102 MARINE FISHERIES OF NORTH CAROLINA 



The fish swam swiftly in circles, like the dust driven by a whirlwind ; then 

 suddenly formed in a straight line, continually rising and falling at various 

 depths. Each time they rose their mouths were wide open, but it was not possible 

 to see whether or not their mouths were open when they swam downward. The 

 fish near the shore seldom "broke water," but those observed in the open swam 

 in compact schools, causing ripples at the surface ; at times hundreds of them 

 swiftly darted a few inches out of the water, causing a noise that could be 

 heard easily at a distance of 300 feet. One large school was seen to divide into 

 two parts. Some schools swam against the tide and then suddenly turned back 

 with the tide. No general direction seemed to be maintained. 



Enormous quantities of water, considering the size of this fish, are filtered 

 daily. Peck (1894), basing his calculations on the speed of the feeding men- 

 haden and the area of its mouth opening, figured that the menhaden forced 

 water through its gills at the rate of 6.8 gallons a minute containing about 3.4 

 cubic centimeters of organic filtrate. Peck points out that his figures are 

 estimates, that the menhaden does not feed continuously, that all the water 

 may not pass through the gills at the rate the fish swims and that many small 

 organisms may escape. He feels, however, that his estimates are reasonable. 

 According to these estimates, a menhaden could filter nearly a barrel of water 

 an hour and extract about 24 cubic inches or nearly a pint of food of the 

 richest sort. Unfortunately, no quantitative work has been done on this 

 subject, and at best the figures remain estimates. 



How much of the time a menhaden feeds is not known, although Peck's 

 observations indicate that it feeds at some time both night and day. That it is 

 a voracious feeder or an efficient converter must be admitted, for it appears 

 off the coast in an emaciated condition, and in a very short time it is fat and 

 well nourished. It has the richest fare at its disposal that can be found in 

 nature at sea or on land and, according to Bigelow (1928), subsists entirely 

 and for life on this fare: "Outside the littoral zone the menhaden is the only 

 important Gulf of Maine fish that continues throughout life to subsist chiefly 

 on diatoms and peridinians with the most minute Crustacea and other animals. 



"The menhaden has no rival among the fishes of the Gulf of Maine in its 

 utilization of this pelagic vegetable pasture." In writing this Bigelow com- 

 pares the menhaden with other eaters of the pelagic flora, such as the herring 

 and mackerel. What is true in the Gulf of Maine must be true along the 

 entire Atlantic seaboard, and we find the menhaden seeking those inshore 

 waters which are made up of oceanic waters and the rich outpourings of rivers 

 and estuaries. It is no wonder that the menhaden is one of the richest sources 

 of oil of all sea forms. It has no equal on our Atlantic coast and has only the 

 pilchard sardine as a close rival in Europe and the anchovy on the Pacific 

 coast. 



