﻿224 
  REPORT 
  OF 
  COMMISSIONER 
  OF 
  FISH 
  AND 
  FISHERIES. 
  

  

  found 
  from 
  Massachusetts 
  to 
  Florida; 
  it 
  is 
  taken 
  in 
  large 
  quantities 
  

   from 
  New 
  Jersey 
  northward 
  with 
  lines 
  and 
  traps. 
  It 
  attains 
  a 
  weight 
  

   of 
  5 
  pounds, 
  but 
  the 
  average 
  weight 
  is 
  only 
  L 
  or 
  1^ 
  pounds. 
  

  

  THE 
  SQUETEAGUES. 
  

  

  The 
  squeteague 
  or 
  weakfish 
  {Gynoscion 
  regalis) 
  is 
  a 
  prominent 
  food- 
  

   fish 
  of 
  the 
  Atlantic 
  and 
  Gulf 
  coasts, 
  the 
  northern 
  limit 
  of 
  its 
  range 
  

   being 
  in 
  the 
  vicinity 
  of 
  Cape 
  Cod. 
  It 
  goes 
  in 
  immense 
  schools 
  and 
  is 
  

   taken 
  in 
  large 
  quantities 
  for 
  market, 
  in 
  North 
  Carolina, 
  Chesapeake 
  

   Bay, 
  Delaware 
  Bay, 
  on 
  the 
  New 
  Jersey 
  and 
  New 
  York 
  coasts, 
  and 
  in 
  

   southern 
  New 
  England. 
  It 
  varies 
  greatly 
  in 
  size; 
  the 
  average 
  weight 
  

   is 
  under 
  5 
  pounds, 
  but 
  it 
  has 
  been 
  known 
  to 
  attain 
  a 
  weight 
  of 
  30 
  

   pounds. 
  In 
  the 
  vicinity 
  of 
  Woods 
  Hole 
  this 
  fish 
  spawns 
  in 
  June. 
  Its 
  

   eggs 
  are 
  -^ 
  inch 
  in 
  diameter, 
  and 
  at 
  an 
  average 
  temperature 
  of 
  60° 
  P. 
  

   hatch 
  in 
  2 
  days. 
  

  

  The 
  spotted 
  squeteague 
  or 
  " 
  sea 
  trout 
  " 
  ( 
  Gynoscion 
  nebulosum) 
  has 
  

   also 
  been 
  propagated 
  on 
  a 
  small 
  scale. 
  It 
  is 
  a 
  valuable 
  food-fish 
  from 
  

   Chesapeake 
  Bay 
  southward, 
  being 
  taken 
  in 
  largest 
  quantities 
  in 
  Vir- 
  

   ginia, 
  North 
  Carolina, 
  Florida, 
  and 
  the 
  Gulf 
  States. 
  Its 
  average 
  weight 
  

   is 
  2 
  pounds 
  and 
  its 
  maximum 
  10 
  pounds. 
  It 
  spawns 
  in 
  bays 
  and 
  sounds 
  

   in 
  spring 
  and 
  summer, 
  the 
  time 
  varying 
  with 
  the 
  latitude. 
  The 
  eggs 
  

   are 
  buoyant, 
  gV 
  inch 
  in 
  diameter, 
  and 
  hatch 
  in 
  about 
  40 
  hours 
  at 
  a 
  

   temperature 
  of 
  77° 
  F. 
  This 
  species 
  has 
  been 
  artificially 
  hatched 
  on 
  

   the 
  southwest 
  coast 
  of 
  Florida 
  by 
  the 
  steamer 
  Fish 
  Hawk. 
  

  

  THE 
  SHEEPSHEAD. 
  

  

  The 
  sheepshead 
  {Archosargus 
  probatocephalus) 
  is 
  generally 
  regarded 
  

   as 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  best 
  food 
  fishes 
  of 
  American 
  waters. 
  Its 
  deep 
  body, 
  of 
  a 
  

   grayish 
  color, 
  marked 
  by 
  8 
  transverse 
  black 
  bands, 
  and 
  its 
  peculiarly 
  

   shaped 
  head, 
  with 
  mouth 
  armed 
  with 
  prominent 
  in<?isor 
  teeth, 
  make 
  it 
  

   readily 
  recognized. 
  It 
  ranges 
  from 
  Cape 
  Cod 
  to 
  Texas, 
  but 
  is 
  most 
  

   abundant 
  from 
  Chesapeake 
  Bay 
  southward. 
  It 
  attains 
  a 
  weight 
  of 
  

   over 
  20 
  pounds, 
  but 
  the 
  average 
  weight 
  on 
  the 
  Atlantic 
  coast 
  is 
  not 
  

   over 
  7 
  or 
  8 
  pounds, 
  and 
  in 
  the 
  Gulf 
  of 
  Mexico 
  scarcely 
  exceeds 
  3 
  pounds. 
  

   In 
  southern 
  waters 
  the 
  fish 
  is 
  a 
  permanent 
  resident, 
  bnt 
  in 
  the 
  northern 
  

   part 
  of 
  its 
  range 
  it 
  is 
  found 
  only 
  during 
  spring, 
  summer, 
  and 
  autumn. 
  

   The 
  spawning 
  season 
  is 
  from 
  March 
  to 
  June, 
  according 
  to 
  the 
  locality. 
  

  

  The 
  artificial 
  hatching 
  of 
  the 
  sheepshead 
  has 
  been 
  uiKiertaken 
  on 
  

   several 
  occasions, 
  but 
  is 
  not 
  regularly 
  prosecu>ted. 
  The 
  m<ost 
  extensive 
  

   work 
  was 
  conducted 
  by 
  the 
  Fish 
  HmcTc 
  in 
  March 
  and 
  April, 
  1889, 
  when 
  

   23,400,000 
  eggs 
  were 
  taken 
  in 
  tlte 
  vicinity 
  of 
  San 
  Carlos 
  Bay, 
  on 
  the 
  

   southwest 
  coast 
  of 
  Florida. 
  These 
  yielded 
  10,500,000 
  healthy 
  fry, 
  most 
  

   of 
  which 
  were 
  planted 
  in 
  local 
  waters. 
  

  

  In 
  capturing 
  spawning 
  fish 
  on 
  the 
  Florida 
  coast 
  it 
  was 
  found 
  that 
  

   the 
  best 
  time 
  to 
  use 
  the 
  seine 
  was 
  just 
  before 
  sundown, 
  as 
  the 
  flood 
  tide 
  

   was 
  about 
  to 
  " 
  make." 
  The 
  fish 
  were 
  then 
  easily 
  taken 
  in 
  large 
  numbers. 
  

   Seine 
  hauls 
  in 
  the 
  morning 
  consisted 
  only 
  of 
  male 
  fish. 
  Spawning 
  

  

  