DISTRIBUTION AND GROWTH OF YOUNG-OF-THE-YEAR STRIPED BASS IN THE MIRAMICHI RIVER ESTUARY, GULF OF ST. LAWRENCE

Distribution and growth of young-of-the-year striped bass Morone saxat ilis were determined at the northern edge of the species' range in the Miramichi River, Gulf of St. Lawrence, between May and December 1992, from samples obtained from ichthyoplankton, beach seine, trawling, an d bycatch surveys. Shortly after yolk absorption, catches declined in offshore plankton surveys, and young-of-the-year appeared in nearshore areas. As summer progressed, young-of-the-year striped bass moved dow nstream into more saline waters. Downstream migration appeared to be s ize related. A logistic growth model closely fit field observations. G rowth was relatively slow in spring (June: 0.32 mm/d), rapid in summer (July, August, and September: 0.75-1.15 mm/d), and reduced in fall (O ctober and November: 0.17-0.46 mm/d). Growth was faster and length att ained before winter was greater than reported for populations in the c enter of the species' geographic distribution.