from the North Atlantic purse-seine catch 

 for 1954 is given in Appendix table 2. 

 Percentages represent numbers of fish — '. 



The Middle Atlantic catch during the 

 period 1952-54 was characterized by the 

 progression through the fishery of the domi' 

 nant 1951 year class (fig. 9), It entered 

 the fishery in strength at age 1 in 1952 

 and contributed an estimated 742.9 million 

 fish to the catch in the area. Partly be- 

 cause of differential schooling and partly 

 because of selectivity of purse-seine gear, 

 this year class was not represented in true 

 proportion to its actual abundance until 

 the following year when, at 

 age 2, it contributed an esti- 

 mated 1,210.1 million fish to 

 the catch. Production in the 

 Eirea in 1953 reached a record 

 of over 378,000 tons. In 

 1954, as age-3 fish, the 1951 

 year class continued to domi- 

 nate the Middle Atlantic catch 

 and accounted for over four- 

 fifths of the catch in the 

 North Atlantic Area (bottom 

 panel fig. 9). The catch in 

 the latter area in that year 

 established a modern record of 79,000 tons. 

 The estimated contribution of this yesir 

 class to the 1954 summer fishery in both 

 areas exceeded 693.6 million fish. 



The 1952 year class first appeared in 

 the Middle Atlantic fishery in 1953, but it 

 did not contribute appreciably to the catch 

 until 1954 when, as age-2 fish, it comprised 

 about one-third of the samples. The differ- 

 ence in its availability, as compared with 

 the 1951 year class, may have been due to 

 the overwhelming abundance of the latter. 



During the 3-year period, 1952-54, 

 older year classes were not represented in 



8/ Numbers of fish were calculated from 

 the total weight landed at each plant 

 in each week divided by the average 

 weight of the fish during that week. 

 The weekly percentage age composition 

 of the samples was used in allocating 

 the numbers of fish among the different 

 yesir classes. These were summed to 

 obtain the plant totals for the season. 

 Plzuit totals were summed to obtain area 

 totals. 



the Middle Atlantic purse-seine catches 

 until fall when fishing shifted to schools 

 of larger fish which appeared along the 

 southern Long Island coast in September. 

 Over a period of several weeks, the schools 

 aggregated into large bodies in this local- 

 ity and provided excellent fishing until 

 middle or late October when the fish disap- 

 pecired from the surface. 



The average percentage age composition 

 of samples from the entire Atlantic coast 

 purse-seine catch in 1955, together with 

 the calculated number of fish at each age, 

 are suinmzirized below. 



The 1953 year class (age 2) made the 

 largest contribution to the Atlantic coast 

 purse-seine fishery in 1955, accounting for 

 over one-third of the total catch. It was 

 followed in importance by the 1955 year 

 class (age 0) which appeared for the first 

 time in numbers in the fall fishery off the 

 North Carolina coast. The 1954 year class 

 (age 1) accounted for about one-fifth of 

 the catch, while the 1951 (age 4) and 1952 

 (age 3) year classes also made important 

 contributions. 



The average percentage age composition 

 of samples in each major area along the 

 coast is given in Appendix table 3. The 

 age composition of the purse-seine catches 

 is shown graphically in figure 10 (p. 16). 

 The numbers of fish at each age dse given 

 in Appendix table 4. In the South Atlantic 

 Area the 1954 yesir class (age 1) formed the 

 major portion of the summer purse-seine 

 catch, followed in importance by the 195 3 

 year class (age 2), Fish older than cige 4 

 were not represented in samples from the 

 summer fishery in the area. The 1953 and 

 1954 year classes comprised the bulk of the 

 purse-seine catch in Chesapeake Bay, with 

 the 1953 year class dominating. The 1953 

 year class also dominated the Middle 



15 



