394 
BULLETIN OF THE BUREAU OF FISHERIES 
DISTRIBUTION OF YOUNG 
Both species are hatched at the surface from floating eggs, as stated elsewhere, 
but some of the young appear to descend to the bottom at a very early age. In 
towings made with 1-meter nets when two nets were operated simultaneously, one 
at the surface and the other on the bottom, young anchovies 12 millimeters and less 
in length (larger fish seldom were caught in the townets) were taken 57 times at the 
surface and 86 times on the bottom. Some of the collections, both from the surface 
and the bottom, contain numerous fish, indicating that young (larval) anchovies, at 
times and in some places, may be numerous at the surface as well as on the bottom. 
The fact that they were taken more frequently in the bottom than in the surface 
tow appears to show, however, that these young may be more commonly present on 
the bottom, but it seems quite certain that they may occupy any depth within the 
area where the collections were made. 
Very young anchovies were taken in abundance over the entire area in which 
towings were made, extending from stations 15 miles off Beaufort Inlet, through 
Beaufort Harbor, and throughout the salt and brackish estuary of Newport River. 
After the young reach a length of about 12 millimeters and above, they may be 
taken with fine-meshed seines in shallow grassy areas which are favorite haunts of 
the adults also. The fish are not confined to the shallow, grassy water, however, as 
old and young are obtainable in the deeper waters with suitable collecting nets. 
GROWTH 
Young anchovies grow rapidly. According to collections made with a bobinet 
seine which permitted the escape of many of the smaller young, the average length of 
the fish of the O class of A. epsetus taken by this method of collecting was 28.3 milli- 
meters (99 fish measured) in June, and the maximum length was 43 millimeters; in 
July, the average length had increased to 41.3 millimeters (157 fish measured), and 
the largest fish was 65 millimeters long; in August, the average length was 55.5 milli- 
meters (218 fish measured), and the maximum length was 83 millimeters; and in 
September, the average length had increased to 61.1 millimeters (200 fish measured), 
and the largest fish of the 0 class taken was a little smaller than the largest of the 
previous month, as it had a length of only 78 millimeters. The measurements do 
not show the actual average length of the fish of the 0 class, for the earlier months 
at least; for the smallest young are not included, as already explained. For the 
later months (August and September) the fish taken probably are fairly representa- 
tive. The measurements at least show the approximate rate of growth of the larger 
young during the first summer. Since A. epsetus frequently is sexually mature at a 
length of 75 millimeters (3 inches), it is quite certain that at least the early young 
of each spawning season reproduce the following season; that is, at the age of 1 year. 
The rate of growth in A. mitchilli is much more difficult to follow, largely because 
of the longer spawning season and also partly because of the smaller size attained. 
It is reported elsewhere that small young (12 millimeters long) were taken in Decem- 
ber, and these fish, because of slow growth during the winter, are still rather small 
when the new brood begins to appear the following May. The result is that some 
of the 0 class and some of the smaller fish hatched late in the previous season soon 
intergrade in length, and the measurements made are of no value in separating 
them. The younger fish (0 class) appear to be more scantily pigmented, however, 
and they accordingly are more nearly transparent and more delicate in general 
