ItftI r£*K a*S9 l«5 rE*l» CLASS 



l»93 fCU CLASS l»M TEAR CLASS 



tM4 TEAK CLASS ISS? rCAfl CLASS 



U 20 



SOUTH ATLANTIC 

 AREA 



CHCSAPCAKE BAY 

 AREA 



MI004.E ATLANTIC 

 AREA 



NORTH ATLANTIC 

 AREA 



NORTH CAROLINA 



FALL FI8ICRT 



SOUTH ATLANTIC 

 AREA 



CHESAPCAXE Mr 

 ARfA 



IWOL£ ATLANTIC 



AREA 



NOITTH AfUINTIC 

 AREA 



ISO 200 «0 SOO 5»0 l»0 200 850 SOO SM ISO 200 260 JOO 5S0 I 



FORK LENGTH (MM.) 



BO 200 2B0 900 980 



Figure 9. — Comparison of length frequencies of majoryear classes in the end-of-season (October) and beginning-of- 

 seasoncatches of Atlantic menhaden(April-June 15), by area, with those intheNorthCarolinafaUfishery,1955-59. 



South Atlantic Area (and in Chesapeake Bay) of 

 larger, older fish represented in the previous 

 fall off North Carolina; (3) the gradual in- 

 crease from south to north in length of fish 

 comprising the youngest age groups; (4) the 

 occurrence at the beginning of the summer 

 fishery in the Middle and/or North Atlantic 

 Areas of the major length-age groups (actually 

 one year older) represented in the previous 

 fall catch off North Carolina; and (5) the 

 absence of small, young fish in northern 

 waters. 



Lengths of the major age groups caught at 

 the beginning of the summer fishery (lower 

 four panels of figure 9) were most similar to 

 those caught in the same area (at the previous 

 age) at the close of the preceding summer 



fishery (upper four panels of figure 9). Lines 

 fitted by eye through modes judged to be 

 homologous offer evidence of a return in 

 spring of at least a portion of the stock to 

 the area occupied in the previous fall. In most 

 instances, however, particularly among the 

 younger age groups, there was slight shift of 

 modes to the right due to growth and/or 

 mixing of stocks. There also was good agree- 

 ment between the mean lengths of fish in the 

 major year classes caught at the close of 

 summer fishery and those a year older caught 

 in the same area at the beginning of the succeed- 

 ing summer fishery (tables 10 and 11). The 

 overlap in the length- age curves for areas 

 north of Cape Hatteras suggests mixing of fish 

 between seasons, with the largest individuals 

 in each of the younger age groups distributed 



19 



