches; 115 between Oregon Inlet and Buxton; 15 on "the Point'' at Buxton; 13 in Hatteras Inlet area; 78 in and around Ocracoke Inlet; 16 between Topsail and Masonboro Inlets; 9 in Roanoke Sound; and 10 on Virginia's eastern shore. DMF personnel tagged 10 fish, 3 professional fishing guides tagged 57 fish, and 12 recreational fishermen tagged 196 fish (Table 3).
Overall size composition of red drum captured and released
The following data and Figure 1 summarize the size distribution of red drum captured and tagged by sport fishermen 1984 through 1986: Size Class (FL, inches) <18" 18'' - 40'' >40" Year Number Percent Number Percent Number Percent 1984 15 4.9 191 62.8 98 32.2 1985 36 11.9 127 42.1 139 46.0 1986 39 15.1 125 48.3 95 36.7
In 1986 there was a greater percentage of small and medium fish captured and a decreased percentage of fish greater than 40 inches. Table 2. Monthly location ·and frequency of red drum tagged from 1983-1986.
Year Jan Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Total Pamlico Sound 1983 2 21 23 (Roanoke Island & 1986 9 9 9 Pamlico R1ve4
Corolla to 1983 5 5 Oregon Inlet
Oregon Inlet to 1983 1 9 10 Buxton 1984 58 31 89 1985 2 10 9 85 106 1986
16 82 14 114
The Point 1983 5 29 10 1 45 (including the hook) 1984 1 17 27 6 51 1985 5 5 2 2 14 1986 1 10 2 2 15
Hatteras Inlet 1983 1984 1 1 2 1985 7 1 8 1986 3 1 9 13
Ocracoke Inlet 1983 9 9 {North end Portsmouth 1984 69 4 9 66 7 155 & south end Ocracoke) 1985 1 1 44 9 48 22 125 1986 4 19 43 12 78
Topsail Inlet to 1984 2 5 7 Cape Fear 1985 6 5 4 34 49 1986 14 2 16
Virginia, Barries Islands 1986 3 7 10 Nags Head - Beaches 1986 7 7
TOTALS 1983 7 65 19 1 92 1984 71 4 26 154 49 304 1985 1 1 58 9 5 6 10 66 113 34 302 1986 3 14 24 9 34 144 35 263 I -"" I Table 3. Monthly frequency of red drum tagged by cooperating fishermen from 1983-1985.
Year Jan Mar AQr Ma~ Jun Jul Aug see Oct Nov Dec Total Norman Mi 11 er 1984 50 4 9 28 7 98 1985 1 36 9 48 22 116 1986 3 18 21 42 Pat Bracher 1983 17 17 1984 14 16 62 10 102 1985 3 1 8 76 88 1986 1 35 4 40 Jeff Ross 1983 7 65 72 1984 10 5 15 1985 2 2 4 1986 10 10 Doug & Jane HinsOn 1983 1 1 1984 40 3 43 1985 2 9 11 1986 9 16 73 22 120 Graham Farmer 1984 2 5 7 1985 6 5 4 34 49 1986 15 2 17 Charley & Peggy Bernard 1984 1 1 2 8 12 1985 1 8 5 1 3 18 1986 5 1 6 Ben Doer 1983 2 2 1984 8 ll 19 1985 1 1 1986 1 1 Bob Eakes 1985 7 7 Berni·e McCants and 1984 6 1 7 Raleigh Sportfishing Club 1986 3 3 David Deuel 1984 1 1 (World record drum catcher) 1985 3 3 Gil Wi 1son 1985 2 2 1986 1 2 2 5 Pete Ni cho 1son 1985 2 2 Gary Austin 1985 1 1 Dillon Nifong 1986 2 3 5 Pete Bregant 1986 3 7 4 14 I Bob Caher 1986 0 "'I TOTALS 1983 7 65 19 1 92 1984 71 4 26 154 49 304 1985 1 1 58 9 5 6 10 65 113 34 302 1986 3 14 24 9 34 144 35 263 -6-
Size frequency and geographic distribution of captured red drum
The number of fish captured and released from Oregon Inlet to Buxton increased (n=113) in 19B5, and for the first time exceeded releases in the Ocracoke Inlet area. The following data (and Figure 1) compare the size distribution of red drum captured and tagged between Oregon Inlet and the lighthouse at Buxton: Size Class (FL, inches) <18" 18" - 40" >40" Year Number Percent Number Percent Number Percent
1984 0 8 9.0 81 91.0 1985 19 17.8 88 82.2 1986 23 20.4 46 40.7 44 38.9
The number of small fish released around Oregon Inlet increased due to the efforts of a single fisherman. There were comparatively fewer fish >40 inches released than during the previous two years. The number of fish tagged on the Point (n=13) was similar to the number tagged in 1985 and less than in 1983 and 1984. The size distribution compared with previous years was: Size Class (FL, inches) <18" 18" - 40" >40" Year Number Percent Number Percent Number Percent 1983 37 82.3 6 13.2 2 4.4 1984 2 3.9 47 92.2 2 3.9 1985 1 7.1 11 78.6 2 14.3 1986 1 7.7 2 15.4 10 76.9
Ocracoke was again one of the leading areas for capture and release of red drum, due to the efforts of a single drum guide and a few beach fishermen. The size distribution of fish caught in 1986 is presented in Figure 1. The following data compare catches in the area over the last three years: Size Class (FL, inches) <18" 18" - 40" >40" Year Number Percent Number Percent Number Percent 1984 13 8.4 129 83.2 13 8.4 1985 79 63.2 46 36.8 1986 5 6.4 45 57.7 28 35.9 -7-
10 OREGON INLET- BUXTON N=113
THE POINT 51 N=13 0 0 0 Qn 0 0 HATTERAS INLET N=13
'1 DC!D I I I I I ! I I m 0
10 OCRACOKE INLET > N =78 (,) z 5 ·"'::) 0 w ..."' MASONBORO IN LET
51'-----~~-U~~nL~~~~-N-=-16------. On odU no NAGS HEAD 5i N=7 l.______~no~~nu0hn~~------ROANOKE SOOND s1r6 N: 9
5 1.._ __ N= 10 _,-----r----,----E-ATS_T_E_R_N-rSH_O_R_E_-,_M_A_R_Y_LrA-N-D--,---~~~~~~~m o o I I I I I I I I dJI I 400 500 600 700 800 900 1000 1100 1200 1300 FORK LENGTH {mml
12 16 20 24 28 32 36 40 44 48 52 56 FORK LENGTH {Inches!
