rather than the summer fishery in the South 

 Atlantic Area, provided the smallest part of 

 the catch. 



The number of purse seine sets in 1962 was 

 10 percent less in the summer fishery than 

 in 1961, and 59 percent less inthefall fishery; 

 the total number of sets was less than in any 

 previous year for which we have records 

 (table 1). The large decrease in the fall fishery 

 was due principally to unfavorable weather. 



The mean catch per set was Z3 tons in the 

 summer fishery and 24 tons in the total fishery, 

 both slightly more than the 1955-61 mean, 

 and 57 tons in the North Carolina fall fishery, 

 considerably more than the 1955-61 mean 

 (table 1). 



South Atlantic Area 



Three vessels fished out of Fernandina 

 Beach, Fla., five out of Southport, N.C., and 

 eight out of Beaufort, N.C. 



Vessels from Fernandina Beach made the 

 first landings of the season on April 9 off 

 Jacksonville Beach, Fla. Fishing through June 

 was confined to waters between Jacksonville 

 Beach and St. Andrews Sound, Ga. From July 2 

 to about July 18, scattered landings also were 

 made as far north as Doboy Sound, Ga. From 

 the middle of July until the season ended on 

 November 12, nearly all catches were made 

 between St. Andrews Sound and Jacksonville 

 Beach. 



Southport vessels began fishing on May 10, 

 and landings were good throughout May and 

 June. Although most fishing in May was done 

 between Shallotte Inlet and the mouth of the 

 Cape Fear River, N.C., some purse seining 

 sets were used as far north as New Topsail 

 Inlet. In June and early July, concentrations 

 of fish were found as far south as Georgetown, 

 S.C., but from July 7 to August 2, fish were 

 so scarce that the vessels remained in port 

 most of the time (catches were landed only 

 on July 17, 20, and 23). Fish became nnore 

 abundant from August 2 to September 4, but 

 still were relatively scarce. Although schools 

 of fish were found for a few days off George- 

 town, most schools were located between 

 Shallotte Inlet and the Cape Fear River. Fish- 

 ing improved during September and October, 

 with fair catches being made from the Cape 

 Fear River area to Murrells Inlet, S.C. The 

 season ended on October 25. 



Fishing began at Beaufort, N.C, on May 4. 

 Three large vessels made frequent catches 

 in outside waters until June 7, but made only 

 12 landings during the remainder of the 

 season. Five small vessels fished in Core 

 Sound from May 7 to October 12. Fishing was 

 good through May and June but poor in July. 

 It improved in early August, remained fair 

 through nnid-September, and became poor 

 again the rest of the season, which ended 

 October 12. 



The catch in the South Atlantic Area summer 

 fishery was 48,000 tons, 1,000 tons less than 

 in 1961. The largest percentage of the sea- 

 son's catch was taken in August (22 percent), 

 followed by June (19 percent). May (18 per- 

 cent), July (16 percent), September (16 per- 

 cent), October (8 percent), and April (1 per- 

 cent). 



Chesapeake Bay Area 



The fleet comprised 24 vessels from 

 Chesapeake Bay plants and, from about June 2 

 to September 14, 5 vessels from Wildwood, 

 N.J. Since Virginia's regulations prohibit purse 

 seining in Chesapeake Bay before the last 

 Monday in May, no catches fronn the Bay were 

 landed until May 28. Prior to that date, eight 

 landings were made outside the mouth of 

 Chesapeake Bay. Through the middle of June, 

 fishing was concentrated at the mouth of the 

 Bay, but as fish disappeared, the fleet shifted 

 to the vicinity of Tangier Island. Although 

 fishing during the rest of the season occurred 

 over most of the Bay, it was concentrated along 

 the Maryland- Virginia boundary. The season 

 ended November 2, 



The purse seine catch of the Chesapeake Bay 

 Area was 166,000 tons, 36,000 tons more than 

 in 1961. July ranked first in percentage of 

 catch (32 percent), followed by June (25 per- 

 cent), October (19 percent), August (15 percent), 

 and September (9 percent). 



Middle Atlantic Area 



Forty-seven vessels fished fronn ports in 

 the Middle Atlantic Area--21 from Lewes, 

 Del., 10 from Wildwood, N.J., 6 from Tucker- 

 ton, N.J., and 10 from Port Monmouth, N.J. 



The first catches were landed by Wildwood, 

 Lewes, and Tuckerton vessels on May 16, the 

 earliest date fish were landed since 1949. Port 

 Monmouth boats landed fish on May 19. Initially, 

 fish were plentiful, and all boats nnade good 

 catches of large fish that were mainly from 

 the 1958 year class. These fish remained off 

 the northern New Jersey coast and the southern 

 shore of western Long Island most of June. 

 In early July these large fish disappeared, 

 and schools became scarce until October. 

 Landings during July, August, and September 

 were less than in any year since the investiga- 

 tion started in 1955. Five vessels from Wild- 

 wood moved to Chesapeake Bay during the first 

 week of August and did not return until the 

 middle of September. At Port Monmouth no 

 boats fished from August 11 to 20, and at 

 Lewes three vessels quit fishing during the 

 second week in August, one during the third 

 week, and one during the fourth week. In 

 October, large schools composed primarily of 

 age-4 fish (1958 year class) appeared off the 



