Striped Bass ; Rockfish ; Rock 



It is rather rare in the Gulf of Mexico, and is most common 

 between Cape May and Cape Cod and on the North Carolina coast. 

 It is particularly abundant in the great estuaries and open stretches of 

 large rivers. It is strictly an anadromous fish, living chiefly in salt 

 or brackish water and entering fresh water only at spawning-time. 

 It ascends the l^otomac to the Great Falls, and the other rivers of the 

 Middle States until it meets obstructions. In the St. Lawrence it 

 reaches Quebec at least, and there is a record of an example taken in 

 the Niagara River at Lewiston, but this may have been a misidentitlca- 

 tion of the white bass. 



The great abundance of the striped bass excited the wonder of the 

 early colonists. 



"The Basse is an excellent fish, both fresh & salte, one hundred 

 whereof salted (at market) have yielded s pounds. They are so large, 

 the head of one will give a good eater a dinner, & for daintinesse of 

 diet they excell the Marybones of Beefe. There are such multitudes 

 that I have scene stopped in the river close adjoining to my house with 

 a sande at one tide so many as will loade a ship of lOO tonnes. I my- 

 selfe, at the turning of the tyde have seene such multitudes pass out of 

 a pounde that it seemed to me that one mighte go over their backs 

 drishod." So wrote Captain John Smith; but as his veracity has been 

 questioned in other matters, it is well to give collateral testimony. 

 One of Smith's contemporary divines wrote: "There is a Fish called 

 a Basse, a most sweet & wholesome Fish as ever I did eat; it is alto- 

 gether as good as our fiesh Sammon & the season of their comming 

 was begun when we came first to New England in June and so con- 

 tinued about three months space. Of this Fish our Fishers take many 

 hundreds together, which I have seene lying on the shore to my ad- 

 miration; yea, their Netts ordinarily take more than they are able to 

 hall to Land." 



Near Norfolk, Virginia, i soo have been taken at a single set of the 

 seine. At one haul 600 were taken that averaged 80 pounds each. 

 Dr. W. R. Capehart of Edenton, North Carolina, has for many years 

 had the most important striped bass fishery on our coast. During the 

 shad and herring season the striped bass appear in great numbers 

 at the head of Albemarle Sound, where many marvelous catches 

 have been made. At one time about 30,000 pounds were taken 

 at one haul. Many of these weighed 7s to 8s pounds each. At 

 another haul 820 fish weighing 37,000 pounds were taken. Among 



374 