Figure 1. Length-frequency distributions of red drum, Sciaenoros ocella~us, tagged and released in 1986. -8-
The percentage of large fish captured in 1986 (>40 inches) was similar to the percentage captured in 1985, although fish 20-40 inches still dominated catches both years. The number of fish tagged between Topsail and Masonboro Inlet declined from 49 in 1985 to 16 in 1986. The size-frequency distribution of tagged fish is depicted in Figure 1. The following data summarize catches in that region over the last three years: Size Class (FL, inches) <18" 18'' - 40'' >40'' Year Number Percent Number Percent Number Percent
1984 6 85.7 1 14.3 1985 35 71.4 14 28.6 1986 3 18.8 13 81.2
The trend seems to be towards more large fish (18-30 in) being captured during the last two years.
Environmental conditions and the capture of red drum
Table 4 presents some information on the conditions under which the red drum were captured. Northeast winds produced the most red drum, with E-SE and S-SW winds also productive. Surprisingly, more red drum were captured during the daytime than any other period of the day. Late incoming to early outgoing tides were generally the most productive tidal periods.
Movements of recaptured red drum
During 1986 and through May 1987, nine red drum tagged in 1986 and three fish tagged in 1985 were recaptured (Table 5). They were recaptured in many different areas, but all of those recaptured were tagged at one of four locations (Figure 2): 2 fish tagged on Rodanthe Pier were at liberty for the longest periods to date, one for 359 days, and the other for 155 days; 4 fish tagged at Masonboro Inlet were all recaptured at or south of Masonboro Inlet; 2 fish tagged at Ocracoke Inlet were both caught at Ocracoke within 15 days; and Table 4. Frequency of red drum captured on piers, in the surf and from boats with regard to wind, light conditions and tidal state, in 1986, partitioned by size groups.
Size Wind Time of da~ Cover Tides FL(in) In- Out- N/NE E/SE S/SW W/NW Calm Dawn Da~ Dusk Night Clear Cloud~ Low coming High going Piers >30 19 2 15 3 2 35 3 5 13 8 8 6 15
Beaches 12-30 49 25 4 9 10 67 2 16 60 1 16 59 6 17 >30 28 14 5 3 12 3 17 11 18 24 13 12 21 10 20
Boats 12-30 1 1 1 1 >30 28 3 8 2 41 19 19 11 30
South of 12-30 16 2 11 1 New River
I <0 I Table 5. Summary of recaptured red drum tagged by recreational fishermen in 1986 (including 3 fish recaptured from 1985 tagging).
