64 
BULLETIN OF THE BUREAU OF FISHERIES 
The average rate of growth as shown by the tables, is quite regular and rapid 
during the first several months of life. 
The data are not sufficient to show how it 
progressed during the winter nor the sec- 
ond summer. However, since the average 
length during November of various samples 
taken over a period of several years, 
consisting of a total of 327 fish, is 135.01 
millimeters ( 5 % inches) with an apparent 
maximum length of 209 millimeters (8K 
inches), it seems evident that some of the 
earliest and fastest growing individuals of 
this year class reach a marketable size, 
and probably maturity, during their sec- 
ond summer. Others may require a year 
longer. 
Welsh and Breder (1923, p. 188) produce 
limited data which they believed tended 
to show that the fish reached a length of only 
140 to 240 millimeters (5 % to 9 ){ inches) 
at Fernandina, Fla., by the second winter, 
the modal length being around 170 milli- 
meters (6 % inches). In New Jersey the 
rate of growth was thought to be a little 
slower, as individuals apparently in their 
second winter averaged only about 160 
millimeters (6 % inches) in length. The 
authors conclude that maturity is reached 
in about 3 years. We agree that some in- 
dividuals no doubt require 3 years to reach 
a marketable size and maturity. However, 
it seems certain, as already shown, that 
at Beaufort not an inconsiderable number becomes mature and marketable before 
an age of 3 years is attained. 
Table 2. — Monthly summaries of length measurements of 1,519 Menticirrhus americanus during 
their first year of life ( based on table 1 ) 
APR. my JURE MY AU6. SEPT. OCT. NOV DEC JAN. FEB. tlAR. 
Figure 10. — Growth of Menticirrhus americanus during first 
year or so of life. Solid line, average size; dot and dash line, 
maximum size; broken line, minimum size. (Graph based 
on table 2.) 
Month 
Fish 
meas- 
ured 
Smallest 
milli- 
meter 
Largest 
milli- 
meter 
Average 
milli- 
meter 
Month 
Fish 
meas- 
ured 
Smallest 
milli- 
meter 
Largest 
milli- 
meter 
Average 
milli- 
meter 
A 1 
2 
4 
5.5 
4.75 
October.. . 
140 
21 
194 
71. 2 
TVTfl v 
3 
2. 75 
6 
3.91 
November 
328 
15 
209 
135. 01 
Tpjnp 
28 
3 
17 
8.0 
December 
49 
63 
1 186 
153. 2 
326 
1.7 
102 
31.42 
January 
32 
106 
i 192 
i 133. 28 
August. 
406 
5 
156 
57. 48 
February 
6 
120 
223 
183. 33 
September — 
183 
2.5 
156 
63. 05 
March ... ... 
16 
191 
237 
216.6 
i The apparent decrease in length, of course, shows that the larger individuals of the year class either were not present or not 
properly represented. 
MENTICIRRHUS SAXATILIS (Bloch and Schneider) 
The range of Menticirrhus saxatilis extends from Maine to Florida. Therefore, 
its range overlaps considerably that of americanus and also to a lesser extent that of 
littoralis. However, it ranges farther northward and apparently not as far southward 
as the other local species. In Chesapeake Bay and southward saxatilis is less numer- 
i 
