2,500 

 2,000 - 

 1,500 

 1,000 



500 



300 



250 



200 



150 



100 

 50 

 



J J 



MONTHS 



Figure 6. — Numbers of fish of the families Sciaenidae, 

 Carangidae, Ariidae, and Bothidae taken per hour of 

 trawling in different months during shrimp fishing; all 

 areas and years combined. 



Figure 7. — Percentage of the catch of fish taken during 

 shrimp fishing contributed by the families Sciaenidae, 

 Carangidae, Ariidae, and Bothidae, by month for all 

 areas and years combined. 



Outside at 153 per hour of trawling and 5.7 

 percent of the catch; next in Georgia Inside, 

 95 per hour of trawling and 6,3 percent of the 

 catch; then Georgia Outside, 47 per hour of 

 trawling and 3.4 percent of the catch; and 

 least abundant in South Carolina, 44 per hour 

 of trawling and 2.1 percent of the catch. 

 Fewer than four catfish were taken per hour 

 of trawling in February and March; the nunnber 

 increased steadily and rapidly during spring 

 and summer, peaked at about 220 in September, 

 declined abruptly during October and Novem- 

 ber, and continued to decline to the low in 

 February and March (fig. 6). 



The contribution of ariids to the monthly 

 average catches was least--1.3 percent or 

 less--from December through March, in- 

 creased rapidly in April, maintained a level 

 of about 8 to 10 percent during late spring 

 to early fall, and declined rapidly during late 

 fall to the winter low starting in December 

 {fig. 1). 



Bothidae . --The yearly average catch of 

 flounders for the region was about 58 per hour 

 of trawling, representing 3.6 percent of the 

 total catch. They were most abundant in 

 Georgia Inside at 84 per hour of trawling and 

 5.5 percent of the catch; next in Georgia 

 Outside, 40 per hour of trawling and 2,9 

 percent of the catch; and least abundant in 

 Florida Outside and South Carolina Outside, 

 about 21 per hour of trawling and less than 1 

 percent of the catch. 



Only 10 to 19 bothids were taken per hour 

 of trawling from June to August; the number 

 increased rapidly during the fall, peaked at 

 about 175 in December, declined sharply in 

 January, and generally continued to decline to 

 the summer low (fig. 6). 



Flounders contributed less than 2 percent of 

 the monthly average catches from June to 

 September, increased during October, and 

 maintained a level of 4.6 to 6.4 from November 

 to April {fig. 7), 



Species 



Seventeen species each contributed 1 percent 

 or more of the yearly average catch for the 

 region and, together, represented 94 percent of 

 all fish taken and 92 to 95 percent of the fish 

 taken in the separate areas (table 10). Seven 

 of the 17 species ( Stellifer lanceolatus , Micro- 

 pogon undulatus, Leiostomus xanthurus , Menti- 

 cirrhus spp., Chloroscombrus chrysurus , 

 Cynoscion regalis , and Etropus crossotus ) 

 each represented 3 percent or more of the 

 yearly average catch for the region and the 

 greatest numbers of fish per hour of trawling. 

 Together they contributed 1,247 of the 1,633 

 yearly average number per hour of trawling 

 and over 76 percent of the yearly average 

 catch for the region. 



STELLIFER LANCEOLATUS . --The yearly 

 average catch of star drum (Sciaenidae) for 

 the region was 672 per hour of trawling, 

 representing 41.2 percent of the total catch. 

 They were most abundant in South Carolina 

 Outside at 809 per hour of trawling and 38.8 

 percent of the catch; next in Florida Outside, 

 774 per hour of trawling and 28.4 percent of 

 the catch; then Georgia Inside, 735 per hour of 

 trawling and 48.9 percent of the catch; and 

 least abundant in Georgia Outside, 528 per hour 

 of trawling and 38.0 percent of the catch. 



Fewer than 200 star drum were taken per 

 hour of trawling in February; the number 

 increased steadily throughthe spring, summer. 



