Size Structure

Diana and Salz (1990) examined the growth and maturity of Yellow Perch captured from multiple sites at two locations (inner and outer) within Saginaw Bay, Lake Huron (MI) from 1983-1985. The primary goal of this research was to determine if the growth and maturation of Yellow Perch showed evidence of stunting. The total lengths and location of capture for this study are in YPerchSB1.¹. Use these data to answer the following questions.

¹ See “CSV file” link in “Source” section of linked page.

1. Isolate Yellow Perch captured from the inner portion of Saginaw Bay.
   1. Describe the distribution of these fish using both a histogram and frequency table.²
   2. Compute and interpret the PSD-Q value (with 95% confidence interval).
   3. Compute and interpret the PSD-P value (with 95% confidence interval).
2. Isolate Yellow Perch captured from the outer portion of Saginaw Bay.
   1. Describe the distribution of these fish using both a histogram and frequency table.
   2. Compute and interpret the PSD-Q value (with 95% confidence interval).
   3. Compute and interpret the PSD-P value (with 95% confidence interval).
3. Statistically compare the following metrics between Yellow Perch captured in the the inner and outer portions of Saginaw Bay.
   1. Length frequency distribution.
   2. Distributions into the five-cell Gabelhouse length categories.
   3. PSD-Q.
   4. PSD-P.
4. Write a short paragraph describing what you learned about the size structure of Saginaw Bay Yellow Perch, with specific comments about differences (if any) between the inner and outer locations.

² Choose an appropriate/reasonable bin/category width.

 

Solution Code:

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References

Diana, J. S., and R. Salz. 1990. Energy storage, growth, and maturation of Yellow Perch from different locations in Saginaw Bay, Michigan. Transactions of the American Fisheries Society 119:976–984.