144 American Fisheries Society 



even become landlocked in the lakes of New York, 

 although essentially a salt water species. The common 

 names of this species are Branch Herring, Spring Her- 

 ring, Alewife in New England with the modification of 

 Ellwife or Ellwhop in the Connecticut River, Big-eyed 

 or Wall-eyed Herring in the Albemarle River, Grayback 

 (to distinguish it from the Blueback or Glut Herring 

 (P. aestivolis) which arrives after the alewife), and 

 Gaspereau in Canada. 



The alewife is found along the Atlantic coast of the 

 United states from Nova Scotia to Virginia, the range 

 being from the Gulf of St. Lawrence to Cape May. In 

 former days practically all the Massachusetts tidal rivers 

 and streams were populated with this species of fish; 

 but owing to the intervention of man the alewife has 

 been extirpated in many localities and enormously dimin- 

 ished in all. 



The spawning season in Massachusetts varies from 

 year to year, but may begin as early as March and extend 

 even until early June, during which period the alewife 

 ascends the fresh water streams to the ponds at the head 

 of the stream to spawn, and returns during May and* 

 June to the ocean. The eggs, measuring one-twentieth 

 of an inch in diameter, adhere to each other and to 

 various objects in the water. They are fairly hardy 

 and survive conditions that would be fatal to the eggs 

 of more susceptible fish. It is reported that falls and 

 dams exceeding 21/0 feet high prevent the passage of 

 these fish to the spawning ground. On the other hand 

 they readily mount fish ways of various types, selecting 

 the greater current. In Massachusetts two classes of 

 spawning grounds are found: (1) the ordinary brook 

 or river with a tidal estuary into which empties fresh 

 water, which rises in springs, ponds or lakes in many 

 instances several miles from the ocean; and (2) the 

 typical fresh water shore pond, lying close to the salt 

 water, separated only by a narrow sand beach with a 

 natural, shifting or artificial opening. The alewife fish- 

 eries on Martha's Vineyard are in ponds of this type. 