Recapture Number Dista-nce- Cap- Map Tagging Length Tagged Release Recapture length Recaptured Recapture days traveled ture no. location (mm) by date location (mm) by date out (miles) gear
1 Rodanthe Pier 1321 Pat Bracher 11-10-85 Long Shoal R.- Kenny Todd 4-15-86 155 32 H & L Pains Point
2 Masonboro Inlet 584 Graham Farmer 12-08-85 Carolina Beach Inlet Timothy Rivenbark 7-02-86 206 7 H & L 3 Oregon Inlet 432 Doug Hinson 10-07-86 Haul over Pt., 406 Dane McPhearson 10-25-86 18 20 Gi 11 Albemarle Sound net
4 Masonboro Inlet 635 Graham Farmer 9-29-86 Fort Fischer, 673 Kenneth Barham 11-17-86 43 18 H & L New Inlet
5 Masonboro Inlet 610 Graham Farmer 9-29-86 Masonboro Inlet 787 Lyman Kinlaw 10-04-86 5 0 H & L 6 Rodanthe Pier 1162 Pat Bracher 11-05-85 Ramp #38 1194 Rusty Dunnavant 11-12-86 359 19 H & L (between Avon & Buxton)
7 So.uth end 559 Joan Hinson 10-24-86 Otracoke Inlet 559 Butch Bryan 11-08-86 15 D Ocracoke Inlet 8 South end 489 Doug Hinson 10-24-86 Ocracoke Inlet 489 unknown 11-07-86 14 0 H & L Ocracoke Inlet
9 Oregon Inlet 430 Doug Hinson 10-25-86 Ocracoke Inlet 430 Betty Taylor 11-06-86 12 53 H & L 10 Oregon Inlet 419 Doug Hinson 10-18-86 Mashoes Pt. - Robert Gowi tzka 10-20-86 2 20 Pound west side net
11 Oregon Inlet 486 Joan Hi'nson 10-12-86 Oregon Inlet 486 Andy Anthony 10-12-86 0 0 H & L 12 Masonboro Inlet 610 Graham Farmer 10-01-86 Carolina Beach - Timothy W. James 05-21-87 233 7
,_.I 0 I -, ---.._ '-. /J ---.._ -"-._ --, ~ ~~ ......
......
Tagged Recaptured 1. Rodanthe Pier, 10 Nov 85 Long Shoal River, 15 Apr 86 2. Masonboro Inlet, 8 Dec 85 Carolina Beach Inlet, 2 July 86 3. Oregon Inlet, 7 Oct 86 Haulover Pt., Albemarle S., 25 Oct 86 4. Masonboro Inlet, 29 Sep 86 Fort Fischer, New Inlet, 17 Nov 86 5. Masonboro Inlet, 29 Sep 86 Masonboro Inlet, 4 Oct 86 6. Rodanthe Pier, 5 Nov 85 Ramp #38, 12 Nov 86 7. S. end, Ocracoke Inlet, 24 Oct 86 Ocracoke Inlet, 8 Nov 86 8. S. end, Ocracoke Inlet, 25 Oct 86 Ocracoke Inlet, 7 Nov 86 9. Oregon Inlet, 25 Oct 86 Ocracoke Inlet, 6 Nov 86 10. Oregon Inlet, 18 Oct 86 Mashoes Pt., 20 Oct 86 11. Oregon Inlet, 12 Oct 86 Oregon Inlet, 12 Oct 86 12. Masonboro-lnlet, 1 Oct 86 Carolina Beach, 21 May 87 ? ~\1.\. '(;P \ ' I \ I \ Figure 2. Locations of recaptured red drum, 1986-87, tagged by volunteer fishermen (1985-86). Arrows depict .....I assumed movements; dashed line connects tagging site to recapture site in instance in which path ..... of the fish could not be assumed. I -12- 4 fish tagged at Oregon Inlet, including the one that moved the greatest distance (53 miles to Ocracoke Inlet). Of the 265 red drum tagged in 1986, 9 (3.4%) were recaptured in 0-233 days. These fish were 432 to 635 mm FL (17-25 inches) when released. They traveled from 0 to 53 miles before recapture, averaging 13.1 miles traveled (Table 5). Of the 12 recaptured fish in 1986, 8 were taken with rod and reel, 1 was caught in a gill net, 1 was found in a pound net, and 2 tags were returned with no record of gear used. The three fish recaptured in 1986 (Table 5) that were released in 1985 brings that season's total to 13 fish recaptured (4.3%) from 301 released. These three fish included: a) a fish tagged on Rodanthe pier in November and recaptured 359 days later at Ramp 38 (below Avon) that grew 1-1/4 inch; b) a fish tagged in Masonboro Inlet in December recaptured 206 days later (July) in Carolina Beach Inlet; and c) a fish tagged in November on Rodanthe pier and recaptured 155 days later (April) in Long Shoal River, Pamlico Sound. These latter two recaptures came back with no length measurements. The comparative recapture rates by size group of fish tagged in 1986 were similar to rates of earlier years. The smallest size class (<18 inches) had the highest recapture rate and the largest size class (>40 inches) sustained the lowest rate. Percent fish recaptured <18 inches 18-40 inches >40 inches 1983 21.9 12.5 0.0 1984 26.7 2.1 1.0 1985 11.1 5.5 1.4 1986 7.7 4.8 0.0 The decline in the rate recapture of small fish is unexplainable at this time, but the inclusion of anchor tags in the future may remedy this problem. Several interesting observations can be made about this year's results: a) Four fish (2 each tagged by Pat Bracher and Graham Farmer) exceeded our previous record for days at liberty before recapture (359 days--Rodanthe Pier to Avon Beach; 233 and 206 days Masonboro Inlet to Carolina Beach Inlet; 155 days Rodanthe Pier to Long Shoal River). Interestingly, all of these fish were captured relatively close to the place of original capture. -13- b) A fish tagged in November on Rodanthe Pier was recaptured