Table 4. --Effort expended by the commercial bottomfish fleet operating in the north-central Gulf of Mexico, 1959-63 



entrance, Fla. The area most heavily fished 

 each year (more than 9 percent of the effort 

 expended overall) was located in 7 to 12 

 fathoms off Horn Island, Miss. Areas where 

 moderate effort (2.0 to 8.9 percent) was ex- 

 pended included the grounds at 5 to 12 fathoms 

 east of Ship Shoal, La., at 7 to 18 fathoms 

 off Chandeleur, Horn, Petit Bois, and Dauphin 

 Islands, and at 5 to 15 fathoms in the Gulf 

 east of the entrance to Mobile Bay, Ala. 

 Sixty-four percent of the total effort was ex- 

 pended in the area east of the Delta during 

 winter and spring. 



The distribution of effort from summer 

 through fall (figure 6) was generally the same 

 as described for winter and spring. The near- 

 shore grounds, however, were fished much 

 more intensively in summer and fall. Heavy 

 fishing near the entrance to Mobile Bay ac- 

 counted for 35 percent of the total effort 

 expended in the north-central Gulf during 

 summer and fall. In the same period, 77 



percent of the fishery's overall expenditure of 

 effort occurred east of the Delta. 



Composition of Landings 



On the average, croaker, spot, and sand and 

 silver seatrouts (combined) accounted for 

 75 percent of the annual industrial bottomfish 

 landings from the north-central Gulf of Mexico 

 during the 5 years (table 5). The croaker was 

 by far the most important species harvested 

 each year, averaging 56 percent of total catch 

 weights while contributing tonnage of from 

 19,200 in 1960 to 28,600 in 1962; it was the 

 principal species contributing to the marked 

 increase in bottomfish landings in 1962. Cut- 

 las sfish, sea catfish, and longspine porgy 

 followed in that order, contributing on the 

 average 5, 2, and 2 percent by weight, re- 

 spectively, to annual landings. At least 170 

 species were included in the "all others" cate- 

 gory, with the more important representatives 



10 



