1 . 7 billion pounds with an estimated value of 

 $30.6 million to the manufacturers. This was 

 the largest catch by a single fishery ever re- 

 corded by Unites States fishermen. From this 

 catch, 349.5 million pounds of dry scrap and 

 meal and 17.8 million gallons of oil were ob- 

 tained, valued at $21.8 million and $8.8 million 

 respectively. In addition, the production of 

 condensed fish solubles amounted to 78.1 million 

 pounds with an estimated value of $3.6 million. 

 For the same year the catch within the survey 

 area amounted to over 620 million pounds with 

 an estimated value of $7. 1 million to the fisher- 

 men. These statistics serve to illustrate the 

 importance of menhaden . 



Although menhaden are exploited com - 

 mercially in the coastal waters of the Atlantic 

 Ocean from the Gulf of Maine to Cape Canaveral, 

 Florida, and from Tampa Bay to the Rio Grande 

 River in the Gulf of Mexico, between 35 and 51 

 percent of the total annual catches from 1939 to 

 1953 were taken from waters north of Cape 

 Charles, Virginia . Of immediate concern in 

 the present study is the fishery centered in the 

 middle Atlantic area, extending from Barnegat 

 Lightship southward to Winter Quarter Lightship. 



Menhaden are caught by a specialized fleet 

 of vessels by the use of purse seines, although 

 pound nets, operated in the coastal waters for 

 food fishes, contribute to the catches in certain 

 areas. In the early days of the fishery, from 

 its beginning in about 1851 to about 1865, gill 

 nets and haul seines were used almost exclusive- 

 ly to capture menhaden in the shallow waters of 

 bays and along the shores. With the develop- 

 ment and expansion of the industry, those 

 methods proved inadequate to secure sufficient 

 quantities of fish, and the purse seine came into 

 extensive use. 



Vessels 



Menhaden fishing vessels vary in size 

 from about 54 to 152 feet in length and from 

 about 30 to 358 gross tons in weight. They are 

 powered by diesel engines ranging from 450 to 

 1,800 horsepower. Each is outfitted with a 

 central hold for stowing fish. With the addition 

 of side boards to the gunwales, the carrying 

 capacity may be increased by stowing fish on 

 deck. Most vessels are equipped with a two- 



way radio telephone and echo sounder . Radar 

 is becoming standard equipment on many vessels. 

 There were 33 vessels in the resident fishing 

 fleet during the 1953 season. 



The average menhaden vessel is operated 

 by a crew of 29 men and carries two purse boats, 

 a striker boat, and the purse seine. Purse boats 

 may be constructed of wood or metal. They are 

 about 30 feet long and powered by gasoline engines . 

 On the fishing grounds, the purse boats are 

 lashed together with the seine divided equally 

 between them and towed behind the fishing vessel. 

 The striker boat is a wooden, round bottom boat, 

 about 12 feet long, with a beam of from 4 to 5 

 feet. It is operated by one man whose primary 

 purpose is to maintain contact with a school of 

 fish until the net is set. 



Fishing Gear and Methods 



A menhaden purse seine is essentially a 

 large encircling net, made of cotton webbing, 

 supported by cork floats at the surface and 

 weighted by leads at the bottom. A purse line, 

 which runs through brass rings attached by rope 

 bridles at intervals to the lead line, provides 

 the means for closing the net. The net is closed, 

 after it is set in a circle around a school of fish, 

 by means of a heavy block of lead, called the 

 "torn" weight, which rides down the purse line 

 and holds the ends and bottom of the net together 

 while it is being pursed. Purse seines vary 

 slightly in different localities but, generally, are 

 about 200 fathoms long and from 10 to 15 fathoms 

 deep, with a cotton web of 1-3/4 -inch mesh. 



Menhaden fishing is carried on exclusive- 

 ly during daylight hours. Usually the vessels 

 make daily run s to the fishing grounds from 

 processing plants located at strategic places 

 along the coast. Fishing generally commences 

 about dawn and continues until dark or until the 

 hold has been filled. 



Fish are located from the crow's nest of 

 the seine vessel by watching for the distinguish- 

 ing reddish "color" or flipping of the fish on the 

 surface of the water. In recent years spotting 

 planes also have been used routinely for locating 

 fish. Once a school is located, the striker boat 

 is cast off to maintain contact with the fish while 

 purse boats approach the school. When they are 



