BIOLOGY AND NATURAL HISTORY 125 



commercial catch in them is negligible. A few are taken in the Cape Fear 

 River area. 



Future studies on the striped bass in North Carolina should include a 

 determination of the extent of migration of the population, since the nature 

 of such migrations may well be considered a basis for more effective manage- 

 ment of the fishery. Because the species is anadromous, like the shad and 

 alewife, it is necessary to keep streams free from obstructions and pollution 

 if the continued utilization of this fishery is desired. 



GRAY TROUT 



Cyno scion regalis (Bloch & Schneider) 



The gray trout, also known as gray weakfish and squeteague, is found 

 along the Atlantic coast from southern New England to Florida, although it 

 is of commercial importance only from North Carolina northward. It was 

 formerly believed to inhabit waters of the Gulf States, but Ginsburg (1929) 

 found the Gulf trout to be a distinct species, C. arenarius. The gray trout is 

 ordinarily taken in North Carolina from March to December; the exact 

 length of the season depends upon the date of beginning and the severity of 

 the winter. The gray trout is among those fishes which are considered "good- 

 eating" and therefore commands a good price. The states reporting the 

 largest catches are New Jersey, Virginia, and North Carolina. 



An interesting note regarding the distribution of this species is found in 

 the report of Bigelow and Welsh (1925) on the fishes of the Gulf of Maine. 

 Trout were plentiful in Massachusetts Bay in the middle and latter part of 

 the eighteenth century, but disappeared before 1800. The disappearance was 

 apparently so complete that a single specimen taken in 1838 at Provincetown 

 was sent to Boston for identification. By 1867 they were reappearing in south- 

 ern Massachusetts and became abundant in 1870, but were not reported 

 north of Cape Cod until 1884. They then became very abundant, and reached 

 a peak in 1 901 -1904. The 1906 population was somewhat smaller and rapid 

 annual decreases took place; the 19 10 Massachusetts Bay catch was 17 

 pounds. By 191 7 they had again disappeared from these northern waters. 



The gray trout is believed to spawn at sea. This conclusion is reached on 

 the basis of a study of the movements of adult fish and distributioii of the 

 very young fish by Hildebrand and Cable (1934). They report that the adults 

 move inshore in early spring as the water temperature rises (March and 

 April), but in May they move offshore, to return after spawning. The large 

 trout increase in abundance through June, July and August. Very young fish 

 appear in coastal waters from late May to the middle of August; this period 

 coincides with the absence of the large adults. This evidence seems sufficient 

 to place the spawning at sea during the period May to August. The spawning 



