390 



FISHERY BULLETIN OF THE FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE 



and is almost as long as the second dorsal, also 

 (less obvious) that its maxillary (upper jaw) bones 

 are not sheathed by the preorbital bone, separate 

 it from all the weakfish tribe (p. 417). Nor is there 

 any danger of confusing it with the sea bass, 

 cunner, tautog, or rosefish, for its two dorsal fins 

 are entirely separate whereas in all these the 

 spiny and soft-rayed parts are continuous, as a 

 single fin. The white perch comes closest to it 

 in general appearance but the two dorsal fins 

 of the perch have no free space between them 

 (p. 405), and its fin spines are stiffer. 



The trunk of the striped bass is 3% to 4 times 

 as long (to base of caudal fin) as it is deep, thick 

 through, its back hardly arched. It has a moder- 

 ately stout caudal peduncle, a long head (almost 

 as long as the fish is deep), two spines on the 

 margin of each gill cover, an oblique mouth gaping 

 back to the eye, a moderately pointed nose, and a 

 projecting lower jaw. Young fish are more 

 slender than old. The two dorsal fins are of about 

 equal lengths; the first (9 or 10 stiff spines) tri- 

 angular in outline, originating over the middle 

 of the pectorals; the second (12 or 13 soft rays) 

 regularly graduated in height from front to rear, 

 and separated from the first by a distinct (though 

 short) space. The anal (about 11 rays preceded 

 by 3 spines) is of about the same size and form as 

 the second dorsal, and originates below the middle 

 of the latter. The caudal is moderately wide and 

 only slightly forked. The pectorals and ventrals 

 are of moderate size, the latter somewhat behind 

 the former. 



Color. — Dark olive green varying to bluish 

 above, paling on the sides, and silvery on the 

 belly, sometimes with brassy reflections. The 

 sides are barred with 7 or 8 narrow, sooty, longi- 

 tudinal stripes, which follow as many rows of 

 scales and which may be variously interrupted. 

 The highest stripe is the most distinct, and all of 

 them but the lowest are above the level of the 

 pectoral fins. The dorsal, caudal, and anal fins 

 are somewhat dusky. 



Size. — The bass grows to a great size, the 

 heaviest of which we have found definite record 

 being several of about 125 pounds that were taken 

 at Edenton, N. C, in April 189 1. 24 One of 112 

 pounds, which must have been at least 6 feet long, 

 was caught at Orleans, Mass., many years ago. 



One of 100}£ pounds is said to have been taken in 

 Casco Bay, Maine, 26 and fish of 50 to 60 pounds are 

 not exceptional. Usually bass, as caught, weigh 

 from 3 to 35 or 40 pounds; the average weight of 

 ones recorded in the register of the former Glades 

 Hotel 26 at Scituate, Mass., during the period 1854 

 to 1858, was about 27 pounds. 



Bass weigh about % pound when 12 to 13 inches 

 long; about 2% to 3 pounds at 18 to 20 inches; 

 about 5 pounds at 24 inches; about 10-15 pounds 

 at 30-32 inches; and about 18-20 pounds at 33-36 

 inches. Twenty-pound bass average about 36 

 inches in length; 30 pounders about 43 inches; 

 40 pounders about 47 to 48 inches. 27 On the 

 Pacific coast 50 pounders run about 50 to 51 

 inches, 28 and the relationship between weight and 

 length runs about the same for very large fish on 

 the Atlantic coast. The record fish caught on rod 

 and reel was one of 73 pounds, taken in Vineyard 

 Sound in August 1913 by C. B. Church. 



Females grow larger than males; probably most 

 bass of 30 pounds and heavier are females. 29 

 Thus the common use of the term "bulls" for the 

 very large ones might better be replaced by "cows." 



Habits. 30 — Stripers are powerful fish; so strong 

 in fact, that they appear to have no difficulty in 

 handling themselves in the surf, where one is some- 

 times seen actually in the translucent crest of a 

 comber just before the latter breaks. But this is 

 not a very swift fish as compared with the mack- 

 erel tribe. Bass often swirl conspicuously at the 

 surface or splash in pursuit of bait fish. They 

 sometimes roll as the little northern porpoise or 

 puffing pig (Phocaena) does. And we have heard 

 of them finning (i. e., with dorsal and tail fins 

 showing). 31 But we have never seen or heard of 

 one leaping clear of the water as tuna and bonito 

 so often do unless hooked in shoal water. 



During the first two years they live mostly in 

 small groups. Later they are likely to congregate 

 in larger schools; this applies especially to those up 



" Smith, North Carolina Geol. and Econ. Surv., vol. 2, 1907, p. 271. 



" Atkins, Fish. Ind. U. S., Sect. 5, vol. 1, 1887, p. 694j 

 •* Kindly lent by John Adams. 



27 For a detailed tabulation of the length-weight relationship for bass from 

 H pound to 47M pounds, see Merriman, Fish. Bull. No. 35, 1941, U. S. Fish 

 and Wildlife Service, p. 7, vol. 50, 1950, pp. 1-77. 



"•* As scaled from a graph given by Scofleld, California Fish and Game, vol. 

 18, 1932, pp. 168-170, fig. 38. 



28 Definite information in this regard is scant. 



s° Interesting recent studies of the striped bass are by Pearson (Bull. IT. S. 

 Bur. Fish., vol. 49, 1938, pp. 825-851) and by Merriman (Fishery Bull. 35, 

 U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 1941, 77 pp.). 



» Frank Mather of the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution reports an 

 instance of this. 



