﻿MANUAL 
  OF 
  FISH-CULTURE. 
  185 
  

  

  THE 
  STRIPED 
  BASS 
  AND 
  THE 
  WHITE 
  PERCH. 
  

  

  The 
  striped 
  bass, 
  or 
  rocktish 
  (Boccus 
  lineatits), 
  ranges 
  from 
  Kew 
  

   Brunswick 
  to 
  western 
  Florida. 
  It 
  is 
  especially 
  abundant 
  from 
  New 
  

   York 
  to 
  North 
  Carolina, 
  and 
  is 
  taken 
  in 
  large 
  quantities 
  for 
  market, 
  by 
  

   means 
  of 
  seines, 
  gill 
  nets, 
  pound 
  nets, 
  and 
  lines, 
  on 
  the 
  coast 
  and 
  in 
  

   the 
  bays, 
  sounds, 
  and 
  rivers. 
  It 
  is 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  best 
  food-fishes 
  of 
  

   American 
  waters. 
  The 
  annual 
  value 
  of 
  the 
  catch 
  is 
  about 
  $300,000. 
  

  

  Through 
  the 
  efforts 
  of 
  the 
  Commission, 
  this 
  fish 
  has 
  been 
  introduced 
  

   into 
  the 
  waters 
  of 
  California, 
  where 
  it 
  has 
  become 
  very 
  abundant; 
  it 
  

   occurs 
  along 
  almost 
  the 
  entire 
  coast 
  of 
  that 
  State, 
  but 
  is 
  most 
  numerous 
  

   in 
  San 
  Francisco 
  Bay 
  and 
  tributaries. 
  It 
  supports 
  a 
  special 
  fishery, 
  

   and 
  the 
  estimated 
  catch 
  in 
  1897 
  was 
  about 
  1,000,000 
  pounds. 
  It 
  meets 
  

   with 
  ready 
  sale, 
  and 
  is 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  most 
  popular 
  fishes 
  of 
  the 
  west 
  coast. 
  

  

  The 
  striped 
  bass 
  attains 
  a 
  weight 
  of 
  over 
  100 
  pounds; 
  examples 
  

   weighing 
  50 
  to 
  75 
  pounds 
  are 
  not 
  uncommon 
  ; 
  but 
  the 
  usual 
  size 
  of 
  those 
  

   taken 
  for 
  market 
  is 
  3 
  to 
  20 
  ])ounds. 
  Its 
  form, 
  size, 
  and 
  markings 
  make 
  

   it 
  readily 
  distinguishable 
  from 
  other 
  fishes. 
  The 
  color 
  of 
  the 
  body 
  

   is 
  light 
  silvery-green 
  above, 
  white 
  below, 
  with 
  seven 
  or 
  eight 
  blackish 
  

   stripes 
  along 
  the 
  sides. 
  

  

  The 
  striped 
  bass 
  passes 
  most 
  of 
  its 
  time 
  in 
  salt 
  water, 
  but 
  in 
  spring- 
  

   ascends 
  the 
  rivers 
  to 
  spawn. 
  Important 
  spawning-grounds 
  are 
  the 
  

   tributaries 
  of 
  Albemarle 
  Sound, 
  Chesapeake 
  Bay, 
  Delaware 
  Bay, 
  and 
  

   New 
  York 
  Bay. 
  The 
  eggs 
  are 
  sometimes 
  deposited 
  quite 
  near 
  the 
  ocean, 
  

   in 
  brackish 
  or 
  salt 
  water. 
  The 
  number 
  that 
  may 
  be 
  deposited 
  by 
  a 
  

   single 
  fish 
  is 
  immense; 
  a 
  fish 
  weighing 
  only 
  12 
  jjounds, 
  caught 
  at 
  the 
  

   mouth 
  of 
  the 
  Susquehanna 
  Kiver, 
  in 
  May, 
  1897, 
  yielded 
  1,280,000 
  good 
  

   eggs, 
  and 
  a 
  75-pound 
  fish 
  Avould 
  doubtless 
  produce 
  10,000,000 
  eggs. 
  

  

  The 
  commercial 
  importance 
  of 
  the 
  striped 
  bass 
  and 
  its 
  comparative 
  

   scarcity 
  in 
  some 
  waters 
  in 
  which 
  it 
  formerly 
  abounded 
  make 
  its 
  culti- 
  

   vation 
  very 
  desirable, 
  and 
  its 
  eggs 
  have 
  been 
  artificially 
  impregnated 
  

   and 
  hatched 
  on 
  several 
  occasions; 
  but 
  difficulty 
  has 
  been 
  experienced 
  

   in 
  finding 
  a 
  locality 
  where 
  ripe 
  eggs 
  can 
  be 
  regularly 
  taken 
  in 
  large 
  

   quantities. 
  The 
  eggs 
  are 
  free, 
  transparent, 
  and 
  semi-buoyant, 
  about 
  

   J 
  of 
  an 
  inch 
  iu 
  diameter, 
  and 
  have 
  a 
  very 
  large 
  oil-globule. 
  In 
  quiet 
  

   water 
  they 
  gradually 
  sink 
  to 
  the 
  bottom 
  of 
  a 
  vessel 
  and 
  remain 
  there, 
  

   but 
  a 
  very 
  slight 
  agitation 
  of 
  the 
  water 
  causes 
  them 
  to 
  rise 
  and 
  remain 
  

   in 
  suspension 
  for 
  some 
  time. 
  The 
  number 
  in 
  a 
  quart 
  is 
  about 
  24,000, 
  

  

  The 
  tidal 
  apparatus, 
  such 
  as 
  is 
  used 
  for 
  cod 
  and 
  tautog 
  eggs, 
  is 
  

   adapted 
  to 
  hatching 
  the 
  eggs 
  of 
  this 
  fish. 
  At 
  a 
  mean 
  temperature 
  

   of 
  58° 
  F., 
  the 
  hatching 
  period 
  is 
  about 
  74 
  hours. 
  A 
  large 
  oil-globule 
  in 
  

   the 
  anterior 
  iiart 
  of 
  the 
  yolk-sac 
  causes 
  the 
  younger 
  fry 
  to 
  assume 
  a 
  

   perpendicular 
  position, 
  with 
  the 
  head 
  toward 
  the 
  surface 
  of 
  the 
  water. 
  

  

  The 
  white 
  perch 
  {Morone 
  americana) 
  belongs 
  to 
  the 
  same 
  family 
  as 
  

   the 
  striped 
  bass, 
  and 
  closely 
  resembles 
  it 
  in 
  range, 
  habits, 
  and 
  character 
  

   of 
  the 
  eggs; 
  but 
  it 
  is 
  much 
  smaller 
  and 
  less 
  valuable 
  commercially, 
  

  

  