Table 2. — Number of samples of Atlantic 



menhaden taken from purse seine catches, 



by season and locality, 1961 



Season and locality 



SUMMER FISHERY 



Femandina Beach, Fla 



Southport, N.C 



Beaufort , N.C 



Reedville, Va 



Lewes, Del 



Wildwood, N.J 



Port Monmouth, N.J 



Amagansett, N.Y 



Point Judith, R.I 



Subtotal 



FALL FISHERY 

 Beaufort-Morehead City, N.C. 

 Total 



Samples 



Number 



19 



16 



32 



118 



148 



1 



137 



130 



8 



609 



71 

 680 



in any previous year, and except for 1958 

 their percentage of the catch was larger. The 

 number of fish in the catch older than age 3 

 was smaller than in amy of the 6 previous 

 years, and the percentage of these fish in the 

 catch was smaller than in any year except 

 1958. 



Length Composition 



The percentage length distribution of fish 

 in the samples fronn purse seine catches are 

 shown, by area, in figure 4 (also see appendix 

 tables 1-5). 



The length-frequency distribution of fish 

 caught in the South Atlantic Area was bimodal 

 and ranged from 82 to 272 mm., but there 

 were only a few fish greater than 225 mm. 

 Modal lengths were 172 nnm. for age-1 fish, 

 192 for age-2 fish, and 202 for age-3 fish. 

 There was considerable overlapping in lengths 

 of the two older age groups. Fish of all age 

 groups were smaller than in other areas. 



Although the length-frequency distribution 

 of fish from the Chesapeake Bay Area was 

 similar to that of fish from the South Atlsmtic 

 Area, the lengths in the former area were 

 greater {157-297 mm.). The modal length 

 was 197 mm. for age 1, 232 mm. for age 2, 

 and 242 mm. for age 3. There was only a 

 small difference in length between ages 2 

 and 3. 



In the Middle Atlantic Area, the frequency 

 distribution was unimodal and composed pri- 

 marily of two age groups. The length distribu- 

 tion of age-2 fish nearly overlapped that of 

 the larger age-3 fish. 



The length-frequency distribution in the 

 North Atlantic Area also was unimodal and 

 symmetrical and was composed primarily of 

 age-3 and older fish. Lengths ranged from 

 232 to 347 mm. 



The lengths of fish taken in the North Carolina 

 fall fishery ranged from 132 to 342 mm., with 

 a principal mode at 262 mm. Nearly all fish 

 less than 222 mm. were age 1 or age 0. The 

 lengths of age-2 fish almost completely over- 

 lapped those of age-3 fish. 



As usual, females were larger than the 

 males in most areas, the difference in length 

 being greater among the older, larger fish 

 found in the North Atlantic Area and the 

 North Carolina fall fishery (fig. 5). There 

 was no significant change from previous years 

 in the sex ratio (table 6). 



Weight Composition 



The weight-frequency distributions (in per- 

 cent) of fish in samples from purse seine 

 catches are shown, by area, in figure 6 (also 

 see appendix tables 6- 1 1 ). While the distribu- 

 tions in the South Atlantic and Chesapeake 

 Bay Areas were bimodal, those in the Middle 

 and North Atlantic Areas were unimodal, due 

 to the preponderance of fish of the dominant 

 1958 year class (age 3). As was usual for fish 

 in the North Carolina fall fishery, where the 

 catch comprised all age and size classes, 

 the range m weights was large and the dis- 

 tribution bimodal. The positive skew of all 

 distributions reflected the disproportionate 

 number of older auid larger fish in the catches. 



Mean Length and Weight 



The mean of the mean lengths and weights 

 of Atlantic menhaden for the 6-year period, 

 1 955-60, and the mean fork lengths and weights 

 for 1961 are summarized in tables 7 smd 8; 

 the mean lengths and weights of each age group 

 in the 1961 catches, by sex, are given in 

 appendix tables 11-15. 



Except for the North Carolina fall fishery, 

 the mean length and the mean weight for the 

 combined age groups in 1961 were either 

 unchanged or were greater thain those for the 

 6-year period. The increases were due to the 

 unusually large numbers of age-3 fish and 

 the unusually small numbers of age-1 and -2 

 fish in the catches. 



While the means for fish older thsin age 3 

 in 1961 were not consistently different from 

 the means for the preceding 6-year period, 

 the means of age-3 fish were generally snnaller 

 and the means of age-1 and -2 fish generally 

 larger than the means for the same period. 

 These differences probably reflect the slower 



