TABLE 2.— Estimated number of purse seine sets for Atlantic menhaden, by month, 1955-59 



■"■ Numbers of purse seine sets listed in tables 2 and 3 differ from measures of total fishing 

 effort given by June and Reintjes (1959, 1960) and June (1961) because of different methods of 

 calculation. 



Fishing varied markedly between corre- 

 sponding months in different seasons. Dif- 

 ferences between seasons, for example, ex- 

 ceeded 2,000 sets in the 5 months, June to 

 October. The largest difference occurred in 

 August (4,907 sets in 1958 compared to 8,506 

 sets in 1959). 



Large differences existed between adjacent 

 months within seasons. Variations between 

 May and June exceeded 3,000 sets in each 

 season. In two of the five seasons, variations 

 between September and October exceeded 4,000 

 sets. The greatest difference occurred in 

 1958 when the number of sets decreased 

 from 6,752 in September to 868 in October. 



The number of sets in the major areas, by 

 season and month, is given in table 3, with 

 the mean number of sets shown in figure 3. 



South Atlantic Area : The number of sets 

 varied between 4,560 (1957) and 7,144 (1959) 

 and averaged about 18 percent of the total. 

 The fishing season was longer than in any of 

 the other areas. Month of maximum fishing 

 varied markedly between seasons. In 1955, 

 the greatest number of sets was made in 

 November; in 1956 and 1958, in December; in 

 1957, in May; and in 1959, in June, Based on 



the mean number of sets by month during the 

 five seasons, however, fishing reached a 

 maximum in June, steadily declined through 

 October, increased in November, and reached 

 a secondary peak in December. Fishing termi- 

 nated in January. 



Chesapeake Bay Area ; The number of sets 

 varied between 4,863 (1955) and 11,887 (1959) 

 and, on the average, accounted for about 26 

 percent of the seasonal total. In four of the 

 five seasons, fishing reached a maximum in 

 July; in 1959 the maximum occurred in August. 

 In two of the five seasons, fishing was con- 

 ducted in November. Based on the mean num- 

 ber of sets by month for all seasons, fewer 

 sets were made in August than in July or 

 September. 



Middle Atlantic Area ; The greatest number 

 of sets made in this area in each season varied 

 between 9,803 (1958) and 17,828 (1957) and 

 during the five seasons averaged about 45 

 percent of the total. In three out of five sea- 

 sons, fishing reached a maximum in August. 

 In 1955, the maximum occurred in July; and 

 in 1958, in September. There was a tendency 

 for fishing to reach a maximum later in the 

 season in the Middle Atlantic Area than in 

 the Chesapeake Bay or South Atlantic Areas. 



