SECTION 11 

 Butterfish {?epr"i,lus tv-iaoanthus) 



Life History Summary 



Butterfish range from the Gulf of St. Lawrence to Florida but commonly 

 are found between Nova Scotia and North Carolina (Bigelow and Schroeder 1953) 

 with their center of abundance in the Middle Atlantic Bight area (Hildebrand 

 and Schroeder 1928). Butterfish have a migratory pattern similar to that of 

 Atlantic mackerel: they spend the winter months near the edge of the Middle 

 Atlantic Bight continental shelf, and migrate inshore beginning in April. 

 During the summer, they are found over the entire Mid-Atlantic shelf at 

 virtually all depths to approximately 183 m. In late fall, butterfish move 

 southerly and offshore in response to cooling temperatures. South of Delaware 

 Bay, the migration is not as extensive. 



There is no significant recreational fishery for butterfish, but there is 

 a commercial fishery with both domestic and foreign components. The foreign 

 fishery is mostly a trawl fishery, with much of the catch taken by Japanese 

 vessels fishing mainly for longfin squid [Loligo sp.). The domestic fishery 

 primarily utilizes otter trawls, pound nets, purse and haul seines, although a 

 few other types of gear have been used. The landings associated with these 

 other gear types are yery small (Murawski et al . 1978). The domestic catch is 

 used both industrially and as a food source. During 1975, 2,035 metric tons 

 (MT) of butterfish were landed domestically, and of this amount, 416 MT were 

 used for industrial purposes (Pileggi and Thompson 1978). Foreign fishing 

 vessels (primarily from Poland, Japan, and USSR) reported catching 11,166 MT 

 during the same year (Murawski and Waring 1979). 



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