trawling, representing 7.1 percent of the total 

 catch. 



About 17 to 22 were taken per hour of 

 trawling in May and June; numbers increased 

 steadily over the sumnner and early fall, were 

 175 to 230 from October to January (peak in 

 November), and generally declined during the 

 late winter and early spring to the low in May 

 and June (table 12). 



The species contributed 2.3 to 4,1 percent 

 of the monthly average catches from May to 

 September and 7.8 to 16,3 percent from 

 October to April; the peak was in January 

 (table 12), 



CHLOROSCOMBRUS CHRYSURUS ,--T h e 

 yearly average catch of bumpers for the area 

 was 93 per hour of trawling, representing 6,7 

 percent of the total catch. 



Only one bumper was taken per hour of 

 trawling in March; the nunnber increased 

 steadily in late spring and sunnmer to peak at 

 306 in September, was 36 to 120 during late 

 fall and winter, and continued to decline to the 

 low in April (table 12), 



Bumpers contributed 0.1 percent of the 

 monthly average catch in April; 10.7 to 15,3 

 percent from June to September (peak in June), 

 were generally about 3,0 to 9,7 percent from 

 October to February, and declined rapidly to 

 the low in April (table 12). 



CYNOSCION REGALIS . --The yearly average 

 catch of gray seatrout for the area was 49 per 

 hour of trawling, representing 3.6 percent of 

 the total catch. 



Six were taken per hour of trawling in March; 

 the numbers generally increased over the 

 spring and summer, maintained a level of 

 about 48 to 70 from July to November, peaked 

 at 120 in December, and declined rapidly in 

 January and February to the low in March 

 (table 12). 



Gray seatrout generally contributed their 

 lowest percentage of the monthly average 

 catches--l.l to 4.4--from May to Novennber; 

 their largest contribution was generally in 

 Decennber to April, and the peak was 6,5 in 

 April (table 12). 



GEORGIA INSIDE 



Figure 5 shows the monthly average number 

 of fish per hour of trawling for all species 

 combined and for the family Sciaenidae. From 

 a low of nearly 500 fish per hour of trawling in 

 February, the number increased in the spring, 

 sunnmer, and early fall to a peak of over 

 2,700 in November and Decennber. The sec- 

 ondary peaks of over 1,400 in April and 

 2,100 in July probably resulted from move- 

 nnent of fish between the inside and outside 

 waters. The numbers taken decreased sharply 

 in January and continued to the low in February. 

 The yearly average for all species connbined 



was over 1,500 fish per hour of trawling, of 

 which over 1,000 were sciaenids--or 2 of 

 every 3 fish taken. 



Families 



Five families of fishes (Sciaenidae, Ariidae, 

 Bothidae, Soleidae and Cynoglossidae com- 

 bined, and Engraulidae--in that order) were 

 taken in largest numbers in the Georgia 

 Inside area and together contributed 1,361 of 

 the 1,503 yearly average number per hour of 

 trawling, and 90.5 percent of the yearly average 

 catch. 



Sciaenidae . --The yearly average catch of 

 croakers for the area was 1,096 per hour of 

 trawling, representing 72.9 percent of the total 

 catch. 



Only 212 sciaenids were taken per hour of 

 trawling in February; the number generally 

 increased over the spring and early sunnmer, 

 ranged from 1,085 to 1,872 in July to October, 

 peaked at 2,078 and 2,011 in Novennber and 

 December, declined sharply to 1, 128 in January, 

 and fell to the low in February (table 11). 



The sciaenids contributed least--42.6 per- 

 cent--to the monthly average catch in Febr- 

 uary, maintained a level of 62.0 to 71.7 per- 

 cent from March to June, peaked at 86.5 in 

 July, contributed fronn 72.5 to 77.0 percent 

 from August to January, and declined sharply 

 to the low in February (table 11). 



Ariidae. --The yearly average catch of sea 

 catfish for the area was 95 per hour of 

 trawling, representing 6.3 percent of the total 

 catch. 



Less than 1 catfish was taken per hour of 

 trawling from Decennber to March; the nunnber 

 rose sharply in April, was 110 to 160 from 

 May to July, peaked at 256 in August, began 

 to decline in Septennber, and continued declin- 

 ing to the low from December to March 

 (table 11). 



Ariids contributed only 0.05 to 0.6 percent 

 of the monthly average catches from November 

 to March. This percentage increased sharply 

 in April, generally remained between 10.1 

 and 13.9 percent from May to September, 

 declined abruptly in October, and continued 

 declining to the low from November to March 

 (table 11). 



Bothidae . --The yearly average catch of 

 flounders for the area was 84 per hour of 

 trawling, representing 5.5 percent of the total 

 catch. 



About 10 to 22 flounders were taken per 

 hour of trawling from May to August; the 

 number rose steadily during the fall to 281 

 in November and a peak of 424 in Decennber, 

 declined abruptly in January but ranged be- 

 tween 71 and 135 from January to April, and 

 then dropped abruptly to the low in May to 

 August (table 11). 



12 



