•OUTM ATLANTIC 



CHESAPEAKE BAY 



MIDDLE ATLANTIC 



NORTH ATLANTIC 



1999 1997 1999 1961 1963 I96S I9«7 



Figure 25.— Catch of Atlantic menhaden by area (%), 

 summer fishery, 1955-68. 



areas in the summer fishery (Fig. 25). In 1964, 

 for the first time, the catch in Chesapeake Bay 

 exceeded the catch from the Middle Atlantic; 

 this situation has continued in succeeding 

 years. In 1968, the Chesapeake Bay catch was 

 63% of the total summer catch of Atlantic 

 menhaden. With a major portion of the catch 

 made in Chesapeake Bay, it is obvious that 

 what happens in Chesapeake Bay has a sig- 

 nificant effect on the total resource. 



The percentage of the total catch of a given 

 year class caught in the Middle Atlantic and 

 Chesapeake Bay Areas through the 1966 year 

 class (Table 1) was another comparison to 

 show the changes that have taken place in the 

 fishery. The present comparison is limited to 

 fish up to age 3 since relatively few older fish 

 are caught in the present day fishery. Of the 

 total catch of 0-, 1-, 2-, and 3-year-old men- 

 haden from the 1954 year class caught in the 

 Chesapeake Bay and Middle Atlantic Areas, 

 only 32% were caught in the Chesapeake Bay 

 Area and 68% in the Middle Atlantic Area. The 

 percentage of fish of these ages caught in the 

 Chesapeake Bay area increased quite consis- 

 tently for subsequent year classes. For the last 

 3 year classes listed (1964-66), over 90% of the 



Table 1.— Estimated millions of menhaden of different year classes caught as ages 0, 

 1, 2, and 3 in the Chesapeake Bay and Middle Atlantic Areas and percentage of the 

 catch taken in each area, 1954-66. 



*Preliminary 



13 



