572 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM 



weakfish was supposed to be connected with the reappearance 

 of the bluefish. A similar observation was made by Dr Storcr 

 on the Massachusetts coast. Again, at Woods Hole Mass, in 

 1900, the weakfish was remarkably abundant, the traps at Men- 

 emsha having taken 10,000 in a single day; the bluefish, on the 

 other hand, was unusually scarce during the entire season, not 

 over 50 having been recorded from the adjacent bay and sound. 



The weakfish ranges from the Bay of Fundy to the east coast 

 of Florida. It fluctuates in abundance from year to year. The 

 late Capt. N. E. Atwood is authority for the statement that in 

 1845 the weekly supply in the New York markets was not above 

 1000 pounds. 



The species feeds in the channels upon shrimp, crabs and 

 small fish. In Great South bay we found them eating large 

 quantities of anchovies, and the same observation was made in 

 one of the inlets of Great Egg Harbor bay, N. J. The fish enters 

 the mouths of rivers and migrates freely with the tide. 



The species swims in large schools near the surface and is 

 very voracious, destroying the young even of its own kind. A 

 specimen of about 4 pounds, taken at Islip October 1, 1890, had 

 in its stomach a weakfish weighing about 6 ounces. Fish of 

 4 pounds and a little larger were moderately abundant at this 

 date. 



Weakfish spawn in New York waters in May, and at Cape 

 Cod about the first of June. The egg is j_ inch in diameter and 

 hatches in two days at an average temperature of 60 F. It is 

 buoyant and, under natural conditions, is subject to the influ- 

 ence of wind and current. The spawning season is evidently 

 prolonged in some localities; in Great Egg Harbor bay, for 

 example, young weakfish only 1-J inches long were taken in Au- 

 gust, that is, several months after spawning began. 



The earliest arrival in New York was on May 12, 1889, at 

 Great Hills, Gifford, Staten Island. During the latter part of 

 August 1889, the west channel of Great South bay furnished 

 great numbers of weakfish. The young were found in Blue 

 Point cove late in September; also some half grown individuals. 



