1999 



OUR LIVING OCEANS 



Juvenile skate from research 

 trawl catch, Georges Bank. 



gets were keyed to rcliiiildint; the spawning stock 

 through hshing niort.iht\' levels well below the 

 20% maximum spawning potential overfishing 

 definition. Annual adjustments to the allowed days 

 at sea are determined by monitoring a series of 

 target total allowable catches keyed to the fishing 

 mortality rates. 



Management ol" the summer flounder stock 

 has proceeded with a goal oi reducing hshing mor- 

 tality to F .A series of state-by-state allocations 

 of the annual quota has been the primary regula- 

 tory measure. With improved recruitment, 

 coupled with reduced fishing mortality, catch rates 

 lor the commercial and recreational sectors im- 

 proved during 199.3-96. Lower fishing mortality 

 rates and slightly improved recruitment will re- 

 sult in increased landings and a rebuilding of the 

 spawning stock biomass and its age structure (cur- 

 rently comprised primarily ot fish aged 2 years or 

 younger). 



LITERATURE CITED 



Mayo, R. K., M. J. Hogarry, and K M. Serchuk. 1992. 

 Aggregate fish biomass and yield on Georges Bank, 

 1 960-87. loLirnal oF Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Sci- 

 ence UiSV-yS. 



New Lngl.iiul I'ishery Management Council. 1997. 

 Report ot the New England Fishery Management 

 C^ouncil's Multispecies Monitoring Committee. 

 Northeast Fishery Management Council, Saugus, 

 Massachusetts, ')8 p. 



Northeast Fisheries Science Center. 1994. Isepori ot 

 the 1 8th Northeast Regional Stock Assessment Work- 

 shop (18th SAW), the Plenary Northeast Fisheries 

 Science C'enter Reference [document 94-2.3, Woods 

 Flole, Ma.ssachusetts, 71 p. 



Northeast Fisheries Science Center 1997a. Report of 

 the 23rd Northeast Regional Stock Assessment Work- 

 shop (23rd SAW) Stock Assessment Review Com- 

 mittee (SARC^) Consensus Summary of Assessments. 

 Northeast Fisheries Science Center Reference Docu- 

 ment ')7-()S, Woods Hole, Massachusetts, l')l p. 



Northeast Fisheries Science Center. 1997b. Report of 

 the 23rd Northcist Regional Stock Assessment Work- 

 shop (23rd SAW) Public Review Workshop. North- 

 east Fisheries Science Center Reference Oocument 

 97-06, Woods Hole, Massachusetts, 40 p. 



Northcist Fisheries Science Center. l')97c. Report ot 

 the 24th Northeast Rcgi<mal Stock Assessment Work- 

 shop (24th SAW) Public Review Workshop. North- 

 east Fisheries Science Center Retercnce Document 

 97-1 1, Woods Hole, Massachusetts, 67 p. 



96 



