130 MARINE FISHERIES OF NORTH CAROLINA 



The life history of the croaker has been studied in more detail than that 

 of many of our other marine food fishes. It has received attention in recent 

 years throughout its entire range. 



The croaker was formerly reported by Smith (1907) to spawn in the 

 sounds and estuaries, but more recently it has been shown by Hildebrand and 

 Cable (1930) and Wallace (1941) that spawning occurs offshore. The spawn- 

 ing season is rather extended, covering a period of from five to nine months. 

 In Chesapeake Bay, Wallace found sexually mature fish migrating to the 

 ocean from July to November, with the males tending to migrate before the 

 females. Welsh and Breder (1923) found males with running milt off Atlantic 

 City, New Jersey, in July, but ripe females were not found until September. 

 However, Hildebrand and Cable (1930) found young croakers, less than 

 one-half inch in length and obviously recently hatched, during nine months 

 of the year — September to May — in the Beaufort area. Pearson (1929) 

 found larval croakers in Texas waters from October to February. 



The age of the spawning fish varies from one locality to another. Pearson 

 (1929) reports that croakers in Texas spawn at the end of the second year, 

 while Wallace (1941) states that less than half of the Chesapeake Bay males 

 and none of the females were sexually mature at the end of two years. It has 

 been suggested by Hildebrand and Cable (1930) that individuals of the same 

 species may mature earlier in the warmer climates. 



The number of eggs produced per female has not been adequately deter- 

 mined. A single specimen, measuring 15.5 inches, taken by Hildebrand and 

 Schroeder (1928) contained 180,000 eggs. However, fish of this size are 

 seldom taken in North Carolina waters and the average reproductive capacity 

 would therefore seem to be considerably less. 



The eggs of the croaker have not been taken by any of the workers. How- 

 ever, Hildebrand and Cable (1930) found larvae about one-eighth inch long 

 off the shores of the outer banks at Beaufort. These small fish are not capable 

 of active swimming, but are carried about by water currents. Since there are 

 no definite inshore currents in this region, except during flood tides, it seems 

 probable that the eggs are deposited or hatched comparatively close to shore. 

 Wallace (1941) is able to explain the occurrence of larval croakers in Ches- 

 apeake Bay, perhaps over 100 miles from the spawning area, by the presence 

 of a definite current of ocean water moving along the bottom through a deep 

 channel up into the Bay. No such currents are known in the Beaufort and 

 Pamlico Sound regions, and it therefore seems that the eggs are deposited in 

 the outside water, but not far from the shore. 



Those young croakers which are not carried in by the tide move into the 

 shallow inside waters soon after they become capable of swimming. They stay 

 inside all summer and grow rather rapidly; they reach an average length of 



