The trawl -sample data (accompanying table) indicate that fish con- 

 centrations •were greatest at the nearshore stations during the warm months 

 and at the offshore stations during the cold months. Thus it appears that 

 seasonal movements are largely governed by water temperature which fluc- 

 tuates widely in the nearshore shallows. 



Average weight of all species taken at indicated depths 

 throughout 1961. Figures are based on trawl hauls 

 standardized over a 3 -mile towing distance. 



An expanded sampling program, comprising 60 stations arranged 

 systematically on the continental shelf from the Rio Grande River to the 

 Mississippi Delta, was begun in January of this year. In addition to sup- 

 plying information on the fishes present in a previously unstudied area, this 

 program should provide a connparison of fish concentrations on the grounds 

 now being fished with those in the more westerly part of the Gulf, and thereby 

 afford a means of assessing the potential of unexploited stocks. 



44 



