CONTENTS 



Page 



Introduction 1 



General biology and structure of the Atlantic menhaden population 3 



Age of fish 3 



Growth of fish 4 



The fishery 6 



Development of a unit of fishing effort 6 



Changes in the distribution of landings and fishing effort 11 



Dynamics of the population 15 



Recruitment predictions 16 



Mortality rates 19 



Relation between catch and effort 21 



Relation between spawning stock and recruitment 22 



Summary 23 



Acknowledgments 24 



Literature cited 24 



Appendix 25 



FIGURES 



1. Catch of menhaden, 1942-68 2 



2. Cumulative annual catch of Atlantic menhaden at end of each month 



o f fishing season 2 



3. Life cycle of Atlantic menhaden 3 



4. Age composition (%) of Atlantic menhaden in purse seine catches, 

 1955-68 4 



5. Catch of Atlantic menhaden per standard vessel landing day, by age 

 group and fishing area, 1955, 1966-68 (Shaded areas denote catch of 

 2-year-old fish) 4 



6. Average age of Atlantic menhaden in the purse seine catch by area, 

 1955-68 4 



7. Percentage of the total annual catch of Atlantic menhaden which were 

 0-, 1-, and 2-year olds (solid line), compared to the average age of fish 



in the catch (dashed line), 1955-68 5 



8. Average weight of Atlantic menhaden by fishing area, both sexes 

 combined, 1955-68 5 



9. Length-weight relation of female Atlantic menhaden, 1962 5 



10. Fishing areas for Atlantic menhaden 6 



11. Number of vessel and standard vessel landing days in Chesapeake Bay 

 menhaden purse seine fishery, 1940-68 7 



12. Average age, horsepower, gross tonnage, and landing days of Chesa- 

 peake Bay purse seine vessels, 1955-68 7 



13. Total vessel days fished, total vessel days fish landed, and total 

 standard vessel days in Chesapeake Bay, 1964-67 8 



14. Total vessel days fished, total vessel days fish landed, and total 

 standard vessel days, Southport, N.C., 1963-67 8 



in 



