THE MENHADEN FISHERY 149 



dant in New England waters, but rely mostly on other industrial fishes 

 and cuttings from fish filleting plants^^. 



In the Gulf of Mexico, the fishery is active from May to October, with 

 a peak of seasonal abundance usually occurring in July or August. Fishing 

 is conducted along a relatively short stretch of the northern Gulf Coast 

 from Sabine Pass on the Texas and Louisiana border eastward to 

 Alabama^^. Legal restrictions preclude fishing for menhaden along the 

 Texas and Alabama coasts: however, catches made in Louisiana waters 

 may be landed and processed in Texas. Approximately three-fourths of 

 the Gulf catch is taken east of the Mississippi River, between Breton 

 Sound and Mississippi Sound; consequently, most of the reduction plants 

 are located in this area. There were 11 menhaden reduction plants in 

 operation in the Gulf of Mexico in 1961, including 3 in Texas, 5 in 

 Louisiana, and 3 in Mississippi. In some years, menhaden occur in suffi- 

 cient abundance along the central west coast of Florida to support a 

 single plant at Apalachicola. 



Fishing Vessels and Gear. A fleet of about 200 carrier vessels is 

 employed in the purse seine fishery. These vessels transport the crew, 

 gear, and the catch between the reduction plants and fishing grounds and 

 serve as a base of operations at sea. Most of the vessels in the carrier 

 fleet have been built specifically for these purposes, although otter 

 trawlers, Navy minesweepers, and various other craft also have been 

 converted for use as carriers. 



The design of the carrier vessels has remained essentially unchanged 

 since the early days of the industry. Basically, these vessels are laid out 

 with a high bow, a low stern, a large fish hold amidships, and two houses, 

 one forward and one aft of the fish hold. The forward housing includes a 

 galley on the main deck and pilot house and officers' quarters above. 

 Crew's quarters are below deck, beneath the forward house. The after 

 housing encloses the main engine and auxiliary power equipment. A mast, 

 with its conspicuous crow's nest and boom, is located just aft of the for- 

 ward housing. 



Carrier vessels range in length from less than 75 to 195 feet, with those 

 between 120 and 135 feet being most common. They vary from about 

 75 to 650 gross tons in weight and average around 200 gross tons. These 

 vessels are powered by a single diesel engine which ranges from about 

 250 to 1280 horsepower, with the majority between 400 and 600 horse- 

 power. Older vessels are of wooden construction, but those built since 

 World War II are of steel. Most vessels are equipped with a ''ship-to- 

 ship" and a ''ship-to-shore" radio telephone, a recording depth indicator, 

 and a radar unit. In addition to the crew, each vessel carries two purse 

 boats, a small skiff, and a purse seine. 



The purse boats are shallow draft, open boats of heavy-duty construe- 



