308 
BULLETIN OF THE BUREAU OF FISHERIES 
(2}4 inches); October 2, 8 fish, 69 to 83 millimeters (2% to 3M inches); October 7, 1 fish, 78 milli- 
meters (3 inches); October 11, 1 fish, 100 millimeters (4 inches); and October 13, 1 fish, 80 milli- 
meters (3M inches). From October 23 to 25, 1915, the Fish Hawk trawled 12 spadefish, 65 to 85 
millimeters (2}4 to 3J^ inches) long, in 7 to 22 fathoms of water off the mouths of the Potomac 
and Rappahannock Rivers. Nothing definite is known beyond this concerning the rate of growth 
or when maturity is reached. 
The spadefish is of minor commercial importance in the lower part of Chesapeake Bay. During 
1922 the catch was about 1,000 pounds, worth $80, all taken in pound nets. 
The season extends from May to October, during which time fish occasionally are caught by 
the pound nets in the lower York River, Cape Charles, Buckroe Beach, Ocean View, and Lynn- 
haven Roads, Va. 
The name “porgie” is given this fish in the lower Chesapeake, where it is well known to most 
of the fishermen because of its occasional yet persistent appearance and its comparatively large 
size. The usual size of market fish is between 3 and 5 pounds. However, fish of 10 or 12 pounds 
are not uncommon. The small catch is readily absorbed by the Norfolk markets. The porgy is 
a good food fish and held in high regard almost everywhere along its range. In North Carolina, 
during 1918, the catch amounted to about 9,000 pounds. In the vicinity of Key West, during the 
same year, about 1,000 pounds were caught. 
This fish is reported to reach a length of 3 feet, but the average is probably less than 1 foot. 
Habitat . — Cape Cod to Rio Janeiro, Brazil; rare north of Chesapeake Bay. 
Chesapeake localities . — (a) Previous records: Gunston wharf, Cape Charles city, Hampton 
Roads, Norfolk, and Ocean View, Va. (6) Specimens in collection: Off Point No Point, off mouth 
of Potomac River, and Crisfield, Md.; mouth of Rappahannock River; Mobjack Bay, Lower York 
River, Buckroe Beach, Ocean View, Lynnhaven Roads, and Lynnhaven Inlet, Va. 
Family LXXIII. — CH/ETODONTID./E. The butterfly Ashes 
Body short and deep, usually strongly compressed; head short; mouth small, with numerous 
bristlelike teeth on the jaws, none on vomer or palatines; gill membranes attached to the isthmus; 
pseudobranchise large; scales small to moderate, ctenoid; dorsal fin single, continuous, the soft part 
frequently elevated anteriorly, densely scaled; anal fin with three or four spines, the soft part similar 
to that of the dorsal; ventral fins thoracic, consisting of I, 5 rays. Color usually brilliant. 
