L. Bridges: I should have given a little more background on the lobster fishery 
in Boston Harbor because in the past ten years the landings have shown a steady trend 
upward from about 2 million pounds up to 3 million pounds. Now, that doesn't mean that 
just because the landings have increased, that the population has increased. What it might 
mean is that the effort to harvest those animals has increased. Because of the value of 
the product, increasing numbers of traps are being set for lobsters all the time. The 
coastal waters of Massachusetts are just full of lobster traps because they're so valuable. 
So the effort just keeps increasing dramatically. 
To answer your other question about the impact of the fish health on the 
population itself, we have absolutely no information on this particular situation or on most 
situations on what disease might be doing in a wild situation. I would say that all of the 
flounder we looked at were over 25 cm, which indicates to me that while we didn't age 
them, they would probably all be around between 6 and 7 years old, at least. 
There was a study done on Torch Lake Michigan in the 1940's I believe, and 
perhaps more recently, where they had the same phenomenon of neoplasia in yellow perch. 
They found that by comparing the longevity of those animals to the longevity of yellow 
perch in other Michigan lakes that the carcinoma reduced the longevity on the average by 
about 2 years. That is the only study I am aware of where they had some mortality 
information to compare to. 
Question: Concerning this very significant recreational fishery for winter 
flounder in Boston Harbor, are any of those fish making their way into commercial 
markets? And if so, where? 
L. Bridges: I should point out that although the winter flounder migrate 
outside of the harbor in the summer, they remain out in the deeper water of about 40 to 
50 feet throughout the winter. They are harvested commercially. They do enter the 
commercial catch. 
Question: I'm talking about recreationally caught fish in the Harbor. 
L. Bridges: No commercial fishing for winter flounder is allowed within the 
Harbor because it might interfere with navigation. Some of those fish are entering the 
commercial fishery outside the Harbor, and, of course, there is always some illegal 
commercial fishing, principally at night inside the Harbor. But the incidence of illegal 
commercial fishing at night within Boston Harbor has declined over recent years because 
of better enforcement. 
Dr. Brown: I think that's all the time we have for questions. To follow up on 
Leigh's talk we are fortunate to have Bob Murchelano to come speak to us today on 
histopatholgy of the winter flounder from the Oxford Laboratories. 
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