. . . Northeast Demersal Fisheries 



26 



other Finfish 



Other groundfish taken primarily as by- 

 catch in the Gulf of Maine are goosefish, 

 cusk, wolffish, and Atlantic halibut. Ocean 

 pout is a bycatch in southern New En- 

 gland, while Mid-Atlantic bycatch species 

 are scup, weakfish, black sea bass, spot, 

 tilefish, searobin, and others. As a group, 

 these species are generally overutilized; 

 current landings are generally well below 

 long-term maxima (Table 1-1). Most of 

 these stocks are managed incidentally 



under FMP's for primary groundfish spe- 

 cies. For example, goosefish, cusk, wolf- 

 fish, and halibut (all of which are 

 overutilized) are taken in various groundf- 

 ish fisheries that are regulated under the 

 Northeast Multispecies FMP. Similarly, 

 scup and black sea bass are major compo- 

 nents of the summer flounder fishery. The 

 ASMFC has developed a weakfish FMP, 

 and several other stocks (tilefish, scup, and 

 black sea bass) are slated for future FMP's. 



ISSUES 



Principal Groundfish 

 and Flounder 



Overutilization and depletion of spawning 

 stocks are primary concerns for northeast 

 groundfish. Fishing regulations apply only 

 indirect controls (e.g., via mesh size, mini- 

 mum fish size, and/or area closures) on 

 harvests. Other important issues are the 

 bycatch of small groundfish in certain trawl 

 fisheries and the incompatibility of mesh 

 and fish size regulations which results in 

 excessive groundfish discards. Many New 

 England groundfishes (particularly on 

 Georges Bank) cross the U.S. -Canada 



boundary, but ineffective bilateral accords 

 have contributed to the depletion of these 

 stocks. So far, the northeast groundfishes 

 have not been seriously hurt by coastal 

 pollution, although species such as winter 

 flounder are at risk. Also, there is concern 

 that certain shelf-water warming scenarios 

 could alter fish distribution patterns and 

 predator-prey interactions. Important ma- 

 rine mammal-fishery interactions also 

 need to be understood better. 



Skate and Dogfish 



The current high numbers of skates and 

 dogfish make them a dominant part of the 

 mixed groundfish catches, but because 

 there is little market for them, many are 

 discarded. In addition, the recovery of de- 



pleted groundfish may be inhibited by the 

 great numbers of dogfish and skates that 

 compete for the same food items or that 

 may prey on young groundfish. 



