Gulf Menhaden, Brevoortia patronus, Purse Seine 
Fishery: Catch, Fishing Activity, and Age 
and Size Composition, 1964-73 
WILLIAM R. NICHOLSON' 
ABSTRACT 
The menhaden purse seine fishery in the Gulf of Mexico, primarily for Gulf menhaden, Brevoortia 
patronus, extends from about early April to early October. From 1964 to 1973 the catch fluctuated 
between 317,000 and 728,000 t and the number of vessels ranged from 65 to 82. Larger and faster 
refrigerated vessels replaced most of the smaller nonrefrigerated vessels and modern methods of fish- 
ing were adopted. Population levels were high and there were no large fluctuations in year class abun- 
dance. Age-1 and -2 fish supplied from 95 to 99% of the catch by weight. Over 97% of the fish were 
between 120 and 225 mm fork length. The mean age and size generally were slightly greater in the cen- 
ter of the fishery (central and eastern Louisiana) than in the eastern (Mississippi) and western areas 
(western Louisiana and Texas). Mean age decreased as the season progressed. 
INTRODUCTION 
The menhaden purse seine fishery in the Gulf of 
Mexico, dating prior to 1900, underwent a rapid expan- 
sion after World War II. New plants for processing meal 
and oil were built and larger and more modern vessels 
were added to the fleet. By 1964 the annual catch had 
risen to 410,000 t, a 10-fold increase over the 1946 catch. 
Although three species of menhaden inhabit the area, 
only the Gulf menhaden, Brevoortia patronus, is impor- 
tant to the fishery. Yellowfin menhaden, B. smithi, oc- 
curs east of the Mississippi delta, and finescale men- 
haden, B. gunteri, west of the delta (Christmas and 
Gunter 1960). These two species together, however, 
probably supply, on the basis of numbers observed in 
catches or found in catch samples, less than 1% of the 
menhaden processed. 
Because of general concern that the resource would be 
overfished and that catches would undergo a decline 
similar to that of Atlantic menhaden, B. tyrannus, an in- 
vestigation was begun in 1964 by the National Marine 
Fisheries Service and centered at the Beaufort, N.C., 
laboratory. Many of the procedures and techniques 
developed for collecting and compiling information on 
the Atlantic menhaden fishery were followed. Catches of 
individual vessels dating from 1945 were compiled from 
confidential company records, and information on im- 
provements in fishing methods, such as the use of spotter 
planes, fish pumps, and power blocks, were collected. A 
systematic sampling of catches for age, size, and sex was 
begun in 1964 and still continues. 
The purpose of this paper is to document changes that 
have occurred in the fishery, update records of landings, 
‘Southeast Fisheries Center Beaufort Laboratory, National Marine 
Fisheries, NOAA, Beaufort, NC 28516. 
describe methods of sampling the catch and estimating 
the number of fish landed at each age, and discuss dif- 
ferences or similarities in age and size composition of 
catches throughout the fishery. Some preliminary data 
on catches, number of vessels and airplanes, and age 
composition of catches have been published in annual 
reports of the Beaufort Laboratory and by Chapoton 
(1972). Previous reports on age composition, however, 
were inaccurate, particularly for the years 1964-69, 
because a majority of fish had been over-aged during 
preliminary aging procedures. Subsequent reading show- 
ed a greater number of age-1 fish, fewer fish over age-2, 
and none over age-3. 
THE FISHERY 
Although a menhaden fishery has existed along the 
Gulf coast since the late 1800’s, records of catches, the 
location and number of plants, and the number and 
types of vessels before 1946 are fragmentary. One plant is 
known to have operated in Texas from around the turn of 
the century until at least 1923. Another operated inter- 
mittently in the vicinity of Port St. Joe and Apalachi- 
cola, Fla., from at least 1918 until 1961. Another 
operated in the Pascagoula, Miss., area from sometime 
in the 1930’s until 1959. 
The modern purse seine fishery began after World War 
II as the world demand for fish meal and oil increased. 
Fishing usually begins in April and ends in early Oc- 
tober. The first plant in Louisiana opened in 1946. In the 
next few years additional plants were built in Mississip- 
pi, Louisiana, and Texas (Fig. 1). Since 1950 the num- 
ber of plants operating each year has fluctuated between 
9 and 13 (Table 1), with some plants being closed or 
destroyed and new ones being built. The general trend 
has been toward larger and more efficient plants. 
