334 BULLETIN OF THE BUREAU OF FISHERIES 



Filefish, Monacanthus hispidus (Linnaeus) 



The filefish appears in the inner parts of the gulf only as a stray from warmer 

 seas, recent records being that of a fish taken off Seguin, September 12, 1929, one off 

 Portland lightship, July 17, 1931, and a 6-inch fish at Provincetown, November 6, 

 1929. On the offshore banks, however, it is to be expected more frequently (which 

 accords with its southern origin) for the Albatross II gathered 181 small fry 1 to 2 

 inches long, on the northeastern part of Georges Bank among floating gulf weed 

 (Sargassum) in September 1927; while a larger one was picked up to the southeast of 

 Cape Cod in that same month of 1930. 



Filefish, Monacanthus ciliatus (Mitchill) 



A 7-inch fish taken in a Provincetown trap in November 1929 is the second (and 

 only recent) record of this species within the Gulf of Maine (Firth, 1931, p. 13). A 

 straggler has been reported, however, from Newfoundland — far to the north of its 

 previously known range. 



Unicornfish, Alutera scripta (Osbeck) 



Two specimens of this fish, 5 and 5}i inches long, respectively, caught on the west- 

 ern edge of Georges Bank, constitute the first Gulf of Maine record (Mac Coy, 1931a, 

 p. 16). 



Puffer, Spheroidts maculatus (Bloch and Schneider) 



A specimen taken off Long Island, Portland Harbor, on July 24, 1933, is the 

 first to be recorded from the northern boundary (Casco Bay) of this species since 

 1896. 



Rosefish, Sebastes marinus (Linnaeus) 



It is now known that rosefish may be born in the Gulf of Maine as early as the 

 end of April, for in 1930 we saw gravid females during the last half of that month. 

 In July 1931 the Albatross II trawled many gravid females, 10 to 13% inches long, 

 in the central basin of the gulf; one of these, 13 inches long, contained approximately 

 20,500 young 6 to 7 mm long, ready to be spawned. 



The fact that we obtained many young fish 2}i to 5% inches in length, off the coast 

 of Maine from April to August, suggests that this is the approximate size attained 

 during their first year of life. 



Kecent catches of 75-625 rosefish per haul in a trawl by the Atlantis in 70-130 

 fathoms in the western and northeastern parts of the gulf are evidence of the abun- 

 dance of this species over the soft bottoms of the basins, as well as in other parts 

 of the gulf. The commercial importance of this species has greatly increased of 

 late, the reported landings having risen from 1,288,000 pounds in 1934 to 14,100,000 

 pounds in 1935. 



Black-bellied rosefish, Ilelicolenus dactylopterus (De la Roche) 



A fish 13 inches long, trawled on the eastern edge of Georges Bank in 150 fathoms, 

 October 6, 1929 (Firth, 1931, p. 13), is the first record for this species within the Gulf 

 of Maine. In addition to previous records from outside the gulf, a number of small 

 fish (1% to 3y 2 inches) were trawled off southern New England in 80 to 118 fathoms 

 during 1930. 



