TABLE 4. — Age composition (in percent) of purse-seine catches, by area and season, 



1955-57 



[Niimerically doniinant year class underscored] 



by fish of ages 1 through 6, each of 

 which was represented in roughly the 

 same proportion. 



Length Composition 



The percentage length distribu- 

 tions of fish in samples from the 

 summer purse -seine catches in each 

 area and from the fall catch off North 

 Carolina in 1957 are shown in figure 6 

 (see also appendix tables 1-5). 



Fish caught during the summer in 

 the South Atlantic Area ranged from 

 about 110 to 245 mm., and those of 

 age 2 (1955 year class) furnished the 

 principal modal length group (160 to 



245 mm.). Fish of age 1 (1956 year 

 class) showed considerable variation in 

 length and ranged from about 110 to 

 215 mm. Furthermore, their lengths 

 virtually overlapped those of age -2 

 fish, and the only suggestion of a dis- 

 tinct nnode in the length-frequency 

 polygon of age-1 fish occurred at the 

 same length (192 mm.) as in age -2 

 fish. The larger age-1 fish came mostly 

 from northern Florida waters where 

 age-1 fish taken in late summer were 

 similar in length to age -2 fish caught 

 in early summer (age-1 fish ranged 

 from 155 to 200 mm. with a median 

 length of 187.1 mm., and age-2 fish 

 ranged from 160 to 210 mm. with a 

 median length of 188.5 mm.). 



10 