the following April in Long Shoal River. c) All fish tagged around Masonboro Inlet were recaptured at or south of that area. No fish tagged by Graham Farmer from Topsail Beach to Ft. Fisher area have been recaptured north of Topsail Beach. This is significant because 13 of the 72 fish tagged in this area (18.1%) since 1984 have been recaptured. Correspondingly, all fish tagged north of Bogue Inlet have been recaptured north of Bogue Inlet. d) Two small drum tagged by Doug Hinson around Oregon Inlet in October were recaptured the same month around the mouth of Albemarle Sound, thus moving inshore and north during the fall. We have seen this inshore movement of puppy drum in the fall from earlier tagging, but not with a northward movement as well. SECTION 2 TAGGING OF RED DRUM IN PAMLICO RIVER, AUGUST-OCTOBER 1986 INTRODUCTION In July 1986 pound net fishermen in the Pamlico River, North Carolina reported large numbers of small red drum in their nets. DMF personnel initiated a weekly tagging project with the assistance of two commercial fishermen who voluntarily allowed fish to be tagged and released from their pound nets. The objectives of this study were to determine the movement and migration patterns of red drum from the Pamlico River, which is apparently an important nursery ground for young-of-the year. Other aspects to be considered were comparative exploitation rates by recreational and commercial gears and growth rates. METHODOLOGY Red drum were caught in commercial pound nets set along the shoreline of the Pamlico River, near Bath, North Carolina during August through October 1986 (Figure 3). These nets were utilized due to previous cooperative work by the fishermen with North Carolina Division of Marine Fisheries (DMF) biologists and the abundance of small red drum in their nets throughout the summer. -14- PUNGO RIVER • • DMF POUND NETS 0 RELEASE SITE CAPE LOOKOUT Figure 3. Red drum capture sites (DMF pound nets) and tagging/release site, Pamlico River, North Carolina, August-October, 1986. -15- All apparently healthy red drum captured were tagged with uniquely numbered Flay cinch-up tags or Flay internal anchor tags and released. Both tags included legends stating ''REWARD'' and provided the mailing address for the North Carolina Division of Marine Fisheries. A total of 1,459 tags was placed in red drum by DMF personnel from August 6 through October 30, 1986 on a weekly basis. The fishermen allowed the red drum, in many cases, to remain in the nets until the following week, even when fishing for other species. Fish were transported to mid-river, approximately 1-2 miles downstream from the pound nets where they were tagged and released. All fish were measured for fork length (FL). In this report, the commercial pound nets from which red drum were tagged are referred to as DMF pound nets. The Pamlico River basin includes bays and tributaries west of a line from Willow Point to Pamlico Point. RESULTS: Between August 6, 1986 and October 30, 1986, 1,459 tags were placed in puppy drum from Pamlico River DMF pound nets that ranged in fork length from 223 to 880 mm . The number of individuals marked at each weekly tagging session ranged from 39 to 287 (Table 6). A total of 585 {40.1%) of these fish was recaptured in North Carolina coastal and inland waters, including 119 fish that were re-released by DMF (Table 7). Distribution and movements of recaptured red drum Distribution and movements of red drum will be discussed two ways: first, by date on which the fish was recaptured (Figures 4-9); and second, by the date on which the fish were tagged (Figures 10-12). Distribution by month recaptured August: A total of 324 fish was tagged during August, and by the end of the month 63 (19.4%) had been recaptured. Forty-eight {76.2%) of the recaptured fish were taken in DMF pound nets and 15 fish {23.8%) were caught by miscellaneous gear (Table 7). None of these were recaptured outside the -16- Table 6. Tagging dates, number of individuals tagged with cinch-up and internal anchor tags and size range of red drum, Sciaenops ocellatus, in the Pamlico River from August 6 to October 30, 1986. Ta9 t~pe Date Number tagged Cinch-up Internal anchor (mm, FL) August 6 100 100 243-368 15 99 99 223-880 26 125 125 265-396 September 3 78 78 275-390 10 118 118 285-434 18 128 128 306-426 25 45 45 311-424 October 2 109 109 316-453 9 159 159 328-477 16 172 172 322-525 23 287 67 220 335-478 30 39 39 344-447 -17- Table 7. Monthly number and percent of red drum, Sciaenops ocellatus, recaptured by various fishing gears. NUMBER[(PERCENT) RECAPTURED Total Other number DMF Other Hook commer- recap- pound pound Gi 11 and Crab cia 1 Recapture month tured nets nets net line pots gear August 1986 63 48 1 6 7 1 (76.2) ( 1. 