fishery and the fall fishery, and below average 

 for the period 1955-59 (table 1). While the 

 catch in the Middle Atlantic Area increased 

 over that in 1959, the catch in all other areas 

 decreased. 



The number of purse seine sets in the 

 summer fishery was less than the 5-year 

 average in all areas except the Middle Atlantic 

 Area (table 1). The number was less than for 

 any of the previous 5 years in the South 

 Atlantic Area and next to the smallest in the 

 North Atlantic Area, In the Chesapeake Bay 

 Area, the number of sets was greater than 

 in 1955 and 1956, but less than in other years; 

 in the Middle Atlantic Area, it was less than 

 in 1956 and 1957, but greater than in other 



years. The number of sets in the North Caro- 

 lina fall fishery was less than for any of the 

 previous 5 years. 



The mean catch per set in the summer 

 fishery in all areas except the Middle Atlantic 

 Area was approximately the same as the mean 

 for the 5-year period, 1955-59. The greatest 

 difference occurred in the Middle Atlantic 

 Area where the mean catch per set was 5 tons 

 per set less than the 5-year mean. In the 

 North Carolina fall fishery, however, the mean 

 catch per set was 8 tons above the mean for 

 the 5-year period (table 1). 



There were 146 vessels in the fishery, 

 with 114 in the summer fishery and 32 in the 



Table 1. — Mean annual catch, mean number of purse seine sets, and mean catch 

 per set, 1955-59; and the catch, number of sets, and catch per set, 1960, 

 Atlantic menhaden purse seine fishery- 



Season and area 



Catch 



Mean 

 1955-59 



1960 



Purse seine 

 sets""- 



Mean 

 1955-59 



1960 



Mean catch per 

 purse seine 

 set 



Mean 

 1955-59 



1960 



South Atlantic 



Chesapeake Bay 



Middle Atlantic 



North Atlantic 



Summer Fishery 



North Carolina Fall Fishery. 

 Summer and Fall 



Thousand 

 tons 

 56 



141 

 317 



71 

 585 



76 

 660 



Thousand 

 tons 



40 

 112 

 286 



63 



501 



3 68 



569 



Number 

 3,349 

 8,086 



12,674 

 2,624 



26,802 

 2,054 



28,810 



Number 

 2,353 

 6,588 



14,300 

 2,423 



25,664 

 1,388 



27,052 



Tons 

 17 

 17 

 25 

 27 

 22 

 37 

 23 



Tons 



17 

 17 

 20 

 26 

 20 

 49 

 21 



"'■ Slight discrepancies in numbers as given in previous reports and in sub- 

 totals and totals due to rounding off of figures. 



2 Source: Fishery Statistics of the United States, 1960. By Edward A, 

 U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Statistical Digest No. 53, 529 p. 



Power, 

 , Fish and Wildlife Service, Statistical Digest No. 53, 529 p. 

 •^ The North Carolina fall fishery normally extends into January; therefore, 

 catch total includes January 1961, but not January 1960. Seasonal breakdown of 



the catch obtained from U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, C.F. S. 

 2521. 



Nos. 2252 and 



