198 BULLETIN OF THE BUREAU OF FISHERIES 



ever were obtained. This concentration was most noticeable during flood or incom- 

 ing tide, while the ebb tide had the effect of taking the young fish offshore. 



While no definite reason for this curious fact was ascertained, it is believed by 

 the writer (in the light of later observations made on the young spots, as well as 

 observations at the time) that this concentration of young on the north side of the 

 pass only was induced by the heavy^ northerly winds, which caused a more violent 

 surf along the north beach shore than on the protected south side of the pass. This 

 surf probably caused the young to be thrown farther inshore and out of range of the 

 pass inlet, which lies about 1 mile ofl^shore in the case of Aransas Pass. The incom- 

 ing tide probably would be felt for some distance around the mouth of the pass and 

 would tend to take in all fish within range of its influence. With the surf, plus the 

 movement of water inshore, being particularly strong along the north side of the 

 pass, many young could not get into the current coming in through the pass perhaps 

 and consequently were caused to drift inshore by the angle of the jetty, where they 

 had to remain until the next outgoing tide, which would carry them offshore and 

 nearer the entrance to the pass. 



The capture of larval and post larval croakers from October to February (Table 

 27) indicates that the spawning season extends over a considerable period of time. 

 The great abundance of fish in November, 1926, however, would place the height of 

 the spawning in this month. Welsh and Breder (1923, p. 180) stated that the 

 spawning season of the species is a long one, extending from August to December 

 and possibly later in southern waters. Hildebrand and Schroeder (1928, p. 284) 

 believe that the early part of November is the principal spawning period in Chesa- 

 peake Bay, which estimate agrees with the observations made along the Texas coast 

 by the writer. 



GROWTH AND AGE 



The growth of the croaker during the first two years of life was determined on the 

 basis of the length-frequency distribution of 3,378 fish collected during the course of 

 the investigation. Following a smoothed length distribution of monthly collections, 

 by means of Figure 37, the first period in April, 1926, gave two distinct groups of 

 fish with modal lengths at 9 and 17 centimeters (3.5 and 6.7 inches). The collections 

 made during May brought these modes up to 11 and 18 centimeters (4.3 and 7.1 

 inches), with considerable overlapping between these two groups of fish (probably of 

 the first and second year classes.) During July, small numbers of fish of the older 

 year classes appeared in the catches, with faint modes at arovmd 21 and 25 centi- 

 meters (8.2 and 9.8 inches). These two larger modes probably represented the third 

 and the fourth year classes. Serious overlapping of size groups during August and 

 September throws little light on the growth of any particular year class. During 

 October, a newly spawned year class of fish entered the catch, with a mode around 

 1 centimeter; while the third year class was represented strongly by a mode at 22 

 centimeters (8.6 inches). In the winter months of November, December, and 

 January only fish of the new or year class were taken, owing largely to the fact that 

 all fish above the second year class had gone to the Gulf of Mexico the previous fall 