6) (9.5) (11.1) ( 1. 6) September 178 113 1 33 29 2 (63.5) (0.6) (18. 5) (16.3) ( 1.1) October 252 92 2 121 35 1 1 (36.5) (0.8) ( 48.0) (13.9) (0.4) (0.4) November 36 2 21 12 1 (5.6) (58.3) (33.3) (2.8) December 16 10 6 (62.5) (37.5) January - 11 7 3 1 March 1987 (63.6) (27.3) (9.1) April - 29 22 6 1 June (75.9) (20. 7) (3.4) TOTAL 585 253 6 219 99 4 4 (43.2) ( 1. 0) (37.4) (16.9) ( 0. 7) (0. 7) -18- Pamlico River system, and all were taken within 11 miles of the tagging site (Figure 4). Only one fish showed any movement downstream; most remained in the vicinity of the initial capture location and 2 moved approximately 10 miles upstream. The average distance traveled was 1.8 miles (Table 8). September: A total of 369 red drum was released in September. There were 178 fish recaptured during September, of which 69 were tagged in August and 109 in September (Table 4). Altogether 113 (63.5%) were recaptured in DMF pound nets and 65 (36.5%) by miscellaneous fishing gears (Table 2). Fish traveled further from the release site this month, with movements as far as 18 miles upstream near Washington, and out of the Pamlico River 26 miles to Bay River and 28 miles to Swanquarter Bay (Figure 5). Most of the fish, however, were recaptured in the general vicinity of the pound nets, with a number of returns from Bath Creek, South Creek and Durham Creek. The average distance traveled during this month was 3 miles. October: A total of 766 fish was tagged and released in October (Table 6). Altogether 252 fish were recaptured this month, including 29 fish tagged in August, 47 fish tagged in September, and 176 fish tagged in October; this constituted 17.3% of all fish tagged (Table 9). DMF pound nets recaptured 92 (36.5%) fish and miscellaneous gears accounted for the recapture of 160 (63.5%) fish (Table 7). Most of the red drum were recaptured in the Pamlico River system (92.8%), although 18 fish were recaptured outside the river (Figure 6). Within the Pamlico River, fish were scattered from 12 miles upstream of the pound nets to well up the Pungo River or Broad Creek; they were recaptured in nearly all major tributaries of the Pamlico River, particularly from Bath Creek and downstream. Most interesting, however, was their distribution outside the Pamlico River, which appears to be random; they were captured as far north as the mouths of the Albemarle and Croatan sounds, south to the Newport River, in bays both north and south of the Pamlico River on the mainland side of the sound, and along the sound side of the Outer Banks from Rodanthe to the north end of Portsmouth Island. The longest movements were: 98 miles in 42 days to Durant Island, 80 miles in 39 days to Croatan Sound, 78 miles in 7 days to Rodanthe and 58 miles in 46 days to the Newport River. The average distance traveled by a recaptured red drum was 6.6 miles (Table 8). -19- PUNGO RIVER AUGUST 1986 <)RECAPTURED IN DMF POUND NETS Q TAGGED IN AUGUST LOOKOUT Figure 4. Number and location of red drum recaptured in August, 1986. Table 8. Monthly mean and range of distance traveled by red drum, Sciaenops ocellatus, released in the Pamlico River August through October 1986 including number released {N) and recaptured {n) each month. Month Distance Month Reca~tured released traveled Aug Se~ Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar A~r May Jul1- dvera ll Aug Mean 1.8 3.6 2.5 6.0 35.5 3.2 N=324 Range 1-11 1-17 1-18 4-10 28-43 1-43 n 63 69 29 3 2 166 Sep Mean 2.6 14.2 11.7 11.0 14 15 8.6 6.5 N=369 Range 1-28 1-98 7-18 6-16 5-15 1-98 n 109 47 3 4 1 1 3 168 Oct Mean 5.3 31.0 15.2 42.3 43 43.3 25.3 31.8 47 12.8 N=766 Range 1-78 1-90 4-55 13-65 21-70 1-65 1-55 1-90 n 176 33 9 4 1 4 7 16 1 251 Overall Mean 1.8 3.0 6.6 29.4 12.4 36.6 29.0 43.3 25.3 28.8 47 8.2 N=1459 Range 1-11 1-28 1-98 1-90 4-55 13-65 15-43 21-70 1-65 1-55 1-98 n 63 178 252 36 16 5 2 4 7 21 1 585 I N 0 I -21- .OREGON INLET PUNGO RIVER 0 CAPE HATTERAS SEPTEMBER 1986 <)RECAPTURED IN DMF POUND NETS Q TAGGED IN AUGUST 0 TAGGED IN SEPTEMBER CAPE LOOKOUT Figure 5. Number and location of red drum recaptured in September, 1986. -22- PUNGO RIVER 0 . c, OCTOBER 1986 '\)o 0 <)RECAPTURED IN DMF POUND NETS Q TAGGED IN AUGUST 0 TAGGED IN SEPTEMBER Q TAGGED IN OCTOBER CAPE LOOKOUT Figure 6. Number and location of red drum recaptured in October, 1986. Table 9. Month of recapture of red drum, Sciaenops ocellatus, tagged in the Pamlico River, portioned by month