10 



A. Lbs per trawl— hr for Connecticut— licensed vessels 



B. Lbs (X 10) per directed trip in Statistical Area 539 



C. Median trawl CPUE of Niantic River flounder > 15 cm 



76 



77 



78 



79 



80 



82 



83 



84 



85 



86 



87 



YEAR 



Fig. 8. Comparison of annual winter flounder CPUF, for Connecticut-licensed trawlers, NMFS Statistical 

 Area 539, and Niantic River abundance surveys from 1976 through 1987. 



The Rhode Island indices represented the long- 

 est time-series of available data, with one set of 

 statistics going back to 1947. These data illustrated 

 the inherent variability typical for winter flounder 

 abundance (Fig. 9). Numbers were relatively high 

 from the mid-1950s through the early 1970s, with 

 several sharp increases in commercial catches most 

 likely related to the occurrence of particularly 

 large year-classes. Abundance declined in the mid 

 and late 1970s, but another large year-class was 

 produced in 1978. This year-class, along with 

 better-than-average recruitment in 1979 and 1980, 

 resulted in the winter flounder abundance peak 

 seen during the early 1980s. The recent declining 

 trend has reduced winter flounder to levels at or 

 below those found in the early 1950s and early 

 1970s. 



Perlmutter (1947) presented a brief history of 

 the winter flounder fishery in New England and 

 New York from its beginning in the late 1800s 

 to the 1940s. His work was prompted by a de- 

 cline in catches in the late 1930s and 1940s, com- 



pared to peak years of the fishery in 1928-31. He 

 noted considerable fluctuation in commercial fish- 

 ing CPUE from 1910 through 1947. For example, 

 catch-per-fyke-net at both Boothbay Harbor, ME 

 and Woods Hole, MA was very high during the 

 startup of the fishery in the early part of this 

 century and relatively high from 1925 through 

 1933. However, catches decreased about 30-40% 

 during 1934 to 1940. Introduction of more effi- 

 cient gear (change from fyke nets to beam trawls 

 to otter trawls) and vessels (sail to engines) as 

 well as increased market demand allowed for the 

 full development of the fishery and increasing ex- 

 ploitation of the stocks. The increase in relative 

 fishing power has undoubtedly continued through 

 the present with the addition of electronics and 

 other fishing aids in response to market demand 

 and high prices. 



Perlmutter (1947) also provided logbook data 

 for a Connecticut trawler working in Fishers Is- 

 land Sound. The catch-pcr-trawl-day (average 

 daily hours fished not given) from 1930 through 



Winter Flounder Studies 



167 



