CONTENTS 



Page 



Introduction 1 



Changes in the fishery 2 



Total catch 2 



Fishing effort 3 



Catch, effort, and catch per unit of effort 4 



North and Middle Atlantic areas 4 



Chesapeake Bay area 5 



South Atlantic area 10 



North Carolina fall fishery 11 



Length and weight H 



Year class strength 12 



Literature cited 13 



Figure 



1. Location of plants and fishing areas, Atlantic menhaden fishery 2 



Tables 



1. Percentage of Atlantic menhaden captured by purse seines in areas other than where ports were 



located 3 



2. Atlantic menhaden purse seine catch by year and area 4 



3. Calculated numbers of Atlantic menhaden caught by purse seine vessels, 1955-71 5 



4. Calculated numbers of Atlantic menhaden caught by purse seine vessels fishing from North 



Atlantic plants 1955-71 6 



5. Calculated numbers of Atlantic menhaden caught by purse seine vessels fishing from Middle 



Atlantic plants, 1955-71 7 



6. Calculated numbers of Atlantic menhaden caught by purse seine vessels fishing from Chesapeake 



Bay plants, 1955-71 8 



7. Calculated numbers of Atlantic menhaden caught by purse seine vessels fishing from South 



Atlantic plants, 1955-71 9 



8. Calculated numbers of Atlantic menhaden caught by purse seine vessels fishing from N. C. plants 



during the fall fishery, 1955-71 10 



9. Number of vessel weeks in the Atlantic menhaden purse seine fishery, by area, 1955-71 .... 11 



10. Catch per vessel week Atlantic menhaden purse seine fishery, by area, 1955-71 11 



11. Mean length of Atlantic menhaden in samples from purse seine catches, by port 12 



12. Mean weight of Atlantic menhaden in samples from purse seine catches, by port 12 



Appendix Tables 



1. Length frequency distributions of Atlantic menhaden in samples from purse seine catches, by port 



and age, 1963 14 



2. Length frequency distributions of Atlantic menhaden in samples from purse seine catches, by port 



and age, 1964 15 



3. Length frequency distributions of Atlantic menhaden in samples from purse seine catches, by port 



and age, 1965 16 



4. Length frequency distribution of Atlantic menhaden in samples from purse seine catches, by port 



and age, 1966 17 



5. Length frequency distributions of Atlantic menhaden in samples from purse seine catches, by port 



and age, 1967 18 



6. Length frequency distributions of Atlantic menhaden in samples from purse seine catches, by port 



and age, 1968 19 



7. Length frequency distributions of Atlantic menhaden in samples from purse seine catches, by port 



and age, 1969 20 



8. Length frequency distribution of Atlantic menhaden in samples from purse seine catches, by port 



and age, 1970 21 



ill 



