274 



FISHERY BULLETIN OF THE FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE 



half of Georges Bank; in the western side of the 

 inner parts of the Gulf of Maine; on the Nan- 

 tucket grounds; and off southern New England. 



This flatfish is represented in north European 

 waters by the European dab, Limanda limanda, 

 a close ally, from which it is distinguishable by 

 its smaller scales, more pointed snout, more nu- 

 merous fin rays, and shorter pectoral fins. 



We should also mention the deep-water dab 

 (Limanda beanii Goode), for while it has not been 

 taken within the limits of the Gulf of Maine 

 it would not be astonishing to find it on the 

 seaward slope of Georges Bank, for it has been 

 taken westward and southward from Marthas 

 Vineyard in depths of 120 to 896 fathoms. 28 It 

 differs from the rusty dab in a shorter head (occu- 

 pying only two-elevenths of the total length 

 instead of one-fourth) ; in the fact that the dorsal 

 (left hand) profile of its snout is convex, not con- 

 cave; in having only about 64 dorsal fin rays 

 instead of 76 or more; in having only 88 rows of 

 scales along its lateral line instead of 90 to 100; 

 and in the fact that its tail fin is marked with a 

 conspicuous black blotch on the outer rays on 

 each side. 



Occurrence in the Gulf of Maine. — Little was 

 known of the distribution of the yellowtail in our 

 Gulf previous to the introduction of the otter 

 trawl there, for it is seldom seen close inshore; 

 while its mouth is so small that one is seldom 

 caught on hooks as large as those that are used 

 for cod, pollock, or for haddock. But it has 

 proved so abundant since then, in the general 

 region of Nantucket Shoals and in the neighboring 

 side of the so-called South Channel, that about 

 4,400,000 pounds were landed thence in the most 

 recent year (1947) for which we have information. 

 The western half of Georges Bank as a whole is 

 good yellowtail ground also. But yellowtails 

 seem to be less numerous on the eastern half of 

 the Bank (though generally distributed there), 

 and less so on Browns Bank, as is illustrated by 

 the landings (in pounds) for 1947, 29 as follows: 

 northwest Georges Bank, 930,000; southwest 

 Georges Bank 1,740,000; northeast Georges Bank 

 210,000; central and southeast Georges Bank 

 540,000; and Browns Bank 40,310. 



Yellowtails are so plentiful on the sandy 

 bottoms in the eastern side of Cape Cod Bay, also, 

 and on Stellwagen Bank, that (with winter 

 flounders) they have long been the mainstay of the 

 draggers that fish there; no doubt the greater part 

 of the 1,150,000 pounds of yellowtails that were 

 reported as taken off eastern Massachusetts in 

 1947 were trawled on these particular grounds. 

 There are yellowtails in the deeper parts of 

 Massachusetts Bay, too, as Goode and Bean 30 

 remarked long ago. And since Welsh saw many 

 hundred of them taken in gill nets (not very 

 effective gear for flatfishes) between the Isles of 

 Shoals and Great Boars Head, during March and 

 April of 1913, the yellowtail must be one of the 

 most numerous of its tribe in the western side of 

 the Gulf in general, in suitable depths. 



Apparently they are less plentiful, however, 

 around the Gulf to the north and northeast, for 

 the reported catches for 1945 were only about 

 44,500 pounds for Cumberland County, Maine, 31 

 which covers Casco Bay and the grounds in its 

 offing; only about 9,000 pounds for Knox and Han- 

 cock Counties combined, and none for Washington 

 County in that particular year, though a few 

 hundred pounds have been reported from "eastern 

 Maine" in some other years. 



We have taken no yellowtails in the deep basins 

 of our Gulf nor have we heard of any there, 

 probably because of the depth, for the bottom 

 would seem hard enough for them in the eastern 

 trough, at least, even if it is not in the western, or 

 in the bowl west of Jeffreys Ledge. They cer- 

 tainly are uncommon in the Bay of Fundy, too, 

 if not altogether lacking there. And though 

 Huntsman did find a few in St. Mary's Bay, Nova 

 Scotia, United States fishermen bring in only a 

 few hundred pounds from off western Nova 

 Scotia in some years, and none at all in others, 

 though considerable amounts are brought in from 

 the outer Nova Scotian grounds, as mentioned 

 below (p. 275). 



Most of the yellowtails that are caught in the 

 inner part of the Gulf of Maine are in 10 to 30 

 fathoms of water, though they are reported in 

 Shoal water at the mouth of Penobscot Bay; 

 those caught on Georges Bank are in 20 to 45 

 or 50 fathoms (see p. 272). 



" Localities are listed by Ooode and Bean (Smithsonian Contrib. Know!., 

 vol. 30, 1895, p. 430). 

 *• To nearest 10,000 pounds. 



» Bull. Essex Inst., vol. 11, 1879, p. 6. 



"i Apart from those that were brought in to Portland by the large trawlers 

 from more distant grounds. 



