1999 



OUR LIVING OCEANS 



Atlantic longfin squid. 



erage yield is 2 1 ,200 t, Table 4- 1 ) can be sustained 

 tor the next 54-76 years in existing fishable areas 

 (Northeast Fisheries Science Center, 1998c,d). 

 Over the past two decades, ocean quahog fisher- 

 ies have moved progressively northward from the 

 Mid-Atlantic Bight to Southern New England. 

 Large resources still exist off Southern New En- 

 gland and on Georges Bank, but portions of these 

 areas cannot be easily fished with existing tech- 

 nology due to depth or bottom type. 



Northern Shrimp 



Gulf ot Maine northern shrimp are at the 

 southern extent of their geographical range, and 

 abundance is generally associated with low water 

 temperatures. Northern shrimp are harvested us- 

 ing small-mesh trawls and inshore traps. The fish- 

 ery began as an inshore winter fishery, but ex- 

 panded during the 1 960's to a year-round offshore 

 fishery until the stock collapsed in the 1 970's, fol- 

 lowing peak landings of 12,800 t in 1969, which 

 prompted a closure of the fishery. A restricted sea- 

 ■sonal fishery resumed in the 1980's. Landings have 

 increased substantially since 1 994, peaked at 9,500 

 t in 1996, declined to 6,400 t in 1997, and aver- 

 aged 7,600 t during 1995-97 (Table 4-1). In re- 

 sponse to concerns that the stock cannot sustain 

 recent increases in fishing effort, which were asso- 

 ciated with restrictions on the groundfish trawl 

 fishery, a new analytical assessment was completed 

 in 1997 (Northeast Fisheries Science Center, 



1997c,d) which indicated that the stock is cur- 

 rently at a low level of biomass and the fishing 

 mortality rate exceeds sustainable levels. 



Longfin Inshore Squid 



Longfin inshore squid form commercially sig- 

 nificant aggregations that sustain otter trawl and 

 trap fisheries from Georges Bank to Cape Hatteras, 

 N.C. Recent research shows that longfin squid gen- 

 erally live for less than 1 year, grow rapidly, and 

 spawn year-round. The original fishery began in 

 the 1 8()()'s as a bait fishery, and a valuable market 

 tor human consumption developed in the 1960's. 

 Annual landings fluctuate widely because squid 

 generations have little overlap from year to year, 

 and seasonal dynamics are sensitive to environ- 

 mental factors. Fishing patterns rcfiect the seasonal 

 distribution of the stock — offshore from October 

 to March, then inshore from April to September. 

 In recent years, most landings were taken in the 

 offshore fishery. The most recent stock assessment 

 of longfin squid (Northeast Fisheries Science (Cen- 

 ter, ! 996c, d) indicated that the stock was fully ex- 

 ploited and at an above-average biomass level. 

 Recent average landings were 15,600 t (Table 4- 

 l),with 16,200 t landed in 1997 which generated 

 $26 million 111 ex-vessel revenue. 



Northern Shortfin Squid 



Northern shortfin squid are fished commer- 

 cially from Cape Hatteras, N.C, to Newfound- 

 land, Can., and are considered a single stock 

 throughout that range. Ihis species exhibits rapid 

 growth, has a lifespan of about 1 year, and under- 

 goes long-distance migrations. Both its distribu- 

 tion and annu.il .ihundance are strongly influenced 

 by oceanographic factors. The domestic fishery 

 generally occurs during summer and autumn in 

 offshore waters south of New Jersey and is con- 

 ducted by otter trawl vessels, the larger of which 

 freeze the whole squid at sea, while the smaller 

 vessels deliver fresh squid. A robust distant-water 

 fishery existed during the 1 970's and 1 980"s, with 

 the bulk of the landings occurring oft Canada. Peak 

 international landings of nearly 180,000 t were 

 taken in 1979, 90% of which were from Cana- 

 dian waters. This fishery subsequently collapsed 



1 1 2 



