SECTION 16 

 Weak fish [Cyno scion yegalis) 



Life History Summary 



Weakfish (also known as gray sea trout or squeteague) are generally found 

 along the eastern coast of North America from Florida to Massachusetts Bay, 

 and perhaps stray as far north as Nova Scotia. It is believed that there are 

 at least two stocks of weakfish, one centered in the Middle Atlantic Bight 

 from the Virginia Capes to New York (Bigelow and Schroeder 1953), and one off 

 the Virginia-North Carolina border (McHugh and Ginter 1978). During times of 

 increased abundance, weakfish are found further north in southern New England 

 and in Cape Cod and Massachusetts Bays. North of Cape Hatteras, weakfish 

 migrate seasonally; during summer and early fall they are found in the 

 northern part of their range, while during the winter months weakfish migrate 

 offshore and south, generally below Cape Hatteras. Older and larger fish 

 migrate further north than the general population (Wilk 1982). 



Historically commercial catches from Massachusetts through North Carolina 

 have undergone considerable fluctuation, declining from 19,000 metric tons 

 (MT) in 1945 to 1,338 MT in 1967, but have been increasing since that time. 

 The 1978 commercial catch was 9,713 MT, 15» greater than in 1977 and the 

 highest recorded since the mid-1940's. Recreational catches have exhibited 

 the same general trend as commercial catches, increasing from an estimated 

 1,027 MT in 1965 to 7,113 MT in 1970, and to 9,137 MT in 1974. Commercial and 

 recreational catches have been approximately equal in recent years. During 

 1978, most of the commercial catch was landed in North Carolina, Virginia, New 

 Jersey, and New York. 



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