American Fisheries Society 273 



in books as to the size of the weakfish. The average seems 

 to be somewhere over two pounds. In Massachusetts and 

 Rhode Island much larger ones are caught. Apparently the 

 southern species becomes larger than the northern, so that 

 from two to three pounds is the most correct statement. 

 Sometimes a school of the northern weakfish may be com- 

 posed of fishes not more than three-quarters of a pound in 

 weight. I now quote Baird who wrote in 1854. 



The maximum is difficult to state. As you are aware, 

 there is no definite limit in growth among fishes as there is 

 in warm-blooded animals — birds and mammals. 



In some of the statements in the books you will find that 

 the weakfish is put down as attaining a maximum of 30 

 pounds. Now it is possible that occasionally a weakfish 

 may attain that weight, but I never have seen an authentic 

 case mentioned. The heaviest weakfish that we have 

 authentic information about is one weighing 17^ pounds. 

 The next largest that I know of weighed 14. Many ob- 

 servers who testified in Rhode Island said that the largest 

 they ever knew was under 10; one witness said 9 and 

 another 8. So that although a maximum of 30 pounds is 

 conceivable, it is not probable. We can in fine put the 

 average weight as somewhat over 2 pounds. That I think 

 will be a fair average for the north; it is considerably 

 larger in the south. 



The age at which maturity is reached is another question 

 concerning which there are differences of statement. It 

 has been recorded that the weakfish attains its full growth 

 in a year — that is, that a fish that was last year hatched from 

 the egg will mature the present year. That seems to have 

 been based upon the rapidity of growth of the young in the 

 first two months, but I do not think that it will stand the test 

 of observation. More correct probably is the inference that 

 it takes generally nearly three years to mature, that it is 

 only the weakfish of the third year after its escape from the 

 tgg that is ready to propagate. 



Now I am fearful of going too much into detail and 



