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MEPS
Marine Ecology Progress Series

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MEPS 211:245-253 (2001)  -  doi:10.3354/meps211245

Identification of riverine, estuarine, and coastal contingents of Hudson River striped bass based upon otolith elemental fingerprints

David H. Secor1,*, Jay R. Rooker2, Erik Zlokovitz3, Vincent S. Zdanowicz4

1Chesapeake Biological Laboratory, University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science, PO Box 38, Solomons, Maryland 20688-0038, USA
2Department of Marine Biology, Texas A&M University, PO Box 1675, Galveston, Texas 77553, USA
3Maryland Department of Natural Resources, Matapeake Terminal, 301 Marine Academy Drive, Stevensville, Maryland 21666, USA
4National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Marine Fisheries Service, James J. Howard Marine Sciences Laboratory, Highlands, New Jersey 07732, USA

ABSTRACT: Elemental fingerprints of otoliths from Hudson River striped bass Morone saxatilis were used to define resident, estuarine, and ocean migratory contingents, which had previously been determined by otolith microprobe analysis of Sr:Ca. Using solution-based inductively coupled plasma mass-spectrometry, 7 metals were quantified in whole otoliths. Discriminant analysis of elements showed a high degree of separation among the 3 migratory contingents. Barium was significantly higher in otoliths from the freshwater resident group, while Sr and Na were significantly lower in comparison to mesohaline and ocean contingents. Identification of contingents by the bulk chemistry method indicated that divergent migratory patterns persist over lifetimes for Hudson River striped bass.


KEY WORDS: Hudson River · Striped bass · Anadromy · Migration · Otolith microchemistry · Strontium · Elemental fingerprint


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