UNIT 1 



NORTHEAST DEMERSAL FISHERIES 



23 



INTRODUCTION 



The northeast (J.S. demersal (groundfish) 

 fisheries include about 35 fish species or 

 stocks, primarily in Mew England waters, 

 but also off the Mid-Atlantic states. In New 

 England, the groundfish group is domi- 

 nated by members of the cod and flounder 

 families, dogfish sharks, and small skates. 

 Mid-Atlantic groundfish fisheries land pri- 

 marily summer flounder, scup, goosefish, 

 and black sea bass. 



Northeast groundfish fishermen use 

 such fishing gears as otter trawls, gill nets, 

 traps, and set lines. Otter trawling is the 

 dominant fishing method throughout the 

 region (1,104 vessels trawled in 1989, 

 whereas 247 vessels fished with gill nets). 



Many of the vessels switch gears season- 

 ally. Total (J.S. commercial landings of 

 mixed groundfish in the northeast were 

 161,000 t in 1990. Even if the sport catch 

 (12,000 t) and Canadian landings were 

 included, the 1990 groundfish landings 

 were still less than half (45%) of their esti- 

 mated long-term potential yield (LTPY) 

 (Table 1-1). If the depleted northeast 

 groundfish resources were restored, they 

 alone would contribute another $180 mil- 

 lion annually to the region's economy and 

 substantially boost recreational fisheries 

 and their economic value. 



Northeast groundfish are often found in 

 mixed aggregations, are often caught in 



Table 1-1— Recent average, 

 current potential, and long-term 

 potential yields in metric tons (t), 

 and status of utilization of 

 northeast groundfish. The LTPY, 

 CPY, and RAY for the unit equals 

 the sum of the species' LTPY^s, 

 CPY's, and RAY's. Where the 

 species' LTPY is unknown, the 

 species' CPY is substituted in the 

 sum. If the species' CPY is 

 unknown, the species' RAY is 

 substituted. 



'198&90 average. 



Includes more than 1 00 t of foreign landings (primarily Canadian) 



Includes more than 100 t of recreational landings. 

 "For pollock, U 5 landings are only 1 1,700 t (22%) of the RAY 

 5 Overutilized for U S portion of the stock, but not the Canadian portion 

 6 For haddock, U S landings are only 2,500 (37%) of the RAY. 



Provisional LTPY's, based on historical landings patterns 



