TABL£ 5. — Calculated number of fish (In millions) at each age In purse-seine catches, by area and 



season, 1955-57 



TABLE 6. — Age composition (in percent) of purse-seine catches in the Middle 



Atlantic Area, by month, 1957 



Month 



Age 



55 



8-10 



May 



June 



July 



August. . . . 

 September. 

 October. . . 



6.89 



12.34 

 4-0.38 

 50.41 

 16.70 



84.74 

 87.26 

 84.45 

 56.88 

 45.15 

 30.72 



8.34 

 5.34 

 2.15 

 1.79 

 2.49 

 15.57 



2.72 

 0.34 

 0.52 

 0.60 

 1.36 

 19.06 



1.88 

 0.04 

 0.16 

 0.06 

 0.29 

 10.42 



2.27 

 0.12 

 0.32 

 0.29 

 0.15 

 7.13 



0.05 



0.07 

 0.18 



0.05 



0.07 

 0.22 



In Chesapeake Bay the lengths of 

 fish in the samples ranged from 130 

 to 270 mm. The length curve for age-1 

 fish showed a prominent mode at 177 

 mm., while that for age-2 fish showed 

 a peak at 227 mm. 



Lengths of fish in the Middle 

 Atlantic Area ranged from about 125 

 to 365 mnn. with three distinct size 

 groups evident. The first two length 



groups, for the most part, represented 

 fish of ages 1 and 2 which supported 

 the catch through most of the sum- 

 mer, while the most advanced group 

 included mainly older fish which ap- 

 peared in the late -season catches off 

 southern Long Island. 



In the North Atlantic Area, two 

 major length groups were apparent 

 in the 1957 catches --age -2 fish which 



11 



