when (1) there was no fishing south of South 

 Carolina, (2) fishing along the Middle Atlantic 

 coast was conducted farther offshore, and 

 (3) fishing did not occur north of Cape Cod. 



August: The most noticeable changes in the 

 distribution of sets (fig. 10) occurred in 1955 

 when fishing in Chesapeake Bay virtually was 

 limited to the lower bay, in 1957 when there 

 was no fishing off the Eastern Shore of Vir- 

 ginia, and in 1958 when (1) no fishing oc- 

 curred south of North Carolina and (2) there 

 was little fishing north of Cape Cod. 



September ; In all seasons, the distribution 

 of sets (fig. 1 1 ) was more variable at the ex- 

 tremes of the fishing range. Few sets were 

 made south of Cape Fear; and in two of the 

 five seasons (1957 and 1958), there was no 

 fishing north of Cape Cod. Fishing did not oc- 

 cur along most of the Eastern Shore of Vir- 

 ginia in 1955 and 1957. A reduction in the 

 number of sets was evident along the New 

 Jersey coast in 1958 and 1959. 



October : The most conspicuous variations in 

 the distribution of sets (fig. 12) occurred within 

 Chesapeake Bay and along the coast of New 

 Jersey. Some fishing was conducted in the 

 vicinity of Cape Hatteras in 1958. 



November : Distribution of sets (fig. 13) 

 varied slightly during the five seasons. Fishing 

 occurred farther offshore in 1955 and 1959 

 and was confined largely to the vicinity of 

 Cape Lookout in 1956. Some fishing took place 

 in Chesapeake Bay in 1955, and a few sets 

 were made off the mouth of the bay in 1959. 



December : The distribution of sets (fig. 14) 

 shows that in 1955 and 1956, fishing was con- 

 centrated in the vicinity of Cape Lookout; 

 while in 1957, 1958, and 1959, it was more 

 widespread and extended from Cape Hatteras 

 to Cape Fear. 



January ; Fishing (fig. 15) was restricted to 

 the vicinity of Cape Lookout in 1956, 1957, and 

 1958; while in 1959 and 1960, it was more 

 widespread. 



APPARENT FISH MOVEMENTS 



INFERRED FROM THE DIS- 

 TRIBUTION OF PURSE SEINE 

 SETS 



The number and distribution of purse seine 

 sets by month, during five seasons showed a 

 pattern from which movements of Atlantic 

 menhaden may be inferred. The onset of fish- 

 ing, which was determined by the appearance 

 of schools in the surface waters, indicates 

 that a northward coastal movement of fish 

 could have occurred each spring. In every 

 season, fishing began in March or April off 

 northern Florida and off Cape Fear, N. C. In 

 May, fishing began in the vicinity of Cape 

 Lookout, N. C, Chesapeake Bay, and between 

 Delaware Bay and southern Long Island. Fish- 

 ing north of Long Island usually did not begin 

 until June (in 1959 fishing occurred in Nar- 

 ragansett Bay, R. I., in May). The concen- 

 tration of initial fishing in these separate 

 localities in May also suggests an inshore 

 movement of fish toward the larger estuaries. 



The number and distribution of sets support 

 the hypothesis of a continued northward, coastal 

 movement of fish in late spring and summer. 

 In every season, fishing during April was 

 limited to northern Florida and Cape Fear. 

 Fishing increased in these localities and ex- 

 tended northward to Cape Lookout in May. In 

 most seasons, the number of sets decreased 

 off northern Florida in June, but increased 

 and was more widely distributed off Georgia, 

 South Carolina, and North Carolina. While 

 fishing decreased during the remaining sum- 

 mer months in all localities south of Cape 

 Lookout, there was an increase farther north- 

 ward. In Chesapeake Bay, fishing usually 

 reached a maximum in July, while in the 

 Middle Atlantic Area, the maximum usually 

 was not reached until August. In all seasons, 

 there was comparatively little fishing in the 

 North Atlantic Area until July, particularly 

 north of Cape Cod, Mass. 



An apparent southward withdrawal of fish 

 from the North Atlantic Area was first evident 

 in August when the number of sets decreased 

 north of Cape Cod and increased in Long 

 Island Sound. Comparatively little fishing oc- 

 curred north of Cape Cod in September, and in 



20 



