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Fishery Bulletin 96(2), 1998 
The autumn strata selected were NMFS 
inshore strata identification numbers 01— 
61, and the spring strata were NMFS off- 
shore strata 01-12, 25, and 61-72. The 
summer and winter seasons were not 
sampled consistently enough to be in- 
cluded in these comparisons of abun- 
dance. Abundance of each species was 
estimated as a stratified mean weight per 
tow with the methods of Finney (1941) 
and Pennington (1983). These values are 
log-transformed (ln[x+l] ) means, weighted 
by stratum area. 
Regional sampling 
The Massachusetts Division of Marine 
Fisheries (MDMF) sampled 23 strata 
along the Massachusetts shoreline 
(<55 m). Approximately 80-90 stations 
were sampled in May and again in Sep- 
tember (Table 2) with a 3/4 North Atlan- 
tic type-2 seam trawl at random locations, 
except where precluded by untowable 
bottom and extensive fixed commercial 
gear (Howe, 1989). Abundance indices 
were calculated in the same manner as 
those calculated for the sampling by 
NMFS (see above). Strata were selected 
to encompass an area where both species 
occurred in each season (MDMF strata 
no. 10-19 for spring; 11-12 for autumn). 
The New Jersey Bureau of Marine 
Fisheries (NJBMF) sampled 15 strata 
along the New Jersey coast (<27 m). 
Cruises occurred every 6-10 weeks dur- 
ing 1988-92 (Table 2). Each cruise 
sampled 25-39 stations during a 1-4 
week period using a 3-in-l trawl at ran- 
dom locations (Byrne, 1989). Mean 
weight per tow (ln[x+lp was calculated 
without weighting for strata areas, and 
tows from all strata were used because 
both species occurred throughout the 
NJBMF sampling area during most of 
the year. 
Results and discussion 
Movements 
Northern searobins, but not striped searobins, moved Bank (Figs. 2 and 3). Striped searobins occurred 
seasonally between the Mid-Atlantic Bight and the rarely north or east of Cape Cod in any year, but 
Gulf of Maine, and they used habitats on Georges northern searobins, although not common there, oc- 
Figure 2 
Geographic distribution of northern searobins (open symbols, left column) 
and striped searobins (filled symbols, right column) in the Mid-Atlantic 
Bight during autumn, 1991 (top), winter, 1992 (middle), and spring, 1992 
(bottom) based on Northeast Fish. Sci. Center, NMFS, resource surveys 
(Table 2). Much of the Gulf of Maine and Georges Bank are not depicted here 
because sampling there collected only a single northern searobin (at a station 
immediately north of Cape Ann; see Fig. 3 for landmark reference). 
