IMPORTANCE TO HUMANITY 



The importance of fishes to humanity extends beyond their role in the energy 

 flow of aquatic food webs. As a renewable resource, fishes are important to 

 humans as food and industrial products, for recreation and sport, and as 

 biological indicators of environmental problems. They also provide 

 opportunities for scientific and educational studies in natural history, 

 evolution, and resource management. 



Maine lands about 30% of the total catch of New England's commercial fishery 

 and is second only to Massachusetts in total fish landed. Catch statistics 

 for the last century are presented in table 11-7. From 1887 to 1931 the 

 annual catch ranged from 123 to 242 million pounds and adveraged 144 million 

 pounds. Between 1932 and 1940, annual landings ranged from about 67 million 

 pounds (1938) to 116 million pounds (1938) and averaged only 96 million 

 pounds. From 1942 to 1968 average annual landings increased to 245 million 

 pounds and total landings ranged between 134 million pounds (1943) and 356 

 million pounds (1950). Average and total landings declined again for the 

 years 1969 to 1977, showing a range between 138 and 178 million pounds and a 

 yearly average of 151 million pounds. 



The most important commercial species in the last decade, in order of 

 abundance, were herring, redfish, whiting, menhaden, cod, pollock, red and 

 white hake, mackerel, alewife, flounder, haddock, cusk, and eel (table 11-8). 

 One hundred years of commercial landings statistics for major species are 

 given in table 11-9. Herring and redfish landings remain at the top both in 

 catch quantity and in dollar value. Similarly, alewife remain a steady 6th 

 and 7th on the list. Cod landings now are again on the increase. The haddock 

 catch declined after the mid-1930s, rebounded some in the 1950s, and again 

 declined in the late 1960s. Data from the last 2 years suggest that the 

 haddock catch is on the increase. Pollock catches picked up betwen 1940 to 

 1960, showed a great drop during the 1960s, and now appear to be on the 

 increase (1974 to 1977). Whiting (silver hake) made a sudden appearance in 

 the commercial market, ranking third in catch quantity for the years between 

 1939 and 1973. Menhaden is another species making a sudden appearance among 

 the top seven (1973 to 1977). 



Landing points do not always represent areas of capture and undetermined 

 amounts of Maine catches are landed at ports in Canada, Massachusetts, and New 

 Hampshire, and vice versa. Trends in landings of principal species (tables 

 11-8 and 11-9) reveal fluctuations and shifting emphases in response to fish 

 abundance, market demand, gear efficiency, fishing effort, and foreign 

 fishing. General declines in abundance are often unperceived statistically 

 until well into the declining period. Intensified fishing effort and the 

 utilization of more selective gear tend to counterbalance apparent catch 

 shortages. 



11-36 



