FISHES OF THE GULF OF MAINE 



471 



Half a century ago when halibut were more plentiful in the Gulf of Maine than 

 they are to-day, and when line trawlers from Gloucester still resorted regularly to the 

 deep gully between Browns and Georges Banks, they frequently caught large grena- 

 diers which probably were of this species, and likewise caught them in the deep 

 gullies on the Scotian Bank farther to the eastward, as well as off its seaward slope. 

 Fishermen even described them as common enough to be a nuisance, for they were 

 of no commercial value and stole bait meant for better fish. It was on the 

 strength of such reports that Goode (et al., 1884, p. 244) described it as "exceedingly 

 abundant on all our offshore banks." During the early days of the Bureau of 

 Fisheries a few were brought in by fishermen from "off the coast ot New England,"" 

 and no doubt fishermen still hook them as of old off La Have and Sable Island 

 Banks. However, it is long since one has been reported from the Gulf of Maine, 

 not because they are no longer to be caught but simply because less line trawl 

 fishing is now done there in water deep enough. One hundred fathoms may be set 

 as the usual upper limit for this grenadier, and most of those caught have been 

 from 100 to 300 fathoms on both sides of the Atlantic, while it has been taken as 

 deep as 677 fathoms by the Albatross off the southeast slope of Georges Bank. It 



Fig. 237. — Long-nosed grenadier (CceJorhynchus carminatus 



is supposed to feed on small fish and on Crustacea but we find no definite record of 

 the contents of its stomach. Females with the roe nearly ripe have been taken off 

 northern Norway in May, suggesting that it is a spring spawner, but nothing more 

 definite is known of its breeding habits. 



164. Long-nosed grenadier {Codorhynchus carminatus Goode) 



Jordan and Evermann, 1896-1900, p. 2588. 



Description. — This species so closely resembles the common grenadier (p. 468) 

 in general appearance that there is danger of mistaking it for the latter; but it is 

 identifiable by the facts that its dorsal spine is perfectly smooth and its first dorsal 

 fin rounded instead of acutely triangular, while the snout overhangs the mouth 

 farther and is more pointed and flattened (commonly described as "sturgeonlike," 

 but this characterization applies better to other members of the genus which have 

 still longer snouts). 



Color. — Described as silvery gray. 



Size. — About 10 inches long. 



" Bean, 1881, p. 80. 



