Life Cycle
Sexual maturity begins just before age three, and these fish spawn from March to May, and again in September and October. Larvae of .4-1.3 inches appear in the Chesapeake Bay in large numbers during May and June, with a smaller influx in November.
The larvae use the brackish waters and fresh waters as nursery areas. Here they metamorphose into juveniles and grow rapidly.
By the fall, the young menhaden quadruple in size to reach 1.6 inches to 7.3 inches. The young-of-the-year leave the estuary in late fall and join the schools in southward migration.
Menhaden reach a maximum length of 15 inches, feeding on both phytoplankton and zooplankton.
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