FISHERY BULLETIN: VOL. 75, NO. 4 



TOTAL LENGTH (mm) 



FIGURE 12. — Length-frequency distributions of weakfish, Cynoscion regalis, by depth of York River. Pooled 

 total, August to October, 1972-74. Frequencies expressed as log (j: + 1) at 5-mm increments. 



TABLE 2. — Growth of weakfish, Cynoscion regalis, from different estuarine areas along 



U.S. Atlantic coast. 



'Gear: P, pound net; PI, plankton net; S, seine; T, trawl. 



2 Age-group: represents smallest groups of young-of-the-year taken from January on, other fishes (including 

 overwintering young-of-the-year) are included in age-group I. Parentheses indicate that the boundary of 

 age-groups and I is indistinguishable. 



division of weakfish into northern and southern 

 stocks and did not consider the decline of weakfish 

 in Chesapeake Bay to be a result of the trawl 

 fisheries in the shallow coastal waters and bays of 

 North Carolina. He indicated Chesapeake Bay as 

 a major spawning area and nursery ground, but 

 also cited failure to obtain one weakfish larva/tow 

 in extensive VIMS ichthyoplankton studies dur- 



ing 1959-63. However, weakfish eggs and larvae 

 were reported from Chesapeake Bay by Hilde- 

 brand and Schroeder (1928) and Pearson (1941). 

 Massmann (1963) implied that Chesapeake Bay 

 weakfish are from southern spawning populations 

 or stocks. Therefore, the question remains 

 whether lower Chesapeake Bay and nearshore 

 waters are a major spawning ground for weakfish 



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