Table 5. — Calculated numbers of Atlantic menhaden (in millions) caught by purse seine 



vessels fishing from North Atlantic plants, 1955-71 • 



Year 



Age 



6 



Total 



8-10 



159.33 12.96 2.20 .91 .16 913.35 



19.53 22.93 8.31 3.19 1.27 1,243.20 



20.44 9.55 8.73 .48 .56 1,338.98 



1.81 1.19 .69 .40 .34 841.31 



4.38 2.06 2.00 1.69 .33 1,502.18 



26.50 6.35 1.53 .44 .12 1,204.00 



6.04 6.95 .89 .32 .10 923.75 



288.26 16.45 13.84 1.23 .08 670.80 



21.56 19.41 2.95 1.24 .15 475.77 



10.15 2.04 1.86 .23 .15 88.72 



6.89 .41 .12 .16 — 123.32 



1.16 .05 — — — 19.67 



2.31 .29 .01 — — 32.12 



5.29 .29 .04 — — 54.57 



2.29 .08 .01 — — 22.04 



.19 — — — — 26.66 



8.61 .80 — — — 37.55 



Fishing effort, while dechning in the Middle and 

 North Atlantic areas after 1962, increased substan- 

 tially in Chesapeake Bay. Increases resulted not only 

 from increases in the number of vessels, but also from 

 increases in the length of the season. From 1963 to 

 1967 effort fluctuated between 666 and 803 vessel 

 weeks compared to 410 to 668 from 1955 to 1962. It 



then dropped to about 500 vessel weeks in 1969-71, by 

 which time larger, faster vessels had replaced nearly 

 all of the older, smaller vessels, and the number of 

 spotter planes was about double the number prior to 

 1963 (Nicholson 1971). 



In 1962 the CPUE dropped sharply and until 1970 

 remained at the levels prevailing from 1945 to 1952 



