FISHES OF THE GULF OF MAINE 



139 



selves. But Miramichi Bay, alone, on the south- 

 ern shore of the Gulf of St. Lawrence yields 

 yearly between three and four times as much 

 smelt as does the entire coastline of the Gulf of 

 Maine. 21 



Catch records do not suggest any striking 

 alteration in the abundance of smelts during the 

 past 10 years or so for Maine or for the Canadian 

 shores of the Gulf. But they seem to have been 

 somewhat more plentiful along the Maine coast 

 previous to the early 1900's, for catches of 

 1,125,268 to 1,279,550 pounds there in 1887, 1888, 

 and 1902 have not been equaled since then, the 

 nearest approach being 968,300 pounds in 1945. 



We are often asked what effect the disappear- 

 ance of the eel grass (Zostera) from our coasts has 

 had on the abundance of the smelt. Unfor- 

 tunately, the statistics of the yearly catch do not 

 yield any clear answer. Neither can we offer any 

 convincing explanation for the violent fluctuations 

 that take place from year to year in the abundance 

 (or availability?) of smelts at one point or another. 

 Fishermen report, for example, that they were far 



» Average reported catch for Northumberland County 1937-1946, wa» 

 2.258,030 pounds. 



less plentiful in Massachusetts Bay and in the 

 Great Bay region, N. H., in 1950 than they were 

 in either of the two previous years. 



The smelt also has a great recreational value, 

 smelt fishing being a favorite pastime for home 

 consumption. As many as 2,326 people, for in- 

 stance, have been counted fishing at one time about 

 Houghs Neck in Boston Harbor, and this same 

 sort of thing is to be seen up and down the Massa- 

 chusetts coast in harbors and stream mouths in 

 autumn. Many smelt are caught in Great Bay, 

 N. H., in good years, through the ice for the most 

 part. And this applies equally to many localities 

 along the coast of Maine. So plentiful are the 

 fish on occasion and so greedily do they bite, 

 especially on the flood tide, that it is usual to 

 number the catch about Massachusetts Bay by 

 the dozens rather than by the individual fish. 

 Sea worms (Nereis) are generally considered the 

 best bait, especially for the larger smelt, shrimp 

 the second best, small minnows or clams a poor 

 third. Smelt have also been taken with a small 

 red artificial fly in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, and 

 perhaps elsewhere. 



THE ARGENTINES 

 FAMILY ARGENTINIDAE 



The argentines resemble the smelts in most of 

 their external characters. But their mouths are 

 much smaller, with the upper jawbone reaching 

 back only about even with the front of the eye, 

 and the entire base of their rayed dorsal fin is in 

 front of the ventral fins. 



Argentine Argentina silus Ascanius 1763 

 Herring smelt 



Jordan and Evermann, 1896-1900, p. 526. 



Description. — The argentine has a pointed nose, 

 deeply forked tail, and slender, compressed body, 

 but it has much larger eyes than either smelt or 

 capelin, a character no doubt associated with its 

 deep-water home; its mouth is much smaller, not 

 gaping back even as far as the eye; and its dorsal 

 fin stands wholly in front of the ventrals, instead 

 of above them as it does in both the smelt and the 

 capelin. 22 



" The anatomy of Argentina silus Is described, and records along the 

 American coast are given by Kendall and Crawford (Jour. Washington 

 Acad. Sol., vol. 12, No. 1, January 1922, pp. 8-19). 



The body of the argentine (about one-fifth as 

 deep as long) tapers toward both head and tail, but 

 its sides are so flat, and its back and belly so 

 broad, that it is nearly rectangular in cross section 

 instead of oval. Its scales, too, are larger than 

 those of the smelt, there being only 60 to 70 rows 

 along the lateral line. Its adipose fin is very small 

 and its jaws are toothless, though its palate and 

 tongue are armed with small teeth. 



Color. — The color of the adult is variously de- 

 scribed by different authors. All agree, however, 

 that the back is brownish or olivaceous, the sides 

 silvery or with iridescent golden or brassy luster, 

 and the belly white. The adipose fin is yellowish. 



Size. — The argeutine is a larger fish than the 

 smelt or the capelin, growing to a length of about 

 18 inches. 



Habits. — Nothing is known of the life of the 

 herring smelt in our Gulf, and little enough is 

 known of it in Scandinavian waters, where it is 

 sometimes caught on deep set-lines baited with 

 herring or mussels, and where it is occasionally 



