Reevaluating fecundity of white perch (Morone americana) in Chesapeake Bay with modern stereological techniques

Abstract

— The white perch ( Morone americana ) is an abundant estuarine teleost in eastern North America, with its commercial and trophic importance creating a need for fecundity and recruitment data. In this study, we reevaluated the fecundity of subpopulations of white perch in Chesapeake Bay. Stereological sampling methods were used to determine if environmental changes in the Chesapeake Bay watershed over the last 60 years have altered average fecundity of this species. These methods were compared with automated gravimetric meth-ods to determine the efficacy of using stereological fecundity sampling for white perch. The results of using both methods were statistically the same, as