tribution, migrations, and life history to silver hake. It is 

 used to some extent as human food, but in New England 

 usually over 90""^ of the catch is used for industrial pur- 

 poses (Grosslein et al. 1973, see footnote 7). In New Jer- 

 sey only about 10"^^ of the catch is used as animal food, 

 the remainder as human food (Eugene LoVerde pers. 

 commun.). Limited markets sometimes force buyers to 

 limit the amounts they will purchase. A single stock of 

 red hake occupies the Middle Atlantic Bight, most abun- 

 dantly between Cape Cod and Hudson Canyon. Red 

 hake on Georges Bank belong to a distinct and separate 

 stock (Grosslein et al. 1973, see footnote 7). Red hake and 

 white hake, Urophycis tenuis (Mitchill), (Table 5) vir- 

 tually were unutilized until the early 1940s, when war- 

 time shortages of animal protein created a strong de- 

 mand (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 1945). Greatest 

 landings in New Jersey, as in New York, were made dur- 

 ing and just following the second world war (Figs. 6, 7). 

 Landings dropped abruptly after 1947, rose somewhat in 

 the middle 1950s, and have fluctuated about a level less 

 than 500 metric tons for the last 20 yr. Landings in New 

 York followed a somewhat similar pattern, but at lov/er 

 levels than in New Jersey (Fig. 7). This increase may 

 have been stimulated by increased demand for fish dur- 

 ing and immediately after the war. Landings probably 

 were considerably higher in the middle 1960s than statis- 

 tics indicate, for the brief upsurge in landings of un- 

 sorted and unidentified industrial species in New York 

 (McHugh 1972a) probably was composed mainly of red 

 hake, as was the industrial trawl catch in New England 



Table 5 .--Estimated commercial catches of white haXe in the north 

 and middle Atlantic regions of the United States coast 1960-1975. 

 weights in metric tons. 



Recreational catches were included with red ha)*e (squirrel ha)te) 

 if any talcen. 



Foreign catches for 1975 are provisional. This species is 

 included with the second tier quota for 1976. 



Figures for 1975 in parentheses assume that unavailable landings 

 in N.H., Conn., and Del. equal the average of recent years. 



- An unreported catch is possible, 



• Less than 0.5 metric ton. 



(Edwards and Lux 1958). As already noted, the indus- 

 trial trawl fishery off New Jersey took mainly searobins, 

 but small quantities of red hake may have been included. 



The fishery for white hake is relatively minor (Figs. 6, 

 7). The two species were not separated in statistics prior 

 to 1933 in New Jersey and 1937 in New York. Recently, 

 white hake landings in both states have been very small 

 (Table 5) as are foreign catches. It is probable that some 

 white hake are included in red hake landings. 



Foreign fleets began to take red hake in the middle At- 

 lantic region in 1963 (Table 6). In 1966 they caught over 

 60,000 metric tons, which was almost double the greatest 

 total U.S. catch of this species. Domestic landings drop- 

 ped sharply in 1966, but although foreign catches have 



90 1900 K) 20 30 40 50 60 ?0 



Figure 6.— Annual commercial landings of red hake and white hake 

 in New Jersey 1887-1975. 



WHITE HAK£ 



RED AND WHITE HAKE 



AT 



Figure 7.— Annual commercial landings of red hake and white hake 

 in New York 1897-1975. 



10 



