Fishes of the IVestern North Atlantic 



299 



in appearance, they move down to salt water." This range in length is close to that 

 of fish of the same age from Chesapeake Bay and does not indicate more rapid growth 

 in the more northern part of the range. However, Bigelow and Welsh added: "In the 

 rivers of Maine the fry may be as long as 5 to 7 inches (125 to 175 mm) by the first 

 week of November." Included in Hildebrand and Schroeder's data there were three 

 specimens from the November collection that ranged somewhere between 145 and 

 244 mm in length {5g)\ these fish were so much larger than the other 137 specimens 

 taken in the same month that one is led again to suspect that they may have belonged 

 to the one-vear class. 





m 



Figure 74. Alosa sapidissima, young, 47 mm TL, 1.88 inches, Beaufort, North Carohna. Drawn by Louella 

 E. Cable. 



The growth rate after the young have entered salt water is not well known because 

 of the lack of specimens available for examination. Hildebrand and Schroeder listed 

 22 specimens that were spending their first winter in the deeper places of Chesapeake 

 Bay instead of continuing their migration to sea {^g: 98). Eight of these, taken in 

 January, ranged between 95-124 mm and averaged 108 mm, 3 taken in February 

 were 95, 105, and 135 mm long, 10 taken in March ranged between 105-159 mm and 

 averaged 142 mm, and 2 taken in May were 145 and 154 mm long. Specimens of a 

 somewhat similar size were dredged during the winter in the estuary of Newport River, 

 Beaufort, North Carolina; 18 specimens caught in January ranged between 73-140 mm 

 and averaged 117 mm; 14 caught in February were 100-160 mm and averaged 

 121 mm; and 3 caught in March were 84, 102, and 120 mm long. 



Using mostly specimens from the Connecticut River, Borodin-^ {ly. 183) deter- 

 mined the age of older fish from the annuli and transverse grooves on the scales, a 

 method confirmed as practicable in Barney's study of otoliths (5: 168). Borodin 

 provided a list of 10 size groups to which he assigned ages as follows: Group i — 58 



26. Borodin, in determining the age of Shad from the scales, used the transverse grooves in addition to the annuli, 

 having discovered that two complete transverse grooves are formed each year. Barney determined their age from 

 the "limy deposits" in the otoliths, which form annual rings; he found that these annuli correspond to the annuli 

 and crossgrooves on the scales used by Borodin. 



