Table 6.—Age composition, in percentage and numbers of 
fish, of Gulf menhaden in samples of the catch from all ports 
combined, 1964-73. 
Year AgeQ Agel Age 2 Age 3 Total 
1964 Number 24 8,012 3,887 342 12,265 
Percent 0.2 65.3 31.7 2.8 100 
1965 Number 114) 12,37 2,510 213 15,207 
Percent 0.7 81.4 16.5 1.4 100 
1966 Number 172 9,669 2,496 92 12,429 
Percent 1.4 77.8 20.1 0.7 100 
1967 Number 93 12,590 1,320 62 14,065 
Percent 0.7 89.5 9.4 0.4 100 
1968 Number 123 10,348 4,679 142 15,292 
Percent 0.8 67.7 30.6 0.9 100 
1969 Number 62 122947 2,633 103 15,039 
Percent 0.4 81.4 17.5 0.7 100 
1970 Number 89 6,750 3,511 52 10,402 
Percent 0.9 64.8 33.8 0.5 100 
1971 Number 20 5,402 2,092 138 7,652 
Percent 0.3 70.6 27.3 1.8 100 
1972 Number 67 6,839 2,764 210 9,880 
Percent 0.7 69.2 28.0 2.1 100 
1973 Number 132 5,769 2,892 153 8,946 
Percent 1.5 64.5 32.3 17 100 
Table 7.—Mean fork length (mm) and weight (g) 
of Gulf menhaden in combined samples of the catch 
from all ports, by age, 1964-73. 
Length at age Weight at age 
Year 0 1 2 
wo 
Oo 
i 
nw 
oo 
1964 120) M541 84 e201 h eS6is e218). 2183 
1965 167 Wa yews e204) 33% V65: “131 192 
1966 LG tal Soe 82a 20S ees ies e799) 180.178 
1967 102, J51 181 203 22 69 4122 170 
1968 TUS 157, = 1820 2345 27 79; 125) 207 
1969 123 147 186 207 42 66 137 198 
1970 110 160 181 208 31 83 
1971 119 157 188 204 31 7 
8 
Oo 
_ 
oe 
oO 
_ 
@ 
1972 108 161 187 209 26 2 136 182 
1973 121 165 187 213 36 101 148 217 
Mean 115 155 184 207 32 78 133 190 
AGE AND SIZE DISTRIBUTION 
BY LONGITUDE 
To determine if fish were stratified by age and size 
along an east-west axis, I calculated the mean age and 
mean length of each age for each degree of longitude 
(dividing 89 into two parts: 89a east and 89b west of the 
delta) by month and year. For summarizing mean 
lengths I combined all months; for summarizing mean 
ages I grouped longitudes into three areas: eastern (84- 
89a), central (89b-91), and western (92-94). Too few 
samples were obtained from longitudes 84°-87° and 94° 
to calculate useful mean lengths for each longitude. 
There were some differences in mean lengths by longi- 
tude, but they were small and not consistant for either 
age-l or -2, although 10-yr means of age-2 fish were 
slightly greater for central longitudes (89b-91) than for 
the others (Table 9). Monthly means showed no trends. 
The mean age tended to be highest in the central area 
and lowest in the western (Table 10). In all years it was 
Table 8.—Estimated weights (thousands of metric tons) and percent- 
ages of each age of Gulf menhaden landed in the purse seine fishery 
and the actual weight of fish caught, 1964-73. 
Actual 
Year Age 0 Agel Age2 Age3 Total weight 
1964 Weight 0.23 225.76 178.83 20.48 425.30 409.40 
Percent 0.1 53.1 42.0 4.8 100.0: 
1965 Weight 1.54 317.72 126.58 13.71 459.55 463.10 
Percent 0.4 69.1 27.5 3.0 100.0 
1966 Weight 1.45 247.02 110.52 5.51 364.50 359.10 
Percent 0.4 67.8 30.3 1.5 100.0 
1967 Weight 0.41 284.92 37.81 1.79 324.93 317.30 
Percent 0.1 87.7 11.6 0.6 100.0 
1968 Weight 0.96 261.61 106.25 5.63 374.45 373.50 
Percent 0.2 69.9 28.4 1.5 100.0 
1969 Weight 0.45 380.61 138.51 6.02 525.59 523.70 
Percent 0.1 72.4 26.4 it 100.0 
1970 Weight 1.52 270.28 274.65 6.51 552.96 548.10 
Percent 0.3 48.9 49.6 1.2 100.0 
1971 Weight 0.78 455.30 257.33 30.59 744.00 728.20 
Percent 0.1 61.2 34.6 4.1 100.0 
1972 Weight 0.46 257.99 219.73 13.04 491.22 501.70 
Percent 0.1 52:5 44.7 2.7 100.0 
1973 Weight 2.06 304.25 160.23 23.75 490.29 486.10 
Percent 0.4 62.1 32.7 4.8 100.0 
Mean Weight 0.99 300.55 160.04 12.70 474.28 471.02 
Percent 0.2 63.4 33.7 2.7 100.0 
Table 9.—Mean lengths (mm) of age-1 and -2 Gulf 
menhaden in purse seine catches, by degrees of 
longitude, 1964-73. Longitude 89a is east of the 
Mississippi delta, 89b is west. 
Longitude (°W) 
Year Age 88 89a 89b 90 91 92 93 
1964 1 9151) 9153) 162) 156) 5158 te SiaoS| 
2 175 178 189 182 182 181 183 
1965 1) 188) 141) $149) 150162 Seto 2 
2 170 176, 186 182 187 179) 183 
1966 1 158) 157) e157) 156162 151 151 
iz 175 178 183 183 184 177 179 
1967 1 146 150 146 151 158 150 149 
2 181 181 178 181 183 175 179 
1968 1 160 156 154 141 164 155 155 
2 176 183 186 183 185 182 180 
1969 1 146 147 141 150 151 156 146 
2 184 185 187 184 188 187 184 
1970 1 163 160 — 158 161 168 157 
2 177 179 — 183 185 178 498 
1971 1 155 155 — 158 162° 159" ory 
2 186 186 — 190 191 Jag 185 
1972 1 159 162 153 154 163 166 4158 
2 177 182 187 191%' 193, 186 183 
1973 1 159 164 161 166 167 164 169 
2 183 186 195 186 184 184 180 
Mean 154 155 153 154 161 157 153 
we 
lowest in the western area. ‘in 6 of 10 yr it was higher in 
the central than in the eastern area and in the other 4 yr 
it was about the same in both areas. In 1967, when the 
mean age was about the same in all areas, the fishery was 
dominated by the 1966 year class, which composed 92% 
of the fish caught. Monthly means generally declined as 
the season progressed. 
