weighted the resulting length distribution for each such period according to 

 that period's average catch-per-net, the records being obtained as in (U) 

 above. The computation was as follows: 



^ - N 

 w - 



where N = number of thousands of fish per net taken during grouped 



sample period , 



W « average weight in pounds of catch per net taken during 

 grouped san^jle period, 



w = weight of sample adjusted to 1,000 fish. 



The factor w is estimated from the length-weight curve of Crozier and Hecht 

 (19lli), corrected to allow for the weight of the viscera and the length 

 frequency data of the grouped samples. Multiplying N times the percentage 

 frequency distribution then gave an estimate of the number of fish at each 

 length caught per net. The grouped samples were combined by addition into 

 longer periods shown in Tables 5 to 8 and illustrated in Figures 1 to U. 



In both northern and southern localities weakfish are sometimes caught 

 which are too small to be marketed. These have, of course, been omitted 

 from the weighted distributions. For some localities in certain years, 

 the length data are fragmentary or the catch records are not detailed enough 

 to permit weighting the frequencies. Such length measurements as are avail- 

 able in such cases are presented in Table 9, and in Figure 5 are illustrated 

 as percentage frequency distributions. 



Age Composition of the Catches 



In accordance with the usual practice of fishery investigators, the 

 term "year class" refers to the year spawned and "age group" to the age 

 attained. For example, all weakfish spawned in 1926 belong to the 1926 

 year class. During 1926, when they are less than one year old, they are 

 members of age-group 0; in 1927 they are members of the I-group; in 1928 

 of the Il-group, etc. For greater c onvenience in discussion, a slight de- 

 parture has been made from this custom, Weakfish spawn in spring and early 

 summer with the peak of spawning between the middle of May and the middle 

 of June. If the rule were strictly adhered to, fish spawned in 1926 should 

 be designated as members of the 0-group until about June 1, 1927; members 

 of the I-group between about June 1, 1927 and about June 1, 1928, etc. For 

 the sake of convenience the anniversary date was arbitrarily advanced by 

 about one month so that all fish of each year class taken during the summer 

 fishing season in a given calendar year may be considered as members of 

 the same age group. 



Age was determined by an examination of the scales. The method of 

 age analysis was based upon repeated readings of a large number of scales 

 taken from various areas along the coast and throughout the year until 



12 



