178 REPORT OF COMMISSIONERS OF INLAND FISHERIES. 



fifth was the commencement of the big run at Newport which peached its height 

 on June nineteenth. The period of abundance ended June twenty-eighth. 



The "Tinker" mackerel began to arrive on the twenty-fifth of June, and on 

 the sixth and seventh of September the harbor at Newport was full of them. 



Weakflsh or Squeteague (Cynoscion regalis). The first appearance of the 

 squiteague off Newjjort was on June fourteenth, and at the waning of the scup 

 season there were some good catches in the traps. The culmination period was 

 about June twenty-first. 



Season of 1906. 



Scup. The first scup was caught off Coggeshall's Ledge on April twentieth. 

 From this time vmtil May first about a half-barrel was caught. On May first the 

 familiar announcement, " Scups come," was made by the trappers, and ten barrels 

 were brought in. The catches increased rapidly, and the most abundant period 

 was from May fifth to June fourth. The season closed about June fifteenth. 



A large run of pollock in the middle of May (as in 1905) greatly interfered with 

 the catch, but these fish left about May twenty-first and the scup-fishing was 

 accordingly improved. 



Mackerel. Four mackerel were caught on the fourth of May, but the first 

 shipment out of Newport was May fourteenth — of 25 barrels. By May twenty- 

 fifth the shipments had increased to 300 barrels, and the big " run " commenced 

 on June fourth, when 1,200 barrels were landed at Newport. The season drew 

 to a close near the end of July. 



"Tinkers" arrived in this year on the fourth of June, somewhat ahead of the 

 usual time. 



Butter-fish. This year the butter-fish arrived April sixteenth, a very early 

 date, and fishermen who had been trapping for twenty years or more had seen 

 nothing like it. The usual appearance is in May, and ordinarily they come after 

 the scup arrive, but this year the order was reversed. Several good catches 

 were made in the last part of April and first half of May, and beginning with May 

 twenty-first they were very plentiful. 



Squiteague. The first appearance of weakfish was one straggler on May 

 fourth. Two days later one-half barrel was caught. The big run was about June 

 tenth. 



Striped Bass. Two striped bass were caught April twenty-first, two weeks 

 ahead of the usual date. May ninth, 430 pounds were caught. 



Sea robins made their first appearance April thirtieth. 



Squid came in May fourth, when five barrels were caught in one trap. On this 

 date squid were worth more than scup. 



