230 
BULLETIN OP THE BUREAU OF FISHERIES 
Color bluish green on back, shading into silvery on sides; fins mostly more or less yellowish, 
the elevated portion of the dorsal dusky; ventrals white. 
This species is represented by 24 specimens, ranging in length from 85 to 200 millimeters (3% 
to 7% inches). This well-known pompano is recognized from other Chesapeake Bay pompanos 
by a body less deep, by the more numerous rays of the second dorsal (23 or 24, compared to 19 or 20 
for T. falcatus and T. glaucus), and by the fact that none of the dorsal or anal rays are notably 
produced. 
The contents of seven stomachs examined consisted of parts of mollusks, crustaceans, fish, 
and ova of unknown origin. The spawning habits of this fish are still unknown. No fish with 
developed gonads were seen. 
The pompano is caught in small numbers in the lower parts of Chesapeake Bay. During 1920 
the catch amounted to 1,650 pounds, valued at $330 to the fishermen. Almost the entire catch 
was taken in pound nets, the rest being caught with haul seines. 
A large catch of pompanos seldom is made in the Chesapeake. Although the quantity taken 
is small, the fish is valuable, nevertheless, and appears regularly each year. In the report of the 
United States Commissioner of Fisheries for 1893 (p. 67) the following statement occurs: 
The pompano ( Trachinotus carolinus) is of constant occurrence in the lower Chesapeake, but rarely appears in great abun- 
dance. The bay represents the northern limit of commercial fishing for this fish. In 1891 there was a remarkably numerous run 
of pompanoes in that part of the bay adjacent to its mouth. According to Mr. J. E. N. Sterling, of Cape Charles City, Va., the 
catch with pound nets and seines on the shores of Northampton County alone was between 20,000 and 25,000 pounds. The inquiries 
of the agents of the office disclosed a yield of 93,700 pounds in the Chesapeake, with a value to the fishermen of $9,620. In the 
following year the catch was much less, the Northampton County fishermen taking less than 5,000 pounds, according to Mr. Sterling, 
although there was said to be a large quantity in the bay which kept offshore out of reach of the nets. 
Very few adult pompanos are caught above Cape Charles city, Va., or the mouth of the York 
River. Fish of commercial size — that is, fish of about 8 inches or more in length — first appear 
sometime in May. In 1921, in a pound net in Lynnhaven Roads, the first pompano of the season 
was taken on May 12. In 1922 the fish first appeared on May 23 at Ocean View, Va., followed by 
others on the 24th at Lynnhaven Roads and several more on the 25th and 26th at both localities. 
A set of two pound nets as a rule does not catch as much as 25 pounds of pompanos in one day before 
the middle of June. The greater part of the fish are taken during July and August. September 
appears to be a poor month, but in October both the pound-net and haul-seine fishermen sometimes 
make comparatively good catches. The last pompanos are caught about November 1. 
While reviewing the records of the daily catch of pompanos taken by a set of two pound nets 
at Lynnhaven Roads for the years 1916 to 1922, it was found that the best catch for consecutive 
days’ fishing occurred from July 24 to August 2, 1916, when 540 pounds were taken. The largest 
amount caught on any one day during this seven-year period was 150 pounds, taken on July 25, 
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