CONTENTS 



Page 



Introduction 1 



Review of the 1959 purse seine fishery 2 



South Atlantic Area 2 



Chesapeake Bay Area 3 



Middle Atlantic Area 3 



North Atlantic Area 3 



North Carolina fall fishery 4 



Distribution of purse seine sets 4 



Sampling of the catch 6 



Age composition 6 



Length composition 7 



Weight composition 12 



Average length and weight 13 



Discussion , 16 



Summary 16 



Acknowledgment 17 



Literature Cited 17 



Appendix 18 



FIGURES 



Frontispiece: "Drying up" a catch of Atlantic menhaden prior to being pumped 

 into the hold of the carrier vessel. The fish are confined in a pocket of the 

 seine which is suspended between the carrier vessel and the two purse boats. 



1. Map showing areas used in summarizing Atlantic menhaden catch data, location 



of menhaden reduction plants, and location of places mentioned in the text.. 2 



2. Distribution of purse seine sets for Atlantic menhaden, 1959 5 



3. Age composition of Atlantic menhaden from purse seine catches, 1959 8 



4. Length composition of samples of Atlantic menhaden from purse seine 



catches, 1959 10 



5. Length frequencies of male and female Atlantic menhaden in samples from purse 



seine catches, 1959 12 



6. Weight composition of samples of Atlantic menhaden purse seine catches, 



1959 13 



TABLES 



1. Catch, number of purse seine sets, and catch per set, Atlantic menhaden 



purse seine fishery, 1955-59 2 



2. Number of samples of Atlantic menhaden taken from purse seine catches, 1959 6 



3. Age composition (in percent) and calculated number of Atlantic menhaden (in 



millions) at each age in purse seine catches, 1955-59 7 



4. Age composition (in percent) of Atlantic menhaden purse seine catches, by 



area and season, 1955-59 9 



5. Calculated number of Atlantic menhaden (in millions) at each age in purse 



seine catches, by area and season, 1955-59 11 



6. Sex ratio of Atlantic menhaden in purse seine catches, by area and season, 



1959 13 



7. Mean fork length (in millimeters) of Atlantic menhaden at each age in purse 



seine catches, by area and season, 1955-59 14 



8. Mean weight (grams) of Atlantic menhaden at each age in purse seine catches, 



by area and season, 1955-59 15 



iii 



