Distribution : Longfinned squid range over the continental 

 shelf from Nova Scotia to the Gulf of Mexico. Primary com- 

 mercial concentrations occur from Georges Bank to Cape Hatteras . 

 Summer or shortfinned squid extend from Greenland to Florida, 

 but are most abundant between Nova Scotia and New Jersey. They 

 are most abundant in the summer in the Gulf of Maine and New- 

 foundland region. Squid move offshore in late fall. 



Management objectives adopted in the plan were to : 



1. Achieve and maintain optimum stocks for future recruit- 

 ment ; 



2. Prevent destructive exploitation of squid species; 



3. Minimize capture of nontarget species; 



4. Achieve efficiency in harvesting and use; 



5. Maintain adequate food supply for predator species, 

 recognizing that squid are also predators; 



6. Minimize user conflicts; 



7. Improve understanding of the condition of the stocks; 

 and , 



8. Encourage increased American participation in the squid 

 fishery . 



Ecological relationships : Overexploitation of squid could 

 result in decrease of other marine species which compete with 

 fisheries for squid. Substantial increases in squid numbers 

 might threaten fish species that are preyed upon during early 

 life stages by squid. Some 54 species of fish have been identi- 

 fied as predators of adult squid. The largest predator reported 

 is the pilot whale (dobicephala melaena) which feeds almost ex- 

 clusively on squid, mainly illex. Off Newfoundland these whales 

 subsist on illex about 6 months a year. The plan recognized 

 that years of illex scarcity could significantly impact pilot 

 whale populations in the Newfoundland area. While no data are 

 available from the Atlantic, it can be inferred from Pacific 

 data that squid are also a significant part of porpoise diet. 

 Billfishes, a valuable commercial and recreational group, use 

 squid heavily for food. It has been postulated that an apparent 

 increase in squid abundance may have occurred in response to 

 declining abundance of finfish, but the actual relationship re- 

 mains unclear. 



F-18 



