available throughout the range at all times. 

 During the warmer months, the fish congre- 

 gate in schools which are found in greater 

 concentrations in waters of less than 20 

 fathoms overlying the inner third of the Con- 

 tinental Shelf. Through the summer, young- 

 of-the-year fish apparently are confined to 

 estuaries, while older fish usually are found 

 in the open waters along the shore and in some 

 of the larger bays. In late autumn, schools of 

 juveniles and adults are found only off the 

 coast of North Carolina, and through most of 

 the winter, the fish seldom are seen in the 

 coastal waters. The reappearance of schools 

 in the inshore waters in spring is coincident 

 with the increase in water temperature. 



THE PURSE SEINE FISHERY 



The purse seine fishery for Atlantic men- 

 haden operates on schools which are differ- 

 entially distributed in the inshore waters 

 during two separate periods. The "summer" 

 fishery usually begins between April and June 

 and terminates in October. It is conducted 

 with a fleet of approximately 130 vessels 

 which operate from reduction plants located at 

 14 ports along the coast (fig, 1) and exploit 

 the species over most of the range. The "fall" 

 fishery, which runs from November through 

 December or January, has a fleet of approxi- 

 mately 60 vessels along the North Carolina 

 coast. Vessels from a given plant usually 

 operate as a group in nearby waters, although 

 those from adjacent plants often fish in the 

 same waters. When fish are scarce, vessels 

 may range considerable distances from their 

 home port. Fishing is conducted during day- 

 light, and catches normally are landed daily. 



Purse seining for menhaden is conducted 

 from two open purse boats. On the fishing 

 grounds, the two purse boats are lashed to- 

 gether, with the seine divided between them, 

 and towed behind a large carrier vessel. An 

 airplane pilot usually locates the fish and 

 directs the laying of the seine by radio con- 

 tact with the vessel captain. When a school 

 is selected for capture, the seine crews pay 

 out the net while each purse boat completes 

 a half-circle to enclose the fish (see frontis- 

 piece). After the seine is pursed, the crew 



Figure l.--Locations of menhaden reduction plants 

 and major areas used in summarizing fishing data. 



hauls in the ends and bottom of the net and 

 the catch is pumped into the hold of the carrier 

 vessel. Most purse boats are equipped with a 

 "power block," a mechanical device for hauling 

 the seine. An average purse seine set yields 

 from about 20 to 25 tons of fish. Detailed de- 

 scriptions of the carrier vessels, purse boats, 

 and gear are given by June and Reintjes 

 (1957, 1959). 



DATA SOURCE AND METHODS 

 COMPILATION 



Information recorded in logbooks kept aboard 

 the carrier vessels and records of Atlantic 

 menhaden landings at reduction plants were 



