The directed menhaden purse seine fishery for reduction is seasonal. The presence of menhaden schools is dependent on the temperature of coastal waters. Two fairly distinct fishing seasons occur, the "summer fishery" and the "fall fishery". The summer fishery begins in April with the appearance of schools of menhaden off the North Carolina coast. The fish migrate northward, appearing off southern New England in May-June. The fishery in the Gulf of Maine may extend into early October, although menhaden may not appear in the Gulf of Maine at all in some years. Menhaden stratify by age along their migration route as smaller, younger fish remain in the southern area, while larger, older fish travel farther to the north. Peak landings occur during June-September.

The fall fishery begins around the first of November as migratory fish appear off Virginia and North Carolina. In early fall, this southward migration is initiated by cooling ocean temperatures. By late November-early December, most of the fish are found between Cape Hatteras and Cape Fear, North Carolina. Menhaden vessels based in Beaufort, North Carolina and Reedville, Virginia may harvest these fish during the fall fishery . Fishing may continue into January (and sometimes February), but is highly weather-dependent. Menhaden generally leave the nearshore coastal fishing grounds in January, dispersing in ocean waters off the south Atlantic states.

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