386 



ORDERS OF FISHES— SPINY-PINNED FISHES 



form and colors, its table qualities are excel- 

 lent, and it is a persistent breeder. Its ground 

 color is silver-white, on which is laid, along the 

 upper two-thirds of the body, a series of seven 



STRIPED BASS, OE HOCK-FISH. 



straight, equidistant stripes of black. It is a 

 fish of large size, often attaining a weight of 85 

 to 90 pounds, and its flesh is most excellent. In 

 the markets it stands next in desirability to the 

 shad and bluefish. The greatest weight re- 

 corded for this species (by Dr. G. Brown Goode) 

 is 112 pounds. 



The centre of abundance of this fine fish is now 

 from Fire Island, New York, to Albemarle Sound, 

 on the coast of North Carolina. Many great 

 catches have been reported, the most notable of 

 which were the following: At Bridgehampton, 

 N. Y., in 1874, 8,000 in less than a week; by 

 Charles Ludlow, 1,672 bass at one set of a seine; 

 at Norfolk, Va., 1,500 at one haul; in eight days 

 of June, 1879, off Fire Island, one fisherman 

 caught 10,164 pounds. 



The full range of the Striped Bass is from the 

 St. Lawrence River to New Orleans, both along 

 the coast and in all the great rivers which flow 

 into that region. At Cuttyhunk Island, and in 

 scores of other places also, angling for this fish 

 by heaving and hauling through the surf is 

 pursued as one of the most fascinating kinds of 

 sport. 



One of the greatest hits ever made by the 

 United States Bureau of Fisheries in the planting 

 of fish in new localities was the introduction of 

 the Striped Bass into the coast waters of Cali- 

 fornia. In 1879, 135 live fish were deposited 



in Karquines Strait, at Martinez, and in 1882, 

 300 more were planted in Suisun Bay, near the 

 first locality chosen. 



Twelve years after the first planting in San 

 Francisco Bay, the markets of San Francisco 

 handled 149,997 pounds of Striped Bass. At 

 that time the average weight for a whole year 

 was eleven pounds and the average price was 

 ten cents per pound. Fish weighing as high as 

 forty-nine pounds have been taken, and there 

 are reasons for the belief that eventually the 

 fish of California will attain as great weight as 

 those of the Atlantic and the Gulf. 



The San Francisco markets now sell, annually ; 

 about one and one-half million pounds of Striped 

 Bass. This fish has taken its place among an- 

 glers as one of the game fishes of the California 

 coast, and affords fine sport. Strange to say, 

 however, it has not as yet spread beyond the 

 shores of California. 



Regarding this species, the latest records of 

 the United States Bureau of Fisheries are of in- 

 terest. In 1897, the California markets handled 

 2,949,642 pounds, worth $225,527. In 1897, 

 which is the last year fully reported upon, the 

 catch for the whole United States amounted to 

 5,996,882 pounds, worth $440,222. 



THE PERCH AND PIKE-PERCH 

 FAMILY. 



Pcr'ci-dae. 

 The festive little Yellow Perch 1 is, to the 

 small angler, the next step upward from the 



YELLOW PIKE-PERCH. 

 2. CHAIN riCKEREL. 



sunfish — a sort of half-way fish on the road to 



the black bass and tarpon. And there is many a 



1 Per'ca fla-ves' cens . See illustration on page 3S3. 



