We used a nested quadrat design to precisely and accurately estimate the absolute density a n d spatial distribution of juvenile spot Leiostomus xanthurus in the tidal fringe of a salt marsh. Fifty white quadrats (10 of each size: 32, 64. 128, 256, and 512 cmZ) were randomly placed within two 10 m2 plots adjacent to a pier. The number of fish over each quadrat was counted on 7 dates between l 7 March and 7 April 1995. Quadrats d~d not attract or repel fish and the observer's experimental bias was low. L. xanthurus had a contagious distribution, with aggregations covering approximately 128 cm2 L. xanthurus dens~ties ranged from 18.33 to 28.30 fish m-2 (3.0 to 5.9% level of precision), while densities estimated from shore seines ranged from 0 50 to 4.96 fish m-' (97.2 to 200.0% level of precision). Correction factors should be estimated before fish density estimates derived from net samples a r e used in ecosystem modeling, carrying capacity estimates or v~t a l statistics for this habitat.