BIOLOGY AND NATURAL HISTORY 119 



lower coastal and sound waters. The growth rate and age at maturity are 

 not known. The only available information is that the young reach a length 

 of four to five inches during the first summer. The bluefish grows to a maxi- 

 mum size of less than 30 pounds; in fact, fish weighing over 15 pounds are 

 rare along the United States coast. 



The feeding habits are well known. Studies of the bluefish contain many 

 references to its voracity. It has been alluded to as an animated chopping- 

 machine, the business of which is to cut to pieces as many fish as possible in 

 a given space of time. Reports of the bluefish leaving blood and partially 

 eaten fish in their wake are plentiful. Various estimates of the number of 

 fish destroyed by an individual bluefish have been made, and on the basis 

 of such estimates, some authors have calculated the total number of fish 

 destroyed by these killers. Such figures for one section of the coast run as 

 large as several hundred billion. Perhaps such figures should not be taken too 

 seriously since they have only doubtful basis on fact. From all reports, the 

 bluefish feeds on almost any fish smaller than itself, and if its prey is too 

 large to be swallowed, the bluefish merely eats part of it, leaving the 

 remainder. 



Bluefish are taken along the entire North Carolina coast, chiefly in offshore 

 waters. Some are taken in Pamlico Sound. The counties landing the greatest 

 catches are Carteret, Dare, Pamlico, Brunswick, and Hyde. Bluefish are 

 taken in long haul seines, run-around gill nets, and stake gill nets. They are 

 taken chiefly in early spring (March and April), although some may be 

 taken during the summer. These summer inhabitants are generally small, 

 one to three pounds ; the larger fish are believed to move farther north or to 

 stay in deeper water. In the fall, October to December, they become more 

 abundant as the southern migration takes place. It is not known whether the 

 entire coastal stock winters in the south or moves offshore more or less 

 opposite the summer grounds. The increase in North Carolina waters in the 

 fall, as well as the winter fishery in Florida, tends to favor the theory of a 

 north-south migration rather than the inshore-offshore movement. 



The bluefish is a highly desirable food fish, is generally in demand, and 

 therefore brings a good price. The commercial production in North Carolina 

 is variable, having been as high as two million pounds and as low as less than 

 a half million pounds annually. The bluefish is an important game species, 

 and it has been estimated that the number taken by sport fishermen in some 

 places may equal or surpass the commercial catch. 



Since the species is pelagic (living near the surface in the open ocean) and 

 spawning occurs offshore, where the waters are not fished, it seems doubtful 

 that fishing exerts an appreciable influence on the total population, and so 

 no restrictions on fishing seem advisable. Periods of abundance and scarcity 

 will undoubtedly occur, much as they have occurred in the past. 



