Table 7. — Calculated numbers of Atlantic menhaden (in millions) caught by purse seine 

 vessels fishing from North Atlantic plants, 1955-71- 



Age 



Year 



Total 



8-10 



11.38 — — — — 437.24 



1,159.68 

 363.16 



.26 — — — — 460.57 



1,073.19 

 399.43 



.30 — — — — 620.06 



551.87 

 399.10 

 696.43 

 358.93 

 253.46 

 374.24 

 414.18 

 370.63 

 502.68 

 340.79 



while the high CPUE in 1970, with about the same 

 amount of effort, reflects the relatively strong 1969 

 year class, which entered the fishery at age-1. 



Part of the large increase in the CPUE in 1970 may 

 have resulted from an increase in the number of age-2 

 fish (1968 year class). Usually a year class contributes 

 the greatest number of fish at age-1, but the 1968 year 



class contributed 66 million fish to the Chesapeake 

 Bay catch in 1969 and over 259 million in 1970. A large 

 number of this 1968 year class, caught as age-2 fish in 

 1970, probably spent the 1969 season in the South 

 Atlantic, where the catch of age-1 fish in 1969 was 

 much greater than the catch of age-2 fish in 

 1970. 