fish were released, including: number tagged (N), number recaptured by DMF pound nets (DMF), and all other fishing gears combined (Other); monthly percent (%) and cumulative percent (Cum. %) of all fish recaptured that were released a specified month. Total Month Monthll number/percent of recaptured fish recap- released Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun tured Aug DMF 48 49 14 111 N=324 Other 15 20 15 3 2 55 % 19.4 21.3 9.0 0.9 0.6 51.2 Cum. % 19.4 40.7 49.7 50.6 51.2 Sep DMF 64 16 80 N=369 Other 45 31 3 4 1 1 3 88 % 29.5 12.7 0.8 1.1 0.3 0.3 0.8 45.5 Cum. % 29.5 42.3 43.1 44.2 44.4 44.7 45.5 Oct DMF 62 62 N=766 Other 114 33 9 4 1 4 7 16 1 189 % 23.0 4.3 1.2 0.5 0.1 0.5 0.9 2.2 0.1 32.8 Cum. % 23.0 27.3 28.5 29.0 29.1 29.6 30.5 32.7 32.8 TOTAL DMF 48 113 92 253 N=1,459 Other 15 65 160 36 16 5 2 4 7 21 1 332 %* 19.4 25.7 17.3 2.5 1.1 0.3 0.1 0.3 0.5 1.4 0.1 40.1 Cum%* 19.4 34.8 33.8 36.3 37.4 37.7 37.8 38.1 38.6 40.0 40.1 * Percent (cumulative percent) of tagged fish released through that month that had been recaptured. I N w I -24- November: Thirty six red drum (2.5% of the total released) were recaptured in November, of which 58.3% (n=21) were recaptured in gill nets and 33% (n=12) on hook and line (Table 7). This included 3 fish tagged in October and 3 fish tagged in September. Recaptured fish in November exhibited even greater range, both in distance traveled and geographic scatter (Figure 7); 17 were in the Pamlico River and 19 were caught outside the river. Those in the river occurred from as far as 16 miles upstream of the release site to the very lower reaches of the river, and nearly evenly scattered throughout. Outside the Pamlico River, but still in estuarine waters, recaptured fish were scattered from Wysocking Bay and Roanoke Sound to Newport River and Core Sound. This was the first month these fish were recaptured from the ocean where they were also scattered along the beach from a Nags Head Pier to Cape Hatteras, Drum Inland, and south to Cape Lookout. Again, the movement pattern seems almost random, as 50% were recaptured north and 50% south of the Pamlico River. Movements included 90 miles to Nags Head Pier in 23 days and 64 miles to Cape Lookout in 32 days. The average distance traveled was 29.4 miles (Table 8). December: Only 16 fish were recaptured in December, including 14 within the Pamlico River and its tributaries, and 2 outside the river, one in Core Sound and the other around Little Porpoise Bay (Figure 8). These fish moved from 4-55 miles, and averaged 12 miles traveled (Table 4) Ten were captured by gill nets and six by hook and line (Table 2). Most (n=9) were originally tagged in October, though fish tagged in August (n=3) and September (n=4) were also recaptured. January-June: Forty red drum were recaptured during these 6 months, and once again their distribution was scattered evenly within, north, south and east of the Pamlico River (Figure 9). Thirteen fish were scattered in the Pamlico River system, both upstream, downstream and within the Pungo and other tributaries. Twenty-five fish were caught in bays from Rose Bay to Stumpy Point Bay; one as far south as the Newport River, one in the ocean near Drum Inlet and two near Hatteras Inlet. Three fish were recaptured in the Neuse River in May, the first reported from this river which was the only major waterbody from which none had been returned. Overall, these fish moved an average of 31.1 miles with a range of 1 to 65 miles (Table 8). Most (70%) -25- PUNGO RIVER 0 NOVEMBER 1986 <)RECAPTURED IN DMF POUND NETS Q TAGGED IN AUGUST 0 TAGGED IN SEPTEMBER Q TAGGED IN OCTOBER LOOKOUT Figure 7. Number and location of red drum recaptured in November, 1986. -26- PUNGO RIVER DECEMBER 1986 <>RECAPTURED IN DMF POUND NETS Q TAGGED IN AUGUST D TAGGED IN SEPTEMBER Q TAGGED IN OCTOBER LOOKOUT Figure 8. Number and location of red drum recaptured in December, 1986. -27- PUNGO RIVER 0 1 a CAPE HATTERAS J? ~ Q ¥ JAN- JUNE 1987 <)RECAPTURED IN DMF POUND NETS Q TAGGED IN AUGUST 0 TAGGED IN SEPTEMBER Q TAGGED IN OCTOBER LOOKOUT Figure 9. Number and location of red drum recaptured, January-June 1987. -28- were recaptured by gill nets or hook and line (25%) (Table 7). Fish tagged in October comprised 82.5% of these recaptures, while those tagged in August and September constituted 5% and 12.5%, respectively (Table 9). Distribution by month tagged August: Of the 324 fish tagged in August, 166 (51.2%) were recaptured, including 111 by DMF pound nets and 55 by miscellaneous gears (Table 7). Of these recaptures, most were caught in August (37.9%) and