Growth of juvenile spot,Leiostomus xanthurus Lacépède,in the nursery region of the James River,Virginia

Thein situ growth of juvenile spot,Leiostomus xanthurus Lacépède, was investigated in a nursery area of the James River, Virginia. Juvenile growth was fairly rapid (11.34 mm standard length per month) during their first spring and summer in the nursery grounds, and leveled off in the autumn. The mean size of spot after the first year was calculated to be 148 mm standard length. The weight-length relationship was log₁₀W = ?5.018+3.246 (log₁₀L), where W = wet weight in grams and L = standard length in millimeters. The weight-length relationship of juvenile spot of the James River estuary differed statistically from that reported from South Carolina, Mississippi, Louisiana, and Texas. Spot of the James River, Virginia, were found to be heavier per unit length than those of other regions, which suggests that the Chesapeake Bay system provides an optimum environment for growth of 0-year class fish.