SYSTEMATIC CATALOGUE OF FISHES. 



317 



Albemarle Sound, being frequently taken in the shad seines and pound nets of 

 the Avoca section. In the Beaufort region the spot is exceedingly abundant, 

 being exceeded in numbers only by mullet among the staple food fishes. The 

 fish is known almost everywhere in the state as "spot", but the name "jimmy" 

 is also in quite general use. 



The species seldom exceeds 10 inches in length and averages only 6 or 7 

 inches. One of the largest specimens of which a record has been made was 

 collected by Mr. Worth at Cape Lookout in November, 1903; it was a ripe male 

 13 inches long over all, 11 inches to base of tail, and 4 inches deep. 



The mouth of the spot is small and weak, and the foot consists chiefly of 

 little invertebrates (mollusks, crustaceans, annelids, sea-urchins, etc.) and 

 young or small fishes. Sea-weeds are not infrequently found in the stomach, 

 but whether they are taken intentionally is not known. 



The male spots makes a drumming sound which is not nearly so loud as 

 that produced by the croaker, the air-bladder being very thin and the special 

 drumming muscle only slightly developed. 



Spawning occurs in North Carolina in late fall or early winter in the salt- 

 water sounds and inlets, but no special observations on the eggs have been 

 made. The very young may be found in great abundance at Beaufort in late 

 winter, and from that time until maturity the growth of the fish may be observed 

 in all the local waters south of Cape Hatteras. In the early part of March the 

 young are about 1 inch long, but some examples only .5 inch long are noted at 

 Beaufort as late as April 1. By the middle of April they have attained a length 

 of 1.6 to 1.75 inches, and by the middle of May they average 2 to 2.25 inches. 

 By June 15 fish 3 to 3.5 inches long are met with, and by the end of that month 

 specimens 4 inches long may be taken. Through the summer the growth 

 continues rapid, and it would seem that spawning size may be reached within 

 a year after hatching. The very young are marked with vague oblique bars, 

 but the characteristic color pattern and the shoulder spot do not appear till the 

 fish are about 2 inches long. 



The spot does not support a special fishery in this state, but is taken inci- 

 dently in seines, gill nets, and pound nets in all the coastal counties, the bulk of 

 the catch being credited to Dare, Carteret, Hyde, and New Hanover counties 

 in the order given. In 1890 the quantity sold was 408,260 pounds, worth 

 $10,862. By 1897 the product had increased to 849,980 pounds, valued at 

 114,197. The yield in 1902 was 872,695 pounds, for which the fishermen 

 received $20,116; of this quantity 208,800 pounds, worth $7,384, were salted. 



In North Carolina, as elsewhere, the spot ranks high as a food and is by 

 many persons regarded as the best of the salt-water pan fishes. There is a 

 good demand for North Carolina spots in Baltimore, Washington, andother mar- 

 kets of the Chesapeake region, and the fish is also rated high as a salt fish for local 

 consumption. 



