of the range of Atlantic cod, Gadus morhua Linnaeus, 

 and domestic commercial catches have been relatively 

 small and variable (Fig. 21). 



W '-M 



90 1900 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 



Figure 21.— Annual commercial landings of Atlantic cod in New Jer- 

 sey 1880-1975. 



In the 1880s in New Jersey a small winter cod fishery 

 operated within 6 miles of shore, using handlines and 

 longlines (Earll 1887). This fishery probably was respon- 

 sible for the brief peak in haddock landings in the late 

 1800s and early 1900s. New York also had an offshore 

 winter cod fishery in the 1800s (Mather 1887). At this 

 time New York City was already a major point of landing 

 for fish and shellfish from as far away as New England. 

 Atlantic cod was the major species at 9.25 million pounds 

 (about 4,000 metric tons). 



Most of the Atlantic cod catch is taken from Novem- 

 ber to March inclusive, and little or nothing the rest of 

 the year. The trend of landings has been down since 1930, 



Table 23 .--Estimated commercial and recreational catches of Atlantic 

 cod in the north and middle Atlantic regions of the united States 

 coast for the period in which recreational or foreign catch estijnates 

 are available. Weights in metric tons. 



The national saltwater angling surveys for 1960, 1965, and 1970 did 

 not give data by individual states. New York was included with the 

 New England states and New Jersey with the other middle Atlantic state 



Foreign catches for 1975 are provisional. The total ICNAF 1976 

 guota for Atlantic cod in aubareas 5 and 6 was 43,000 metric tons. 



Figures for 1975 in parentheses assume that unavailable landings in 

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



although there was a brief upsurge in the late I9.50s and 

 early 1960s as cod showed up in greater abundance in 

 local waters. Landings in New York are made throughout 

 the year, although most of the catch is taken in winter. 

 .4n extensive review of the cod fisheries and life history of 

 the species has been published by Jensen (1972). 



Estimates of recreational catches of cod have been of 

 the same order of magnitude as domestic commercial 

 catches (Table 23) in the north Atlantic and the middle 

 Atlantic regions. In New York Bight the sport fishery for 

 cod is largely a winter fishery (Buchanan 1972; Jensen 

 1974). although catches also are made in spring and fall. 



F'oreign catches of cod reached a maximum in ICNAF 

 division 5Z in 1966 and subsequently have fallen off to 

 about 2.5'r of the 1966 level (Table 23). Catches in sub- 

 area 6. like domestic commercial and recreational 

 catches, have been relatively small. In the New York 

 Bight area, the cod catch appears to be shared about 

 equally by domestic commercial fishermen, sport fisher- 

 men, and foreign fishermen. The total allowable catch in 

 ICNAF subareas ,5 and 6 for 1976 has been set at 43,000 

 metric tons. 



Atlantic Croaker 



In the New York Bight area croaker, Micropogon un- 

 dulatus (Linnaeus), is near the northern limit of its 

 geographic range. In New Jersey (Fig. 22) the species was 

 recorded in commercial catches from 1897 to 1975, but 

 the period of major landings was from the middle 1930s 

 to mid-1940s. The annual weight landed during this 

 period was more than 10 times the New York catch. 

 Commercial landings have been reported in New York 

 only for the period 1926-46 inclusive (Fig. 23) plus a 

 small catch in 1973, with peaks at about 150 metric tons 

 in 1929 and 1930 and 183 metric tons in 1940. In Vir- 



'<^. A 



lL 



ATLaNTIC CROAKER 



'V 



V --V . . / 



1880 90 



Figure 22. — Annual commercial landings of Atlantic croaker and 

 spot in New Jersey 1889-1975. 



25 



