PROGRESS IN BIOLOGICAL INQUIRIES, 193 4 349 



satisfactory, both from the staiulpoint of catchinf]^ efficiency and from 

 the standpoint of exchidini; the ])rotected sizes from the catch, a 

 definite improvement in rej^uhition couhl be attained. 



After an initial survey has determined the percentage of the popu- 

 lation to be protected by size limits or other means, a continuous 

 observation of the effects of new regulations would be necessary to 

 determine their adequacy. 



SHORE FISHES OF THE MIDDLE ATLANTIC STATES 



The shore fishes of the Middle Atlantic States (New York, New 

 Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Delaware) are of especial interest because 

 they not only support an important commercial fishery but also pro- 

 vide a basis for a sport fishery the magnitude of which is not gen- 

 erally appreciated. Quite aside from its recreational value, this sport 

 fishery has commercial aspects of great importance. The business of 

 catering to the needs of anglers (boats and guide service, transporta- 

 tion, tackle, and bait) has reached astonishing proportions and has 

 become an important item in the economics of seashore communities 

 in these States. 



Investigations of these shore fishes w^ere continued under the direc- 

 tion of K. A. Nesbit, assisted by W. C. Neville. As in 1933, reduction 

 of appropriations necessitated severe curtailment of activity. Field 

 work was limited to a single visit to producing areas in October and 

 to a 3-month observation of the catches made by the winter-trawl 

 fishery. Prof. A. E. Parr, curator of the Bingham Oceanographic 

 Foundation, continued his studies of the early life histories of these 

 fishes in southern New Jersey. 



Sqii-eteague. — By the end of 1933 satisfactory methods of investi- 

 gation had been developed and enough of the data collected between 

 1927 and 1933 had been analyzed to permit a summary of the prin- 

 cipal scientific findings with regard to the life history of the 

 squeteague. In 1934, additional scale and length frequency data, 

 secured in October, were analyzed, and additional tag returns were 

 received. Also, a large part of the earlier scale collections were 

 examined according to the circulus spacing method for determining 

 origins and subsequent migrations. The results confirm and 

 strengthen the views expressed in the 1933 report. 



Since the conservation recommendations which follow are based on 

 these scientific findings, it is desirable to summarize them briefly: 



(1) Not more than one-half of the squeteague taken north of Dela- 

 ware Bay are the product of local spawning. This view is based on 

 the observation that not more than one-half of the northern 

 squeteague have scales of the type characteristic of northern juveniles. 

 It is possible that even these northern juveniles are the product of 

 southern spawning, migrating to northern waters early in the first 

 summer of their lives. This suggestion is based on the observations 

 of Professor Parr. Although he has found squeteague eggs in sev- 

 eral New Jersey and New York localities each year from 1929 to 

 1934, the larvae are uniformly absent from the collections. This is 

 in marked contrast to the presence of larvae in Virginia and North 

 Carolina waters as reported by Hildebrand and Cable (1934) and by 

 Pearson (unpublished manuscript). 



