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Chapter 7 - Demersal Fishincluding eel grass, rocky reefs, cobble, rock fields, wrecks,and shellfish beds. They occupy nearshore coastal watersduring spring and summer months and overwinter alongthe Continental Shelf (Drohan et al. 2007). Specific habitatpreferences of adult northern sea robin are not as welldefined, though they have been found to be closely associatedwith deep flats and channel edges in Chesapeake Bay(Collette and MacPhee 2002).Spawning habitats for species in the offshore winteringguild vary depending on species. Summer flounder spawnin Southern New England and the Mid-Atlantic Bightduring two distinct seasons, the strongest occurring inlate fall as they move offshore to overwinter and a lesserone occurring in the spring in the southern part of theMid-Atlantic (Packer et al. 1999f). Scup spawn once peryear during their inshore migration from May throughAugust, with a peak in June and July. Most spawning occursover weedy or sandy areas in Southern New Englandfrom Cape Cod, Massachusetts south to the New YorkBight (Steimle et al. 1999b). Black sea bass spawn inApril-October, peaking in May to July. Spawning generallyoccurs between Montauk Point, Long Island andChesapeake Bay and appears to be concentrated on thenearshore Continental Shelf at 20-50 m (Drohan etal. 2007). Less is known about the spawning habitatsof northern sea robin, though they are known to spawnin the summer months from June to September, generallyfrom Block Island to Cape Hatteras (Collette andMacPhee 2002).All species in the guild reach sexual maturity betweenages 2 and 4. However, black sea bass are protogynous hermaphrodites,meaning that fish change sex from female tomale as they increase in age and size. Females reach sexualmaturity at age 2-4 and most fish change sex to male atage 2-5 (Packer et al. 1999f). The fertilized eggs for allfour species are buoyant and pelagic and development tothe larval phase occurs within a matter of days to weeks.Juveniles migrate to nearshore coastal waters and descendto the seafloor where they begin their demersal life phase.Important juvenile nurseries for these species occur inmany of the coastal bays and estuaries of Southern NewEngland and the Mid-Atlantic Bight, including BuzzardsBay, Narragansett Bay, the Hudson-Raritan Estuary,Long Island Sound, Delaware Bay, and Chesapeake Bay.Habitats with structural complexity, including submergedaquatic vegetation, oyster reefs, and man-made structures,appear to be an essential component influencing juvenilesurvival for scup and black sea bass, while juvenile summerflounder utilize a variety of coastal habitats includingmarsh creeks, sea grass beds, mud flats, and open bayareas.Species included in the offshore wintering guild preyon a variety of benthic organisms including polychaetes,amphipods, crustaceans, and fishes. Black sea bass, scup,and northern sea robin feed primarily on polychaetes,amphipods, crustaceans, and bivalves, though fishes arealso a part of their diet (Drohan et al. 2007; Steimle et al.1999d; Collette and MacPhee 2002). Summer flounderare more piscivorous, feeding on hakes, menhaden, andflounders as well as squids, shrimps, and bivalve mollusks(Packer et al. 1999f). These species are primarily preyedupon by other fishes including flounders, hakes, monkfish,skates, and dogfish.Other Species of InterestOther species of interest were included in this assessmentbecause of concerns about their conservation status(Atlantic halibut (Hippoglossus hippoglossus), Atlantic wolffish(Anarhichas lupus)), unique life history characteristics(Acadian redfish (Sebastes fasciatus), Atlantic monkfish(Lophius americanus), golden tilefish (Lopholatilus chamaeleonticeps),and ocean pout (Zoarces americanus)), and non-commercialspecies (longhorn sculpin (Myoxocephalus octodecimspinosus)).The team elected to include these species inthis assessment, but chose to present findings on a speciesby species basis rather than within the groupings used formost species.Northwest Atlantic Marine Ecoregional Assessment • Phase 1 Report 7-81