46 FISHES OF THE VICINITY OF NEW YORK 



keel on the lower edge of the body weaker than in the others. It is the 

 same fish that is the object of extensive fisheries in Europe, but in this 

 vicinity is irregular in its occurrence, though sometimes abundant. 

 Most important of the anadromous herrings is the Shad, distinguished 

 by its large size, small scales (about sixty) and deep cheeks, deeper than 

 long. It is still taken in the Hudson River though not as plentifully as 

 formerly. The other three species, with cheeks longer than deep and 

 scales about fifty, are difficult to differentiate. The Glut Herring has 

 the lining of the body cavity black, the others pale. The Hickory Shad 

 has the head long, contained four times in the length to base of tail fin 

 in the adult. The Alewife, the most abundant of the three, has a shorter 

 head (four and two thirds times in the length) and the body heavier 

 forward. It enters small streams to spawn in the spring. 



Shad are taken commercially only in nets, but there are numerous 

 instances of their taking the hook. Adult fish average about four pounds 

 in weight, males sometimes reaching a weight of six pounds and females 

 of eight pounds. 



The Anchovies are a group of small, frail, marine, herring-like 

 fishes with a very large mouth beyond which the pointed pig-like snout 

 projects. They have a more or less developed silvery band from the 

 head to the base of the tail fin. The Common Anchovy occurs in our bays 

 in summer, sometimes in large schools; it has a longer anal fin than the 

 others, of twenty-five or twenty-six rays, and its silvery band is narrow 

 and diffuse. The Striped and Silvery Anchovies have about twenty anal 

 rays. They are more elongate, the snouts more protruding, the silvery 

 band better developed, very sharply defined in the former. The Striped 

 Anchovy has a longer upper jaw, its tip reaching backward past the 

 root of the lower jaw, and is flat, compressed. The Silvery Anchovy has 

 a shorter upper jaw, its tip not reaching the root of the lower, and is 

 rounder, more cigar-shaped. Both species are uncommon in summer 

 and fall, though the Striped Anchovy is extremely abundant further 

 south on the coast of Florida. A fourth species, the Flat Anchovy, is 

 recorded in September. This one has the anal fin very short of only 

 fourteen to sixteen rays. It is a slender species with a bold silvery 

 stripe. 



Trout-like fishes are allied to the herrings but present a quite 

 different appearance. The scales are fine, not usually noticeable, the 

 mouth is large with strong teeth, and there is a small diagnostic 

 adipose fin on the posterior back, identical with that of the catfish. 

 Six species occur within fifty miles of New York; all spawn in fresh water, 



