30 



29 



pas A' L4 LOUTRE 



30 



-PURSE SEINE STATIONS 

 JUNE, 1958-MAY,I959 ' 



29 



88 



Figure 1. Catches sampled in the menhaden puise seine fishery 1958-59. 



pleted the work with each san^ile. The 

 catch was estimated by experienced person- 

 nel. These estimates were conpared with 

 the measurement by mechancial devices at 

 the factory on unloading and were found to 

 be conservative but reasonably accurate. 



Fishing Grounds 



Menhaden purse seiners start fishing 

 about mid-April and conplete the local 

 season by October 15, or shortly thereafter. 

 Practically all fishing observed in this 

 study was in inshore waters where depths 

 seldom exceed 3 fathoms. Breton, Chan- 

 deleur, and Mississippi Sounds were the 

 chief areas fished from June through Octo- 

 ber in 1958. Late in the season some fish 

 were taken in Gulf waters off these areas. 

 The 19 ?9 season started in April in Breton 

 Sound. During the last week of May the 



boats moved west of the Mississippi delta 

 where conditions are essentially the same 

 as those in the sound areas to the east. A 

 heavy run of fish occurred from Grand Isle 

 to West Bay and produced excellent catches. 

 Figure 1 shows the location of sets ob- 

 served in this study. 



TEMPERATURE AND SAJ.INITY 



Surface water tenperatures showed a 

 minimum of 22.6° C. and a maximum of 30.5° 

 C. The lowest temperatures occurred at 

 the beginning and end of the season. The 

 average water tenperature at the last five 

 sets in 1958 was 23.7° C, The tenperatures 

 at the first five stations in 1959 were not 

 recorded. The mean tenperature at five 

 stations taken May 11 and 13, 1959, was 

 23.9° C. 



