232 SCIENCE OF FISHING. 



ring", and in Massachusetts and during the later runs la 

 the Rappahannock as the "blueback." This species is less 

 abundant and less valuable as a food fish than the former. 

 Both species average about a half pound in weight and 

 from 8 to 10 inches in length. They are caught in nets, 

 seines, weirs, etc., and besides being of great importance as 

 food fish, are also used for bait. The name "alewife" is 

 applied to the menhaden in Delaware, Maryland and Virginia, 

 The value of the alewife catch in 1908 was $580,000. 



BLUEFISH 'This fish is found on the Atlantic and the 

 Gulf coasts. On the coasts of the New England and Middle 

 States it is generally called "bluefish"; in Rhode Island, 

 "horse mackerel"; south of Cape Hatteras, "skip-jack"; in 

 North Carolina, Virginia and Maryland, "tailor" and "green- 

 fish" ; and on the Gulf of Mexico, "bluefish." The bluefish 

 varies in weight from 1 to 20 pounds, according to the season 

 and locality, and large numbers are caught during the summer 

 months with nets, traps, seines and hand lines. The name 

 "bluefish" is also improperly applied to the squeteague from 

 southern New Jersey to Virginia, to the black sea bass at 

 Newport and New Bedford, to the "greenfish" on the Califor- 

 nia coast south of Monterey, and the "bonito" in the markets. 

 The value of the bluefish catch in 1908 was $506,000. 



BUFFALO FISH Under this general name are included 

 three species, red or big-mouthed buffalo, black or mongrel 

 buffalo, and small-mouthed or white buffalo. The fresh-water 

 suckers, to which the name "buffalo carp" is sometimes erro- 

 neously applied, are found in the waters of the Mississippi 

 Valley. They frequently weigh from 30 to 40 pounds and 

 are caught with nets and hand lines. The value of the 

 catch yearly averages half a million dollars. 



CARP This fish, known as "German carp", is a fresh- 

 water food fish of great interest to fish culturists, and is 

 found in ponds and streams in nearly every state in the 

 Union. As a result of domestication several varieties have 



