174 



FISHERY BULLETIN OF THE FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE 





EASTERN * 

 MAINE 



NEW 

 HAMPSHIRE 



NAUTICAL MILES 

 10 20 30 40 50 



EASTERN 

 CHUSETTS 



SOUTHERN 

 MASSACHUSETTS 



RHODE ISLAND 

 SHORE 



MASSACHI 



E 



MASSACHUSETTS ' 



: .;: 100 jolrtO* 5 :- 



INNER GROUNDS 



NEW YORK ^ 



CONNECTICUT 



RHODETtf 

 JSLANOUJ 



SOUTHWESTERN SOUTHEASTERN 

 1 LONG ISLAND LONG ISLAND 



AREA XXIII 



'MIDDLE ATLANTIC BANKS 



j W, SIDE 



\ a 



SOUTH 



\NNEL 



OFF NO MANS AND LIGHTSHIP 



LAND 



Q 





Aiaov 



~'j ' 



NANTUCKET SHOALS 



GROUNDS 







SOUTHWEST GEORGES 



AREA XXU N 



-* fAWq *Ntw ENGLAND HANKS 



E. SIDE 



H 



NOVA 

 L.SCOTIA 



AREA XXI 



NOVA SCOTIAN 

 BANKS > 



NORTHERN EDGE 

 AND NORTHEAST PEAK 



'>^' ; >. 



rSSiiwri CENTRAL AND 



CHANNEL or . >( S0UTHEAST 



SOUTHEAST 

 GEORGES 



M 



Figure 1. — Statistical areas on the New England Banks. 



concentrations usually is indicated on the charts 

 as sand, sand and gravel, gray sand, or sand and 

 shell. Sand appears to be the constant ingredient, 

 and it is significant that the distribution of the 

 yellowtail corresponds closely to the location of 

 the near-shore sand zone delineated by Stetson 

 (1938). He describes the bottom sediments en- 

 countered in a section running approximately due 

 south from Martha's Vineyard, and he states (p. 

 14)- 



At the six-mile mark, in 27.5 meters of water * * *. 

 Relatively coarse sands are encountered, interspersed 

 with finer, from this point seaward until 48 meters of 

 water is reached 18 miles from shore. This belt of 

 coarse material, flanked on either side by finer sediment, 

 occurs in the other traverses in the same relative posi- 

 tion * * *. The sand is heavily stained with limonite 

 and is much redder than the beach material * * *. From 

 the sixteen-mile point onward the red stain disap- 

 pears * * * it seems probable that the sediments 



throughout this zone are being strongly worked upon by 

 bottom currents which vary greatly in velocity from 

 place to place. 



Stetson further reports that this near-shore zone 

 of coarse sand was found in 10 to 29 fathoms in 

 a section running slightly east of south from 

 Block Island. 



Our method of recording yellowtail-catch areas 

 does not permit a precise statement of their 

 depths, but the unit areas south of the center of 

 Martha's Vineyard that produced yellowtail in- 

 clude charted depths to 27 fathoms, with those 

 south southeast of Block Island running to 37 

 fathoms. Furthermore, the fishermen reported 

 that very few fish were caught in less than 15 

 fathoms. Thus, the zones of coarse reddish sand 

 and of yellowtail catch are in fairly good agree- 

 ment, but perhaps better evidence of such a rela- 

 tion is to be found in the coloration of this 



