FOREST, FISH AND GAME COMMISSION. 39/ 



every lift. Daring the next four years the fish was also observed, but none has been 

 seen since 1890. It is recorded from Newport, R. I., where it was taken in traps, but 

 it is not regularly found north of the Carolinas. 



56. Menhaden ; Bunker {Brcvoortm tyrannus Latrobe). 



Mitchill wrote of the Menhaden under the names Bony-fish, Hard-heads, or 

 Marshbankers of New York as follows : " From the high banks of Montock I have 

 seen acres of them purpling the water of the Atlantic Ocean. The waters of Long 

 Island Sound and its bay are often alive with shoals of them." 



DeKay adds to the common names of this fish Panhagen, Skippang and Bunker, 

 the last two having been in use at the east end of Long Island. He says the Men- 

 haden appear on the shores of Long Island about the beginning of June. At the 

 time of his writing they were commonly sold where caught at $2 a thousand. 



Ayres stated that the Menhaden was occasionally eaten, but was almost 

 exclusively used for manure. The nets used for taking them at the east end of the 

 island were very long and a million fish were sometimes taken at a haul. He stated 

 that they were often sold at 50 cents a thousand. 



The fish arrive in Gravesend Bay in May, remaining throughout the summer; 

 sometimes as late as November. 



The young and adults were very abundant in Great South Bay and connecting 

 bays to the eastward in 1901. Size of young varied as follows: 



July 24, - - - - - - - - 2^ inches. 



Aug. 8, - - - . - - - - lY^ to 41^ inches. 



Aug. 21, - 3^ to 414; inches. 



Aug. 23, - - - - - ■ - - 51^ inches. 



Sept. 14, - - - . - - - - 554 to 5^:^ inches. 



Immense schools of young were seen in the eastern end of Great South Bay and 

 in Quantic Bay ; smaller schools were met in Shinnecock Bay. On August 29, many 

 schools of large Menhaden were present in Great South Bay and there were some 

 bunches containing only 2,000 to 3,000 fish. They were preyed upon by sharks, 

 bluefish and weakfish, and were closely followed by fishermen who caught them for 

 the fertilizer factories near Fire Island Inlet. 



When Menhaden are schooling plentifully in Great South Bay the presence of 

 sharks near by is indicated. Sharks are extremely annoying and destructive to 

 netting, especially to gillnets in which Menhaden are caught. In their attacks upon 

 the fish they bite great holes in the net, and frequently force their way through 

 them. 



