B 



a- 



S 50 

 u. 25 



SOUTH ATLANTIC AREA 



JSSL. 



CHESAPEAKE RAY AREA 



^ a^: 





MIDDLE ATUNTIC M<SA 







NOUTH ATUNTIC AREA 



m m ^» 



r....... .♦!♦$!♦: sa?t- a«g. 



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NORTH CAROLINA 



FALL FISHERY 



1959 1955 1957 1956 1955 1954 195! 1952 1951 

 ^"E.AR CLA.SS 



Figure 3,--Age composition of Atlantic menhaden from 

 purse seine catches, 1959. 



105 to 245 mm. The mode at 150 mm. reflected 

 the preponderance of age-1 fish, and the 

 positive skewness reflected the presence of 

 age-2 fish. 



Lengths in the Chesapeake Bay Area ranged 

 from 110 to 250 mm. The dominant mode at 

 160 mm. resulted from the preponderance of 

 age-1 fish. A secondary peak, representing 

 age-2 fish, occurred at 210 mm. 



The length-frequency distribution of the 

 catch in the Middle Atlantic Area was bimodal 

 and ranged from 130 to 355 mm. Peaks oc- 

 curred at 175 mm. and 230 mm. and repre- 

 sented age-1 and age-2 fish, respectively. 

 Age-3 fish constituted about 16 percent of the 

 catch, but were not sufficiently numerous to 

 create a third peak on the frequency distribu- 

 tion. 



In the North Atlantic Area, three length 

 groups (one major and two minor) were ap- 

 parent in the frequency distribution. A dominant 

 mode at 270 mm. represented age-2 and age-3 

 fish. Minor peaks at 205 mm. and 320 mm. 

 represented age-1 and age-4-and-older fish, 

 respectively. 



The lengths of fish in samples from the North 

 Carolina fall fishery ranged from approxi- 

 mately 115 to 360 mm. Because age-0 fish 

 were taken in negligible numbers, there were 

 fewer fish in the smaller size classes than 

 in previous years. 



Two important changes were apparent in the 

 length- frequency distributions for 1959. First, 

 in the North Carolina fall fishery, the smaller 

 size classes contained fewer fish than in 



