150 BULLETIN OE THE BUREAU OF FISHERIES. 
Cynoscion regalis (Bloch and Schneider). Squeteague, Weakfish, Trout, 
Sea Trout, Gray Trout, Summer Trout, Shad Trout, Sun Trout, Yellow- 
finned Trout, Black-tail. 
Cynoscion regalis (fig. 14) is found in abundance along the Atlantic coast, 
from Cape Cod to eastern Florida. It is one of the important food fishes of the 
United States and is economically the most important species of the Scisenidse, 
or drum family. In 1917 the fisheries of New Jersey alone produced 11,000,000 
pounds, with a first value of $480,000. 
The fish first appear along the middle Atlantic coast in April and May, when 
there is a run of adult fish into the hays and sounds. Shortly after their first 
appearance the fish return to the larger hays and possibly to the ocean to spawn. 
The spawning season is an extended one, commencing early in May and continu- 
ing until September, but the great majority of the fish spawn between the middle 
of May and the middle of June. The season appears to be little affected by lati- 
tude, spawning occurring at approximately the same time from the Carolinas to 
Cape Cod. 
In Delaware Bay the principal spawning ground is on the eastern side of the 
bay between Maurice River Cove and Cape May, in from 3 to 5 fathoms of water, 
with a bottom of mud and sand. The fish assemble there in large schools in the 
latter part of May, and spawning takes place on the bottom. The fertilized eggs 
immediately float up to the surface and are carried about by the tidal currents. 
By July 1 the greater part of the spawning is completed, but ripe fish are occasion- 
ally taken throughout the summer, and it is certain that large numbers of fish do 
not spawn until September. The existence of this prolonged season is confirmed 
by the wide variation in size among the samples of young fish that have been 
taken from time to time in the winter months, the range in length of fish of the 
previous summer’s hatch extending from 6 to 22 cm. (2f to 8§ inches). 
The water temperatures at which fertile eggs have been taken in the townets 
range from 60 to 70° F. (15.5 to 21° C.); the salinity, from 28.01 to 30.9; and the 
density (at 17.5° C.), from 21.39 to 23.6. 
EGGS AND DEVELOPMENT. 
The ripe eggs of Cynoscion regalis are buoyant, floating as soon as extruded. 
They are spherical and for any one fish are almost uniform in size, although the 
eggs of different individuals vary greatly in this respect, the diameter of some 
measured at Cape May ranging from 0.8 to 1.03 mm. They are almost colorless 
and are slightly adhesive at first. The yolk contains from one to four (possibly 
more in some cases) highly refractive oil globules, pale amber in color. When 
only one globule is present, its diameter ranges from 0.2 to 0.27 mm. 
