Specific objectives are:

1) document the current utilization of selected estuaries, and the presence of different life stages by:

a. sampling for adults and juveniles prior to the spawning season;
b. sampling for adults during the spawning season, at spawning habitat (and for eggs, in the smelt project);
c. sampling for larvae.

2) characterize the population structure, dynamics, and relative abundance in different estuaries by:

a. quantifying size structure and age structure of juvenile and adults prior to the spawning season;
b. quantifying female fecundity;
c. quantifying catch per unit effort of different life stages, based on sampling described in Objective 1.

3) assess historical trends of the species in Connecticut, based on reconstruction of catch records in scientific sampling and the recreational fishery by:

a. compiling catch data and population size structure data from published and unpublished results of scientific samples, in Connecticut as well as other states in the region;
b. surveying fishermen to elicit information about the recreational catch of tomcod in the state in past years.