September (41.6%); only 3.0% (n=5) were caught after October (Table 9). Only one fish tagged in August (0.6%) was caught outside the Pamlico River basin (Figure 10).and that was caught at the mouth of the Neuse River in May, 263 days after it was released. One fish was at large longer--it was caught 274 days later in the Pungo River system. Overall, they averaged 3.2 miles traveled, with a range of 1-43 miles (Table 8). September: Of the 369 fish released in September, 168 (45.5%) were recaptured, including 80 by DMF pound nets and 88 by miscellaneous gears (Table 7). Of these recaptures, 156 (92.9%) were caught during September and October, and 12 were caught from November through May (Table 9). Although most (92.9%) were recaptured in the Pamlico River Basin, 12 were captured outside the system, including the fish that traveled the furthest (98 miles to Durants Island in 42 days) (Figure 11). Fish tagged in September averaged 6.5 miles traveled (Table 8). October: We released 766 fish in October, of which 251 (32.8%) were recaptured; this included 62 by DMF pound nets and 189 by miscellaneous gears (Table 7). Of those fish recaptured, 70.1% (n=176) were returned by the end of October, 13.1% (n=33) were caught in November, and the remainder (16.7%) from December through June (Table 9). Although most (82.0%) were recaptured in the Pamlico River system, 43 fish (18.0%) were recaptured inshore from Newport River to Roanoke Sound and along the Outer Banks from Cape Lookout to Nags Head (Figure 12). They averaged 12.8 miles traveled with a range of 1-90 miles (Table 8). -29- 0 TAGGED IN AUGUST CAPE LOOKOUT Figure 10. Number and location of red drum tagged in August, 1986, recaptured August 1986 through June 1987, by all gears other than DMF pound nets. -30- 1 () PUNGO RIVER CAPE HATTERAS TAGGED IN SEPTEMBER CAPE LOOKOUT Figure 11. Number and location of red drum tagged in September, 1986, recaptured· September 1986 through June 1987, by all gears other than DMF pound nets. -31- () PUNGO RIVER TAGGED IN OCTOBER LOOKOUT Figure 12. Number and location of red drum tagged in October 1986, recaptured October 1986 through June 1987, by all gears other than DMF pound nets. -32- Exploitation by fishing gears Most (43.2%) of the red drum recaptured during this study were caught in the same commercial pound nets monitored by DMF personnel (Table 7). The nets were monitored by DMF only once a week, so many recaptured tagged fish were notre-released (n=119). These pound nets caught more tagged fish in both August and September than any other gear and were second to gill nets in October (Table 10). Gill nets were the second most successful gear catching tagged red drum, accounting for 37.4% (n=219) of the recaptured fish (Table 2). Gill nets were effective throughout the period; only DMF pound nets in August and September, and hook and line in August exceeded their numbers of recaptured red drum. Hook and line fishermen were the third most effective, accounting for 16.9% (n=99) of the recaptured red drum. After October, hook and line was the second most important gear, accounting for 25.0-37.5% of the recaptured fish during the period (Table 7). The locations of recaptured fish by basically gill nets and hook and line are presented in Figures 13 to 18. Both gears were effective within the Pamlico River basin. Gill nets accounted for 61.7% (n=39) of those recaptured outside the Pamlico River basin, while hook and line fishermen accounted for 30.0% (n=18) and miscellaneous gears accounted for 8.3% (n=5). Tag types Cinch-up tags were applied to red drum from August 6, 1986 through October 23 (Table 11). Overall, 1,200 were applied and 508 (42.3%) were recaptured. The longest a cinch-up tagged fish was at liberty was 274 days. Of the 1,200 fish tagged, 91.1% (n=463) were recaptured within 60 days; only 3.9% (n=20) were at liberty more than 120 days and 2.6% (n=13) for more than 180 days. Internal anchor tags were applied to 259 fish during the last two weeks of the tagging period (Table 11). A total of 259 fish were tagged and 29.7% (n=77) were recaptured. The longest one was at liberty for 232 days. Of the 259 fish tagged with internal anchor tags, 76.5% (n=59) were recaptured within 60 days; 22.1% (n=17) were at liberty more than 120 days and 14.3% (n=11) for more than 180 days (Figure 19). Comparing overall recapture rates between tags would be erroneous due to the high recapture rates for fish tagged -33- Table 10. Number and percent of red drum, Sciaenops ocellatus, recaptured by different fishing gears, partitioned by month fish were released. Other DMF Other Hook commer- Month Number pound pound Gi 11 and Crab cia 1 All released released nets nets nets 1 i ne pot gear gears Aug 324 111 1 27 23 3 1 166 {34.3) {0.3) (8.3) (7.1) {0.9) {0.3) (51.2) Sep 369 80 2 49 36 168 ( 21.7) ( 0. 