The species contributed 1.5 to 2.0 percent 

 of the monthly average catches from Novem- 

 ber to March (except for January at 3.3) and 

 3.5 to 6,4 percent from April to October; 

 the peak was in August {table 12). 



GALEICHTHYS FELIS. --The yearly average 

 catchof sea catfishfor the area was 57 per hour 

 of trawling, representing 3.8 percent of the 

 total catch. 



No sea catfish were taken in December, and 

 only 0.8 or less per hour of trawling from 

 January to March; the number rose abruptly to 

 52 in April, generally increased over late 

 spring and early summer, peaked at 152 in 

 August, declined abruptly to 40 in September, 

 and continued to decline to the low beginning 

 in Decennber (table 12). 



The species contributed less than 0.3 percent 

 of the monthly average catches from November 

 to March (none in December); from May to 

 August (except in July) the species contributed 

 8.0 to 8.6 percent, declined sharply in Septenn- 

 ber, and continued to decline to the low in 

 November to March (table 12). 



GEORGIA COMBINED 



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 about 800 to 900 fish per hour of 

 trawling in February and March the number 

 increased steadily through the spring and early 

 summer, reached about 1,600 to 1,800 during 

 July to October, peaked in November and 

 December at about 2,400, declined sharply in 

 January to about 1 ,400, and continued to decline 

 to the low in February and March. The yearly 

 average catch for all species combined was 

 over 1,400 fish per hour of trawling, of which 

 over 1,000 were sciaenids--or about 2 of every 

 3 fish caught. 



The connbining of catches from Georgia 

 Outside and Georgia Inside tends to stabilize 

 the seasonal changes in average numbers of 

 fish per hour of trawling (fig. 5). Lowest 

 catches are in late winter and early spring; 

 numbers increase steadily over the late spring, 

 summer, and early fall; and peak catches 

 are during late fall and early winter. This 

 general pattern exists in the two basic Georgia 

 areas but is somewhat obscured. These dif- 

 ferences may be explained by the considerable 

 movement of fish between inside and outside 

 grounds. 



Detailed discussions of families and species 

 are not made for the Georgia Combined area 

 since this account was given for the two 

 basic areas (Georgia Outside and Georgia 

 Inside). Details of the Georgia combined data 

 are in tables 1, 6, 9, 10, 11, and 12, and 

 figure 5. 



FLORIDA OUTSIDE 



Figure 4 shows the monthly average number 

 of fish per hour of trawling for all species 

 combined and for the family Sciaenidae. Fronn 

 a low of 261 and 369 fish per hour of trawling 

 in May and June, the number increased sharply 

 through the summer. It reached 4,392 by 

 September, peaked at 5,637 and 5,470 in 

 October and November, began to decline in 

 December but maintained a high level of 3,756 

 and 3,376 in December and January, declined 

 to 1,303 to 1,746 during February to April, 

 and then dropped abruptly to the low in May 

 and June. The yearly average catch for all 

 species combined was over 2,700 fishperhour 

 of trawling, of which nearly 2,000 were sciaen- 

 ids--or more than 2 of every 3 fish captured. 



Families 



Three families of fishes (Sciaenidae, Carang- 

 idae, and Ariidae--in that order) were taken 

 in largest numbers in the Florida area and 

 together contributed 2,504 of the 2,725 yearly 

 average number per hour of trawling, and 92.1 

 percent of the yearly average catch. 



Sciaenidae . --The yearly average catch of 

 croakers for the area was 1,962 per hour of 

 trawling, representing 72.0 percent of the total 

 catch. 



Only 135 and 206 sciaenids were taken per 

 hour of trawling in May and June; the number 

 increased sharply in the summer, reaching 

 1,602 in August, 3,063 in September, peaked at 

 4,130 and 4,211 in October and November, 

 declined to 1,824 and 2,569 in December and 

 January, maintaintained a fluctuating level of 

 1,078 to 1,421 from February to April, and 

 declined abruptly to the low in May and June 

 (figure 4; table 11). 



The sciaenids contributed least to the 

 monthly average catches in May and June at 

 51.9 and 55.9 percent and in December at 48.6 

 percent; from July to April (except December) 

 they contributed about 68 to 83 percent of the 

 catch; thus throughout the year (except in 

 December) sciaenids were captured in greater 

 numbers than all other families of fish com- 

 bined (table 11). 



Carangidae .-- The yearly average catch of 

 carangids for the area was 388 per hour of 

 trawling, representing 14.4 percent of the 

 total catch. 



Only 14 carangids were taken per hour of 

 trawling in February; the number increased 

 steadily over the spring, sumnner, and fall to 

 953 and 732 in October and November, peaked at 

 1,555 in December, dropped abruptly to 476 in 

 January, and to the low in February (table 11). 



The carangids contributed only 1.0 percent 

 of the monthly average catch in February; this 



14 



