70 



BULLETIN 792, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



WHITING. 



"This fish is otherwise known as the 'kingfish' and 'sea-mink'; it 

 is abundant from Cape Ann to Pensacola. The sand-whiting, also 

 known as 'deep-water whiting,' is abundant from Chesapeake Bay 

 to Texas. The surf-whiting, also called the 'silver-whiting,' is common 

 from the Carolinas to Texas. The California whiting is also known 

 as the 'sand-sucker.' On the coast of Florida they are variously 

 known as 'kingfish,' 'barb,' 'bullhead whiting,' and 'ground mullet.' 

 They attain a length of 10 inches and a weight of one and one-half 

 pounds. They are caught with hook and line and in seines, and are 

 a food fish of considerable importance. The name is also apphed to 

 the harvest-fish at Norfolk, Virginia, and to the silver hake on the 

 New England Coast." 



The holdings of frozen whiting on November 15, 1918, amounted 

 to 15,012,968 pounds, an increase of 17.5 per cent over the stocks 

 on November 15, 1917. With the exception of herring stocks there 

 were more frozen whiting in cold storage at this date than of any 

 other variety. They amounted to approximately 14 per cent of all 

 fish frozen during the year. The lowest stock reported was on May 

 15, whenthe reports showed 867,531 pounds. The holdings decreased 

 from January 15 to May 15 and increased from May 15 to Novem- 

 ber 15. 



Table 64. — Monthly cold storage holdings of frozen whiting during 1918, and increase 

 or decrease during each month. 



Month. 



Holdings 



Relative 



on fifteenth 



percent- 



of month. 



age. 



Pounds. 



Per cent. 



7.457,961 



. 49.7 



4,307,SS0 



28.7 



2,196,.354 



14.6 



1,150,230 



7.7 



867,531 



5.8 



3,130,139 



20.8 



8,111,793 



54.0 



11,346,792 



75.6 



12,912,654 



86.0 



13,409,424 



89.3 



15,012,968 



100.0 



13,015,866 



86.7 



Increase or decrease 

 during month. 



January,-. 

 February.. 



March 



April 



May 



June 



July 



August 



September 



October 



November 

 Decenaber. 



Pounds. 

 -3,150,071 

 -2,111,536 

 -1,046,124 

 - 282,699 

 +2,262,608 

 +4,981,654 

 + 3,234,999 

 + 1,565,862 

 + 496,770 

 + 1,603,544 

 -1,997,102 

 -2,790,660 



Per cent. 



- 42.2 



- 49.0 



- 47.6 



- 24.6 

 +260.8 

 + 159.2 

 + 39.9 

 + 13.8 

 + 3.8 

 + 12.0 



- 13.3 



- 21.4 



Table 65. — Monthly cold storage holdings of frozen whiting during 1918 compared 



with those of 1917. 



Month. 



January 



February,. 



March 



April 



May 



June 



July 



August 



September 



October 



November. 

 December. 



Reported for 1918. 



Storages 

 reporting. 



Number. 



94 



101 



109 



102 



73 



69 



74 



75 



70 



72 



77 



86 



Holdings 



reported 



on fifteenth 



of mionth. 



Pounds. 



7,457,961 



4,307,890 



2,196,354 



1,150,230 



867,531 



3,130,139 



8,111,793 



11,346,792 



12,910,654 



13,409,424 



15,012,968 



13,015,866 



Comparison with 1917. 



Storages 



reporting 



for both 



dates. 



Number. 

 77 

 79 

 87 

 85 

 59 

 54 

 60 

 61 

 55 

 67 

 76 

 85 



1917. 



Pounds. 



2,572,581 



935,435 



393,300 



140,089 



128,364 



4,564,823 



9.046,728 



10,905,627 



9,931,049 



11,424,723 



12,339,486 



11,498,434 



1918. 



Pounds. 



5,462,105 



2,458,416 



958,091 



.599,778 



517,662 



2,522,827 



7,413,594 



10,592,141 



11,848,235 



12,764,202 



14,495,768 



12,997,666 



Increase 



or 

 decrease. 



Per cent. 

 + 112.3 

 + 162.8 

 + 143.6 

 + 328.1 

 + 303.3 



- 44.7 



- 18.1 



- 2.9 

 + 19.3 

 + 11.7 

 + 17.5 

 + 13.0 



