148 



BULLETIN OF THE BUREAU OF FISHERIES 



By a comparison of IJ^-year old fish taken during the bimonthly periods of 

 April 18 to 25, May 2 to 9, and May 16 to 23, 1926 (probable length range from 

 39 to 53 centimeters), and the monthly period of April 24 to May 22, 1927 (probable 

 length range from 36 to 51 centimeters), it is found that the 1926 fish possess a mean 

 total length of 45.8 centimeters (18 inches), while the 1927 group of the same age 

 has a mean total length of 44.1 centimeters (17.3 inches). (See Table 7.) 



The May, 1926, 13^-year old redfish, with a length range from 39 to 53 centi- 

 meters and a mean total length of 45.8 centimeters (18 inches), appeared to attain 

 an approximate modal length of 52 centimeters (20.5 inches) by September, 1926, 

 on the basis of a collection of fish taken during the period of August 15 to 29, 1926. 



FISH , 

 €0r 



50 

 ^■0 

 30 

 20 

 10 

 

 10 



J.5 



LENaJH - SNCHE5 

 7.& IL6 15.7 m 23.6 27.S 31.5 35.4 39.3 



\0 20 3Q 40 50 60 70 

 LEN&TH - C£Wr/M£TER,S 



SO 90 100 



Fig. 10. — A — length-frequency distribution of redfish taken in Texas with experimental gear 

 during August and September, 1926. B— length-frequency distribution of market redfish 

 taken during November and December, 1925. Actual frequencies in both cases have been 

 smoothed by a moving average of threes. Roman numerals indicate year classes 



This collection (Table 7) had a length range from 48 to 68 centimeters, which probably 

 included two year classes, the second with a mode at 52 centimeters and the third 

 with a mode at 62 centimeters. 



Collections of redfish above the second year are not numerous, owing mainly to 

 the difficulty experienced in obtaining unselected catches of the larger, more powerful 

 fish. However, by combining all samples of fish secured during August and Septem- 

 ber, 1926, a fairly well defined series of year groups or classes is discernible by inspec- 

 tion of the modes or humps in the length-frequency distribution. (See Table 9.) 

 An error necessarily is occasioned by this grouping, since fish taken in early August 

 will have grown some by the end of September. This is noticeably true in the case 



