﻿186 
  REPORT 
  OF 
  COMMISSIONER 
  OF 
  FISH 
  AND 
  FISHERIES. 
  

  

  although 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  choicest 
  of 
  pan 
  fishes. 
  Its 
  eggs 
  are 
  deposited 
  about 
  

   the 
  same 
  time 
  and 
  in 
  the 
  same 
  places 
  as 
  those 
  of 
  striped 
  bass 
  and 
  are 
  

   susceptible 
  of 
  the 
  same 
  methods 
  of 
  hatching. 
  Ripe 
  fish 
  are 
  frequently 
  

   taken 
  in 
  shad 
  seiues. 
  The 
  average 
  yield 
  of 
  eggs 
  per 
  fish 
  is 
  about 
  

   40,000. 
  The 
  period 
  of 
  incubation 
  is 
  like 
  that 
  of 
  the 
  striped 
  bass. 
  

  

  THE 
  ALEWIVES 
  OR 
  RIVER 
  HERRINGS. 
  

  

  The 
  alewives 
  or 
  river 
  herrings 
  have 
  the 
  appearance 
  of 
  being 
  small- 
  

   sized 
  shad, 
  but 
  on 
  close 
  inspection 
  will 
  be 
  seen 
  to 
  have 
  characters 
  which 
  

   entitle 
  them 
  to 
  generic 
  distinction. 
  From 
  the 
  shad 
  {Alosa) 
  they 
  differ 
  

   chiefly 
  in 
  having 
  the 
  cheeks 
  longer 
  than 
  deep, 
  fewer 
  and 
  shorter 
  gill- 
  

   rakers, 
  and 
  no 
  notch 
  at 
  the 
  tip 
  of 
  the 
  upper 
  jaw. 
  They 
  also 
  closely 
  

   resemble 
  the 
  common 
  sea 
  herring 
  [Ohqiea), 
  but 
  may 
  be 
  distinguished 
  

   from 
  it 
  by 
  the 
  absence 
  of 
  teeth 
  on 
  the 
  vomer, 
  by 
  a 
  less 
  elongate 
  body, 
  

   and 
  by 
  nnich 
  stronger 
  scutes 
  or 
  plates 
  along 
  the 
  ventral 
  edge 
  of 
  the 
  

   body. 
  The 
  two 
  species 
  of 
  alewives 
  so 
  closely 
  resemble 
  each 
  other 
  that 
  

   they 
  are 
  often 
  confounded 
  by 
  fishermen. 
  

  

  The 
  branch 
  herring 
  [Pomolohus 
  2)seu(loharengus), 
  also 
  known 
  as 
  the 
  

   branch 
  alewife, 
  gasperean, 
  wall-eyed 
  herring, 
  etc., 
  has 
  a 
  rather 
  deep 
  

   and 
  compressed 
  body 
  (the 
  depth 
  being 
  contained 
  3J 
  times 
  in 
  length), 
  

   a 
  large 
  eye, 
  and 
  a 
  pale 
  or 
  gray 
  membrane 
  (peritoneum) 
  lining 
  the 
  

   abdominal 
  cavity. 
  The 
  glut 
  herring 
  [Pomolohus 
  aestivalis), 
  also 
  called 
  

   blueback, 
  sawbelly, 
  kyack, 
  summer 
  herring, 
  etc., 
  has 
  a 
  more 
  elongate 
  

   body, 
  smaller 
  eye, 
  lower 
  fins, 
  and 
  a 
  dark 
  or 
  black 
  peritoneum. 
  

  

  The 
  alewives 
  are 
  the 
  most 
  abundant 
  food- 
  fishes 
  of 
  the 
  east 
  coast 
  

   rivers 
  and 
  rank 
  next 
  to 
  the 
  shad 
  in 
  commercial 
  value 
  among 
  the 
  

   anadromous 
  fishes 
  of 
  the 
  Eastern 
  States. 
  Both 
  species 
  range 
  along 
  

   the 
  entire 
  Atlantic 
  coast 
  of 
  the 
  United 
  States, 
  but 
  the 
  glut 
  herring 
  is 
  

   more 
  numerous 
  southward 
  and 
  the 
  branch 
  herring 
  is 
  the 
  ijrincipal 
  fish 
  

   in 
  New 
  England. 
  The 
  avetage 
  weight 
  of 
  each 
  species 
  is 
  one- 
  third 
  to 
  

   two-fifths 
  of 
  a 
  pound. 
  The 
  maximum 
  is 
  only 
  half 
  a 
  pound. 
  The 
  age 
  

   at 
  maturity 
  is 
  three 
  or 
  four 
  years. 
  

  

  There 
  is 
  an 
  alewife 
  fishery 
  in 
  every 
  coast 
  State 
  from 
  Maine 
  to 
  Florida, 
  

   but 
  two-thirds 
  of 
  the 
  catch 
  is 
  taken 
  in 
  Maryland, 
  Virginia, 
  and 
  North 
  

   Carolina, 
  Chesapeake 
  Bay 
  and 
  Albemarle 
  Sound 
  being 
  the 
  chief 
  cen- 
  

   ters 
  of 
  abundance. 
  The 
  total 
  output 
  in 
  189G 
  was 
  02,060,622 
  pounds, 
  

   having 
  a 
  value 
  of 
  $459,598. 
  These 
  fish 
  usually 
  go 
  in 
  large 
  schools 
  or 
  

   bodies, 
  which 
  are 
  often 
  of 
  immense 
  size. 
  Many 
  hundred 
  thousand 
  

   have 
  frequently 
  been 
  taken 
  at 
  a 
  single 
  seine 
  haul, 
  and 
  they 
  have 
  at 
  

   times 
  been 
  so 
  abundant 
  in 
  North 
  Carolina 
  and 
  elsewhere 
  as 
  to 
  crowd 
  

   out 
  shad 
  and 
  other 
  fish 
  and 
  cause 
  a 
  suspension 
  of 
  shad 
  fishing. 
  

  

  Besides 
  furnishing 
  food 
  for 
  man, 
  in 
  a 
  fresh, 
  pickled, 
  and 
  smoked 
  con- 
  

   dition, 
  alewives 
  are 
  consumed 
  in 
  large 
  quantities 
  by 
  other 
  food-fishes, 
  

   especially 
  in 
  salt 
  water, 
  and 
  are 
  extensively 
  utilized 
  as 
  bait 
  in 
  the 
  

   important 
  line 
  fisheries 
  of 
  New 
  England. 
  

  

  The 
  annual 
  migration 
  of 
  the 
  alewives 
  from 
  the 
  ocean 
  to 
  the 
  fresh- 
  

  

  