silver hake, Atlantic mackerel, striped bass, Illex squid and occasionally fin 

 whales (Bigelow and Schroeder 1953). 



Bottom Trawl Survey Results 



The cumulative spring and autumn distributions over the time series are 

 shown in Figures 4.1 and 4.2. These plots clearly demonstrate the movements 

 of Atlantic herring in the Mid-Atlantic. Large numbers of herring moved south 

 and overwintered in the Mid-Atlantic after spawning in the fall. In Figure 

 4.3 the data from all cruises prior to 1976 has been deleted, presenting a 

 different picture from that in Figure 4.1. The distribution difference in 

 this case was not due so much to the timing of the earlier surveys, but to the 

 fact that population numbers are much higher during the earlier years, 

 resulting in a more widespread distribution. The autumn distribution plot 

 (Figure 4.2) shows small numbers of fish in extreme northern portions of the 

 study area. 



The mean weight and number per tow summaries in Figures 4.4 through 4.7 

 show the increases in weight and numbers during the 1979 survey by fisn from 

 the 1976 year-class which may represent some possibilities for the recovery of 

 the population. 



Length frequencies for strata sets, arranged by seasons, are shown in 

 Figures 4.8 through 4.16. No clear size distribution pattern is evident; 

 mixed sizes occur in most strata sets, especially during the spring. There 

 are no plots for inshore spring strata set 3, inshore autumn strata set 2, and 

 offshore autumn strata set 6 because no fish were caught in those areas. 



90 



