FEATURE ARTICLE 2 

 NEW ENGLAND GROUNDFISH 



The Rise of the 



Trawl Fishery (1920-60) 



The species composition of groundfish land- 

 ings changed dramatically following the introduc- 

 tion of trawling, as the trawl fishery targeted had- 

 dock rather than cod (Figure 4) and then expanded 

 to other stocks. Prior to 1900, haddock landings 

 were relativeiv low (-20,000 metric tons (t)/vear) 

 since the species did not preserve well when salted. 

 By the late 1920's, haddock landings increased to 

 over 100,000 t (Figure 4). This level of catch, how- 

 ever, was not sustainable, and landings (primarily 

 from Georges Bank) would plummet in the early 

 1930's. 



By 1930 the groundfish fleet had grown too 

 large relative to the natural capacir\' ot the had- 

 dock stocks to prociuce increased yields. Growth 

 overfishing was revealed by sampling ot the catches 

 bv at-sea observers. In 1930, 37,000.000 haddock 

 were landed at Boston, but an estimated 

 ^0,000,000-90,000,000 juvenile haddock were 

 discarded dead at sea, due to the very small mesh 

 used in the otter trawl nets. Surprisingly, mesh- 

 size regulations to protect haddock would not be 

 implemented until 1953. 



The crash in Georges Bank haddock landings 

 prompted a great deal of new research to investi- 

 gate the causes and recommend new management 

 measures. Modern research programs to study the 

 population dynamics and demographics of New 

 England groundfish date back to work begun in 

 the 1930's by William Herrington and his col- 

 leagues at Harvard University and the U.S. Bu- 

 reau ot Commercial Fisheries (forerunner to the 

 National Marine Fisheries Service). Owing partly 

 to a shift of the fishery to resources on Browns 

 Bank off Nova Scotia, the Georges Bank haddock 

 resource recovered in the mid 1930's, and land- 

 ings subsequently averaged about SO, 000 t/year 

 between 193'i and 1960 (Figure 4). Haddock re- 

 mained the mainstay of the New England ground- 

 fish fisher\- until the mid U)60's. Cod landings 

 generally remained stable throughout the 1915- 

 40 period, as haddock, redfish, and other species 

 were the species ol primary interest to consumers 

 (Figure 4). 



The war years (World War II) were prosper- 

 ous tor the industry as fish was canned tor mili- 



Landings 

 (x 1 ,000 ml) 



_L_ 



_L_ 



1940 1950 



Year 



tary use, and protein demands and rationing ne- 

 cessitated increased fish consumption at home. 

 The fleet was also reduced at this time, as many ot 

 the largest trawlers were requisitioned tor war duty 

 as mine sweepers. Development ot new markets 

 (i.e. for ocean perch (redfish), which was later mar- 

 keted in the midwestern United States as a substi- 

 tute tor Great Lakes yellow perch) sustained a por- 

 tion of the offshore fleet during the war years. 

 Many government subsidy programs were 

 launched after the war when demand tor ground- 

 fish declined. 



The redfish fisher)' began in the 1 930's, peaked 

 in U.S. waters by the 1940's and expanded east- 

 ward to the Scotian Shell, growing to about 

 120,000 t/year during the early 1950's.This long- 

 lived, slow-growing resource was fished down to 

 moderate levels in the Gult ot Maine during the 

 1 930's and 1 940's, and the stock collapsed follow- 

 ing the return of the fleet from Canadian waters 

 in the mid 1970s. Flatfish landings were domi- 

 nated by catches ot winter flounder, witch floun- 

 der, and American plaice until the I940's. There- 

 after, yellowtail flounder became the most impor- 

 tant flatfish of New FLngland, but it declined greatK' 

 in abundance and landings through the 1940's and 

 1 '^)SO's (Figure 4). Reasons for the yellowtail floun- 

 der decline during this period are not known, but 



Figure 4 



Total landings (• 1,000 t) of 

 Georges Bank cod and had- 

 dock, and landings of yel- 

 lowtail flounder from all 

 New England waters. 1893- 

 1997. 



7 5 



