Stephanie Vestal, age 13, of Benninton, Vt., for her question:

HOW MANY EGGS DOES A HADDOCK LAY?

A haddock is a member of the cod family and a very important New England commercial fish. Millions of pounds are caught each year. A female haddock will lay as many as 2 million eggs each year between January and June.

The haddock's eggs float on the ocean's surface for 13 days after they are laid. When the fish hatch, they stay in shallow water near the surface for three months. During this period of time, a great many of them are eaten by other fish.

Those haddock not eaten sink to the bottom of the sea, where they grow into adulthood in three years.

Haddock swim is schools. They eat mollusks and other animals without backbones, such as crabs and worms. The average size of the fish is 20 inches and it weighs three pounds, although some grow to be 40 inches long and weigh 30 pounds. Haddock are frozen or made into fish cakes. Lightly smoked haddock is called "finnan haddie."