H 

 Z 



m 



15 

 10 

 5 

 

 15 



10 

 5 

 

 5 



"I — I — r 



"1 — I — I — I — I — I — I — I — I — r~ 



N = 991 SOUTH ATIANTIC AREA 



1 — I — r 



N = 1,994 



CHESAPEAKE BAY AREA 



N = 6,832 



MIDDLE ATLANTIC AREA 



N = 2,516 



N = 1,203 



NORTH ATLANTIC AREA 



NORTH CAROLINA FALL FISHERY 



5 



r^ ~ I — I I I I I — I — I — I — I — I — I — I — f 



100 200 300 400 500 600 700 800 900 



BODY WEIGHT (G.) 



Figure 6. --Weight compositionofsamplesof Atlantic menhaden purse seine catches, 1960. 



proportion of age-2 fish and concomitant de- 

 creases in the proportion of age-1 fish in the 

 catches. The decrease in the North Atlantic 

 Area resulted from an increase in the pro- 

 ponion of age-2 fish and a decrease in the 

 proportion of older fish, as well as a decrease 

 in the mean length and weight of fish in most 

 age groups. Changes in the mean length and 

 weight of fish in the North Carolina fall 

 fishery simply reflected changes in the pro- 

 portions of various age groups. 



The mean lengths and weights of age-1 and 

 age-2 fish also changed from previous years. 

 In the South Atlantic Area, the mean length 

 of age-1 fish was larger than in 1956 and 

 1959, but smaller than in 1955, 1957, and 

 1958. The mean length of age-1 fish was the 

 second largest in the Chesapeake Bay Area, 

 and the third largest in the Middle Atlantic 

 Area for the 6-year period. In the South 

 Atlantic, Chesapeake Bay, and Middle Atlantic 

 Areas, the mean lengths and weights of age-2 

 fish were the smallest of the period 1955-60. 

 In the Chesapeake Bay and Middle Atlantic 

 Areas, the mean length of age-2 fish has de- 

 creased every year since 1955. For each older 



age group, the mean length and weight in the 

 Middle Atlantic Area was generally larger 

 than for most previous years; in the North 

 Atlantic Area, little change in mean length 

 and weight was observed. In the North Caro- 

 lina fall fishery, however, the mean lengths 

 of individual age groups were either slightly 

 smaller, or were relatively unchanged from 

 previous years, but the weights were all 

 substantially greater, indicating an increased 

 weight-length ratio in 1960. 



DISCUSSION 



The purse seine catch of Atlantic menhaden 

 was the second smallest in the past 6 years, 

 despite the occurrence, as age-2 fish, of what 

 unquestionably was the largest year class 

 (1958) in recent years. Suggested reasons for 

 the smaller catch in 1960 are (l)the scarcity 

 of age-1 fish, (2) the smaller size of age-2 

 fish, (3) self-imposed catch limits in some 

 localities, and (4) decreased availability of 

 older fish. 



The scarcity of age-1 fish undoubtedly was 

 reflected in reduced catches in the South 



15 



