Atlantic croaker, American eel, and Atlantic menhaden all use the Chesapeake Bay as a nursery area during their early life stages. However, fish tend to have high mortality rates in their early lives, making this a critical stage in influencing future populations. Cindy Marin Martinez of Virginia Institute of Marine Science will collect samples in the York River and at the mouth of the Bay to determine whether the population of larval fishes in the York, where there is already an established monitoring system, is a proxy for the amount of larval fishes moving into the Bay. She explains that understanding this information will help the development of sound fishery management. She plans to share her research with the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission and the Virginia Marine Resources Commission.
Fellow: Cindy Marin Martinez (VIMS)
Advisor: Eric Hilton (VIMS)
Outreach Mentor: Katie McMillan (VIMS)
