FISHES OF CHESAPEAKE BAY 
13 
Dislribution of species — Continued 
Species 
North and 
south 
South only 
North only 
Chesapeake 
Bay only 
Spec ies 
North and 
south 
South only 
North only 
Chesapeake 
Bay only 
X 
Gobiosoma bosci _ 
X 
X 
Gobiosoma ginsburgi sp. nov - 
X 
X 
Microgobius holmesi 
X 
X 
Microgobius eulepis 
X 
Micropogon undulatus 
X 
Mugilostoma gobio gen. et sp. nov.. 
X 
X 
Echeneis naucrates 
X 
U mbrina coroides . _ 
X 
Astroscopus guttatus 
X 
Menticirrhus saxatilis 
X 
Chasmodes bosquianus 
X 
X 
X 
Menticirrhus littoralis 
X 
Blennius fucorum 
X 
Cynoscion nebulosus 
X 
Rissola marginata _ __ . 
X 
Cynoscion nothus 
X 
Opsa nus tau 
X 
Cynoscion regalis 
X 
Gobicsox strumosus 
X 
X 
Balistcs carolinensis 
X 
X 
Monacanthus hispidus 
X 
X 
Ceratacanthus schoepfi 
X 
Hemitripterus americanus 
X 
Lactophrys trigonus 
X 
Cyclopterus lumpus. 
X 
Lagocephalus laevigatus 
X 
X 
X 
Prionotus carolinus 
X 
Tetraodon testudineus 
X 
Prionotus affinis sp. nov 
X 
Diodon hystrix 
X 
Cephalacanthus volitans 
X 
Chilomvcterus schoepfi 
X 
Tautoga onitis 
X 
X 
Tautogolabrus adspersus 
X 
X 
X 
X 
GENERAL STATISTICS 1 AND REMARKS ON FISHERIES OF CHESAPEAKE 
BAY 
Fishing in Chesapeake Bay is confined almost wholly to the period extending 
from about March 1 to November 1. Activities begin in the lower sections of the 
bay early in March, whereas the fishermen at the head of the bay usually do not set 
their nets until early in April. The first catches of the season consist of shad and 
herring, which arrive at the entrance about a month earlier than at the head of the 
bay. The first catches generally are small but remunerative, because they bring 
fancy prices, and therefore the nets are set early enough to intercept the earliest 
arrivals. 
The biological fact that, exclusive of the rockfish, the white perch, the common 
eel, and a few other species of little importance, the commercial fishes leave the bay 
during the fall of each year and return the following spring is brought out in the 
discussions of the various species. This migration leaves the waters of the bay 
largely barren of fish during the winter months, and it is for that reason that nearly 
all fishing operations are discontinued by about the 1st of November and are resumed 
the following March or April, when the fish begin to return. The earliest to arrive, 
as already shown, are the shad and herrings, followed rather shortly by the croaker, 
kingfish, and several other species. 
1 The statistical data given here and elsewhere in this work, unless otherwise stated, are largely taken from the reports of 
the United States Commissioner of Fisheries. Since the statistics arc given by counties in these reports, it was necessary to esti- 
mate the part taken within the bay proper for those counties not wholly on Chesapeake Bay. However, the original working 
sheets on which the data were compiled were available in the Bureau of Fisheries for our use for the statistics of 1920. These sheets 
contained the catches by localities, and for this year we were able to obtain fairly definite figures on the amount taken within the 
bay; and for those years where the amounts for. certain counties had to be estimated, the relative proportion of 1920 was used in 
arriving at the estimated quantities taken within the bay itself. It is quite certain, however, that the figures are approximately 
correct. It will be noticed, also, that in some instances the figures given in the present report have been reduced to round numbers. 
