MATERIALS AND METHODS 



Research vessels used during this study were the lU.4-m xiphias and 19. d- 

 m Rorqual from the Northeast Fisheries Center, the 47.2-m Delaware II and 

 57.0-m Albatross IV from the National Ocean Survey, and the chartered 27.4-m 

 Atlantic Twin. Xiphias and Rorqual were used exclusively in the bay areas, 

 Delaware II was used in both the ocean and the bay, and Albatross 17 and 

 Atlantic Twin were used only in the ocean. 



LORAN A navigation was the principal method used for positioning on ocean 

 stations. Radar, land ranges, and visual sightings of buoys were used to 

 position vessels on bay stations and some of the inshore ocean stations. 



Fish collections were made with otter trawls towed at approximately 5.b 

 km/h for 15 minutes at bay stations and 30 minutes at ocean stations. The 

 trawl used aboard Xiphias and Rorqual had a 9.1-m footrope, a 7.6-m headrope, 

 and 7.6-m legs. A Yankee #36 trawl with a 24.4-m footrope, an 13.3-m 

 headrope, and 9.1-m legs was used on Delaware II. The Albatross IV also used 

 the #36 Yankee trawl as well as a #41 trawl with a 30.5-m footrope, a 24.4-m 

 neadrope, and 19.8-m top and 18.3-m bottom legs. The Atlantic T'Jin used a 3/4 

 Yankee trawl with a 16.5-m footrope, an 11.9-m headrope, 11.6-m legs, and 

 16.5-m ground cables. All trawls were fitted with 12.7-mm stretch mesh cod 

 end liners. 



At the conclusion of each tow, the trawl was retrieved and emptied onto a 

 sorting table where all fish species were separated and identified. All 

 specimens of each species were weiyhed to the nearest whole pound and measured 

 from the snout to the middle caudal ray in centimeters. Usually all specimens 

 of each species were measured except when subsamples of very large catches 

 were taken. In such cases, an expansion factor (weight of total catch/weignt 



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