Ecology Abstract and Table White Perch

Maahum Malik

Professor Van Meter

Abstract & Table 2

Abstract:

The White Perch (Morone Americana) length frequency was measured and the abundance of fish in the Chester River, Chestertown MD, was observed, in August 2014. The fish were caught in otter trawls in deep and shallow water sites in the Chester River. The mean length of Morone americana in shallow site (7.20 cm) showed a large difference from the mean length from the deep site (16.4 cm) (Table 1). Overall, the results show that larger white perch can be located in deeper brackish areas, whereas smaller white perch can be found in shallow areas (Figure 1 & 2). The abundance of larger sized Morone americana in deep sites could be due to the white perch age differentiation. Perhaps the older white perch reside in deeper areas of the Chester River and the younger white perch in shallow areas.

Word Count: 135

Table 1: The average body length (cm) of shallow (N= 920) and deep (N=266) trawls of White Perch (Morone Americana) from the Chester River, MD, measured in August – September 2014 and t-test was used to determine the difference in body length.

Depth | Mean Values | Variance | df | P- Value |

Shallow | 7.20 | 278 | 433 | <0.001 |

Deep | 16.4 | 266 | | |

Table 2: Shallow and deep trawls of different species of marine life found in the Chester River, MD.

Genus Name | Specie Name | Shallow Trawl | Deep Trawl |

Anchoa mitcilli | Bay Anchovy | 67 | 62 |

Anguilla rostrata | American Eel | 2 | 19 |

Ictalurus punctatus | Chanel Catfish | 4 | 17 |

Morone americana | White Perch | 921 | 266 |

Morone saxatilis | Striped Bass | 2 | |

Figure 1: White Perch (Morone Americana) captured in otter trawls in shallow waters of the Chester River, MD, were measured to see variation in length of the fish (n= 921), during August 2014.

Figure 2: White Perch (Morone Americana) captured in otter trawls in deep waters of the Chester River, MD, were measured to see variation...