Thunnus thynnus thynnus (Linnaeus), were very erratic 

 (Fig. 36). Fishing effort has been increasing thoughout 

 the North Atlantic Ocean, and it is generally conceded 

 that the resource has been seriously overfished (Stroud 

 1974; Mather 1974). It has even been proposed that At- 

 lantic bluefin tuna be placed on the endangered species 

 list. It is prohibited to take fish less than 14 pounds (6.4 

 kg) or in excess of 115 pounds (52.2 kg) but less than 300 

 pounds (136.1 kg) except as incidental catches, also 

 specified as to amount. The following annual catch 

 quotas also have been set: bluefin tuna taken by purse 

 seine, 1,000 short tons (907 metric tons) of fish between 

 14 and 115 pounds, and 180 short tons (163 metric tons) 

 of fish over 300 pounds; taken by methods other than 

 purse seining, 2,000 fish over 300 pounds; anglers, daily 

 bag limit 4 fish between 14 and 115 pounds, on fish over 



300 pounds a bag limit of one fish per day per vessel 

 through August 13, and a limit of seven fish per vessel 

 thereafter until the quota of 2,000 fish is reached. 



Small quantities of bluefin tuna have been landed in 

 New Jersey and New York for many years. Most of these 

 were caught in pound nets or by hook and line. This tuna 

 is a popular sport fish, although it has not been listed 

 separately in the national saltwater angling surveys. In 

 1970 about 1,685 metric tons of tunas were estimated to 

 have been taken by sport fishermen in the north Atlan- 

 tic region, and about 400 metric tons in the middle At- 

 lantic region (Deuel 1973). 



In 1970 the foreign catch of bluefin tuna in ICNAF sub- 

 areas 5 and 6, the sport catch, and the domestic com- 

 mercial catch were of the same orders of magnitude 

 (Table 40). 



Figure 36.— Annual commercial landings of bluefin tuna in New 

 York and New Jersey 1901-1975. 



Table 40. --Estimated commercial and recreational catches of Atlantic 

 bluefin tuna in the north and middle Atlantic regions of the United 

 States coast for the period in which recreational or foreign catch 

 estimates are available. Weights in metric tons . 



Domestic 

 commercial catch 



Recreational 

 catch 



He -NY 

 incl. 



NJ-NC 

 incl. 



ICNAF 

 Foreign catch 



331 

 230 



The national saltwater angling surveys for 1960, 1965, and 1970 did not 

 give data by individual states. New YorV was included with the New 

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

 Recreational catches were given under the general category "tunas," 

 which probably includes other species in addition to bluefin. 



Foreign catches for 1975 are provisional. 



Figures for 197 5 in parentheses assume that unavailable landings in 



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



- An unreported catch is possible. 



Atlantic Sea Scallop 



The U.S. Atlantic northern sea scallop, Placopecten 

 magellanicut! 'Gmelin), fishery began off New England 

 in the 19th century and shifted to beds off Long Island, 

 N.Y. in the 1920s. The fishery did not reach full develop- 

 ment until after the second world war, when major stocks 

 on Georges Bank were heavily exploited (Merrill and 

 Tubiash 1970). The New England fishery reached its 

 peak in 1961 with total landings of nearly 11,000 metric 

 tons of meats, mostly in Massachusetts and Maine. 

 Relatively large catches in 1961 and 1962 were mostly of 

 survivors of an unusually large recruitment on Georges 

 Bank in 19.59 (Graham 1968). 



Scallop landings in New Jersey and New York have 



90 1900 O 20 30 40 50 60 70 



Figure 37. — Annual commercial landings of scallops in New Jersey 



1897-1975. 



39 