5) (13.3) (9.8) ( 45.5) Oct 766 62 3 137 35 1 3 251 (8.1) (0.4) (17 .9) (4.6) (0.1) (0.3) (32.8) TOTAL 1,459 253 6 219 99 4 4 585 (17.3) {0.4) (15.0) ( 6. 8) (0.3) (0.3) {40.1) -34- () 0 CAPE HATTERAS . c, AUGUST 1986 '\)o 0 D HOOK & LINE Q GILLNET 0 MISCELLANEOUS GEARS CAPE LOOKOUT Figure 13. Number and location of red drum recaptured in August 1986, by gear. -35- () • SEPTEMBER 1986 D HOOK & LINE Q GILLNET Q MISCELLANEOUS GEARS LOOKOUT Figure 14. Number and locations of red drum recaptured in September 1986, by gear. -36- OCTOBER 1986 D HOOK & LINE 0 GILLNET Q MISCELLANEOUS GEARS LOOKOUT Figure 15. Number and locations of red drum recaptured in October 1986, by gear. -37- () PUNGO RIVER ' NOVEMBER 1986 D HOOK & LINE 0 GILLNET Q MISCELLANEOUS GEARS (!} CAPE LOOKOUT Figure 16. Number and locations of red drum recaptured in November 1986, by gear. -38- () 0 DECEMBER 1986 0 HOOK & LINE Q GILLNET Q MISCELLANEOUS GEARS LOOKOUT Figure 17. Number and locations of red drum recaptured in December 1986, by gear. -39- {) 0 JAN- JUNE 1987 D HOOK & LINE 0 GILLNET 0 MISCELLANEOUS GEARS CAPE LOOKOUT Figure 18. Number and locations of red drum recaptured January through June, 1987. Table 11. Comparison of monthly number and percent of recaptured red drum, Sciaenops ocellatus, tagged in October 1987 using Floy cinch-up and Floy internal anchor tags, including number tagged (n). Tag type, date, and Monthl~ number/percent of recaptured fish number released Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Total Cinch-up No. recaptured 121 18 6 2 1 4 6 159 Oct. 1-16 Percent 27.5 4.2 1.4 0.5 0.2 0.9 1.4 n=440 Cum. percent 27.5 31.7 33.1 33.6 33.8 34.7 36.1 36.1 Cinch-up No. recaptured 10 3 1 1 15 Oct. 23 Percent 14.9 4.5 1.5 1.5 n=67 Cum. percent 14.9 19.4 20.9 22.4 22.4 Internal No. recaptured 44 12 3 1 1 3 2 10 1 77 Anchor Oct.23-31 Percent 17.0 4.6 1.2 0.4 0.4 1.2 0.7 0.7 0.4 n=259 Cum. percent 17.0 21.6 22.8 23.2 23.6 24.8 25.5 29.3 29.7 29.7 ..,I 0 I ~ INTERNAL ANCHOR TAGS N=71. > () z 50 100 150 200 250 300 w ::J 0 -... w ~ a: u. CINCH-UP T~GS 30 N=503 !;;0 190 150 200 250 300 DAYS AT LIBERTY .,.I ..... Figure 19. Frequency distribution of days at liberty of recaptured red drum by tag type for I fish tagged in the Pamlico River, August-October, 1986. -42- earlier in the project. A comparison of fish released on the same date (October 23) finds 30.5% (n=67) of the 220 internal anchor tagged fish recaptured through June 1987, and 20.9% (n=14) of the cinch-up tags recaptured during that period (Table 5). At the completion of tagging, there were 1,193 cinch-up and 221 internal anchor tagged fish at large. From October 30 through May 30, 1987, 4.9% (n=58) of those tagged with cinch-up and 15.0% (n=33) of those tagged with internal anchor tags were recaptured. Growth From August 6 through October 30, the modal length of the red drum caught increased steadily (Table 12; Figure 20). Modal length increased from 300-320 mm FL on August 6 to 340-370 mm FL on September 3 to 380-410 by October 3. After this, modal length did not increase the remainder of the month, with a slight decrease by October 30, suggesting growth slowing down during that time and/or larger fish having moved out of the river; the latter possibility is supported by the dispersal of fish recaptured during this month as opposed to those caught in August and September. -43- Table 12. Weekly percentages of red drum less than 14 inches and less than 18 inches captured in DMF-monitored pound nets, Pamlico River, August-October 1986. Less than Less than 14" 18" 08-06-86 99.0 100.0 08-15-86 90.9 99.0 08-26-86 83.2 100.0 09-03-86 52.6 100.0 09-10-86 56.8 100.0 09-18-86 22.7 99.2 09-25-86 24.4 100.0 10-02-86 13.8 100.0 10-09-86 2.5 99.4 10-16-86 4.7 98.3 10-23-86 2.8 97.5 10-30-86 7.7 97.4 Overall 33.0 99.0 -44- 14 INCHES 18 INCHES 15 10-30-86 N =39 5 15 10-23-86 N =290 5 N =158 = >- 15 10-2-86 I I N=109 u I I n-,_ I ,- I z 5 rT1-l I w ~ . ~ 15 9-25-86 --:- I N :45 0 I I w 5 ~ l_ I a: ;n- u. 9-18-86 N =163 .... 1:~ z ' w =r u 9-10-86 N =118 a: w 1:~ Q. 9-3-86 N= 78 1:1 15 8-26-86 N=125 5 15 8-15-86 N= 99 5 N=100 1: t8-6-86 I 4dlli 200 250 300 350 400 450 500 TOTAL LENGTH (mmJ Figure 20. Length-frequencies of red drum captured in DMF pound nets on the Pamlico River during weekly tagging periods August 6, 1986 through October 30, 1986.