FISHES OF CHESAPEAKE BAY 
297 
Virtually nothing is known of the spawning habits of this fish, and fish with large roe seldom 
are seen. From the meager data at hand, it is believed to spawn in the spring, probably in May 
and June. Yarrow observed, at Beaufort, N. C., that females had quite large roe in April. (Smith, 
1907, p. 312.) No ripe fish were seen in the Chesapeake region. A male 14 inches long, taken on 
July 22, and a female 19 inches long, taken on September 26, had gonads in such a state of develop- 
ment that they probably would have matured the following spring. It seems probable, because 
of the rather large number of young (small) fish taken, that this squeteague may spawn within 
Chesapeake Bay. 
The rate of growth of the spotted squeteague is equally as little known as the spawning habits. 
Very young fish are rare in collections, and the smallest ones at hand, having a length of only 
25 millimeters, are among the smallest that have been studied. 
The following record of catches of young fish made in the Chesapeake are given in the hope 
that they may prove of value in future studies of the rate of growth of this species. It is perhaps 
noteworthy that all except the first specimen listed were taken north of the mouth of the Potomac 
River — Rappahannock River, one specimen, 75 millimeters long, taken on July 23; Solomons 
Island 52 fish, Chesapeake Beach 43 fish, Annapolis 2 fish, all taken from August 9 to 18, range in 
length 25 to 75 millimeters; Love Point and Oxford, 6 and 8 fish, respectively, taken from Sep- 
tember 5 to 13, range in length from 51 to 89 millimeters. 
The spotted squeteague is one of the important food fishes of Chesapeake Bay. During 
1920 it ranked ninth in quantity and eighth in value, the catch being 438,797 pounds, worth $43,879. 
In Maryland it ranked thirteenth in quantity and eleventh in value, the catch being about 
20,000 pounds, worth $2,000. The catch is about equally divided between the haul seines and the 
many pound nets found within the State. 
In Virginia it ranked seventh in quantity and eighth in value, the catch being 418,797 pounds, 
worth $41,879. Of this amount, 53 per cent were caught with haul seines, 34 per cent with pound 
nets, 8 per cent with fyke nets, and 5 per cent with gill nets. Norfolk County was credited with 
the largest catch, 115,640 pounds, followed by Northampton with 94,077 and York with 67,845 
pounds. 
The spotted squeteague is caught in the Chesapeake from March until December, including 
two definite shorter periods of abundance — namely, from March until May and from September 
until November. This fish is not taken in large quantities in pound nets. Small numbers, how- 
ever, are taken in nearly every pound, and the aggregate catch of the many traps forms a large 
portion of the total catch of this species. Most of the pound-net catch is taken in March, April, 
and May. A scattering few are taken during the summer, the catch increasing slightly in the fall. 
Quantities of this fish are caught by numerous fyke nets located in the lower parts of the larger 
rivers. It is also taken in small numbers with gill nets, principally about Tangier Island, Great 
, Fox Island, and Pocomoke Sound. The largest part of the catch is taken with haul seines and set 
seines. A special fishery is carried on in the fall with the last-mentioned apparatus. 
Spotted squeteague are caught incidentally with the haul seine along with spots, croakers, etc. 
The set seines, however, are employed chiefly for the spotted squeteague. During 1922, four set 
