| Summary: | The coastal fish community of Wemindji, eastern James Bay, was studied to describe seasonal utilization of the Maquatua River estuary and the adjacent coastal waters by marine and anadromous fishes. During summer, the estuarine fishes are numerically dominated by the fourhorn sculpin (Myoxocephalus quadricornis) and the slender eelblenny (Lumpenus fabricii), and also by juvenile cisco (Coregonus artedii) and whitefish (C. clupeaformis). In coastal waters, three marine species are abundant: the shorthorn sculpin (M. scorpius), the arctic sculpin (M. scorpioides) and the Greenland cod (Gadus ogac). Greenland cod were studied in the same period. During the summer, they principally occupied shallow coastal waters, characterized by a belt of eelgrass (Zostera marina). In winter, more cod were found in the estuary. This movement corresponds to sexual maturity; spawning occurs in April to June. Greenland cod life history variables differ from those of most arctic benthic fishes: they show rapid growth, high fecundity, low age at first maturity and high mortality.
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