Increase in Atlantic croaker, micropogonias undulatus, growth and production rate in the Chesapeake Bay region from 1988 to 2008

The Atlantic croaker is one of the important recreational and commercial fisheries along the Atlantic coast of the United States.  Information on their growth and production rates is critical to understanding population dynamics and fisheries management.  We compared Atlantic croaker growth rate and yield per recruit (YPR) between a previous study in 1988 and a current study in 1999-2008.  Kimura test indicated that Atlantic croaker growth rate increased significantly from a L_∞ of 312-mm total length in 1988 to a L_∞ of 420 mm in the current years.  The YPR between 1988 and the current years also increased significantly.  The findings from this study may not only provide scientific information on helping fisheries management but also establish a base on which ecological and evolutionary causes can be further studied.