NOAA Technical Memorandum NMFS-NE-146

Essential Fish Habitat Source Document:

Longfin Inshore Squid, Loligo pealeii,

Life History and Habitat Characteristics

U. S. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

National Marine Fisheries Service

Northeast Region

Northeast Fisheries Science Center

Woods Hole, Massachusetts

September 1999
Recent Issues

105. Review of American Lobster (Homarus americanus) Habitat Requirements and Responses to Contaminant Exposures.

By Renee Mercaldo-Allen and Catherine A. Kuropat. July 1994. v + 52 p., 29 tables. NTIS Access. No. PB96-115555.

106. Selected Living Resources, Habitat Conditions, and Human Perturbations of the Gulf of Maine: Environmental and

Ecological Considerations for Fishery Management. By Richard W. Langton, John B. Pearce, and Jon A. Gibson, eds.

August 1994. iv + 70 p., 2 figs., 6 tables. NTIS Access. No. PB95-270906.

107. Invertebrate Neoplasia: Initiation and Promotion Mechanisms -- Proceedings of an International Workshop, 23 June

1992, Washington, D.C. By A. Rosenfield, F.G. Kern, and B.J. Keller, comps. & eds. September 1994. v + 31 p., 8 figs.,

3 tables. NTIS Access. No. PB96-164801.

108. Status of Fishery Resources off the Northeastern United States for 1994. By Conservation and Utilization Division,

Northeast Fisheries Science Center. January 1995. iv + 140 p., 71 figs., 75 tables. NTIS Access. No. PB95-263414.

109. Proceedings of the Symposium on the Potential for Development of Aquaculture in Massachusetts: 15-17 February 1995,

Chatham/Edgartown/Dartmouth, Massachusetts. By Carlos A. Castro and Scott J. Soares, comps. & eds. January 1996.

v + 26 p., 1 fig., 2 tables. NTIS Access. No. PB97-103782.

110. Length-Length and Length-Weight Relationships for 13 Shark Species from the Western North Atlantic. By Nancy E.

Kohler, John G. Casey, Patricia A. Turner. May 1996. iv + 22 p., 4 figs., 15 tables. NTIS Access. No. PB97-135032.

111. Review and Evaluation of the 1994 Experimental Fishery in Closed Area II on Georges Bank. By Patricia A. Gerrior,

Fredric M. Serchuk, Kathleen C. Mays, John F. Kenney, and Peter D. Colosi. October 1996. v + 52 p., 24 figs., 20 tables. NTIS

Access. No. PB98-119159.

112. Data Description and Statistical Summary of the 1983-92 Cost-Earnings Data Base for Northeast U.S. Commercial

Fishing Vessels: A Guide to Understanding and Use of the Data Base. By Amy B. Gautam and Andrew W. Kitts. December

1996. v + 21 p., 11 figs., 14 tables. NTIS Access. No. PB97-169320.

113. Individual Vessel Behavior in the Northeast Otter Trawl Fleet during 1982-92. By Barbara Pollard Rountree. August 1997.

v + 50 p., 1 fig., 40 tables. NTIS Access. No. PB99-169997.

114. U.S. Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico Marine Mammal Stock Assessments -- 1996. By Gordon T. Waring, Debra L. Palka, Keith

D. Mullin, James H.W. Hain, Larry J. Hansen, and Kathryn D. Bisack. October 1997. viii + 250 p., 42 figs., 47 tables. NTIS

Access. No. PB98-112345.

115. Status of Fishery Resources off the Northeastern United States for 1998. By Stephen H. Clark, ed. September 1998. vi

+ 149 p., 70 figs., 80 tables. NTIS Access. No. PB99-129694.

116. U.S. Atlantic Marine Mammal Stock Assessments -- 1998. By Gordon T. Waring, Debra L. Palka, Phillip J. Clapham, Steven

Swartz, Marjorie C. Rossman, Timothy V.N. Cole, Kathryn D. Bisack, and Larry J. Hansen. February 1999. vii + 182 p., 16

figs., 56 tables. NTIS Access. No. PB99-134140.

117. Review of Distribution of the Long-finned Pilot Whale (Globicephala melas) in the North Atlantic and Mediterranean.

By Alan A. Abend and Tim D. Smith. April 1999. vi + 22 p., 14 figs., 3 tables. NTIS Access. No. PB99-165029.

118. Tautog (Tautoga onitis) Life History and Habitat Requirements. By Frank W. Steimle and Patricia A. Shaheen. May 1999.

vi + 23 p., 1 fig., 1 table. NTIS Access. No. PB99-165011.

119. Data Needs for Economic Analysis of Fishery Management Regulations. By Andrew W. Kitts and Scott R. Steinback.

August 1999. iv + 48 p., 10 figs., 22 tables. NTIS Access. No. PB99-171456.

120. Marine Mammal Research Program of the Northeast Fisheries Science Center during 1990-95. By Janeen M. Quintal and

Tim D. Smith. September 1999. v + 28 p., 4 tables, 4 app. NTIS Access. No. PB2000-100809.
U. S. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

William Daley, Secretary

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

D. James Baker, Administrator

National Marine Fisheries Service

Penelope D. Dalton, Assistant Administrator for Fisheries

Northeast Region

Northeast Fisheries Science Center

Woods Hole, Massachusetts

September 1999

Essential Fish Habitat Source Document:

Longfin Inshore Squid, Loligo pealeii,

Life History and Habitat Characteristics

Luca M. Cargnelli1, Sara J. Griesbach1, Cathy McBride2,,

Christine A. Zetlin1, and Wallace W. Morse1

1National Marine Fisheries Serv., James J. Howard Marine Sciences Lab., 74 Magruder Rd., Highlands, NJ 07732 2

Inst. for Marine and Coastal Studies, Rutgers Univ., Cook Campus, New Brunswick, NJ 08903

This series represents a secondary level of scientifiic publishing. All issues employ

thorough internal scientific review; some issues employ external scientific review.

Reviews are -- by design -- transparent collegial reviews, not anonymous peer reviews.

All issues may be cited in formal scientific communications.

NOAA Technical Memorandum NMFS-NE-146
Editorial Notes on Issues 122-152

in the

NOAA Technical Memorandum NMFS-NE Series

Editorial Production

For Issues 122-152, staff of the Northeast Fisheries Science Center's (NEFSC's) Ecosystems Processes Division have

largely assumed the role of staff of the NEFSC's Editorial Office for technical and copy editing, type composition, and

page layout. Other than the four covers (inside and outside, front and back) and first two preliminary pages, all preprinting

editorial production has been performed by, and all credit for such production rightfully belongs to, the authors and

acknowledgees of each issue, as well as those noted below in "Special Acknowledgments."

Special Acknowledgments

David B. Packer, Sara J. Griesbach, and Luca M. Cargnelli coordinated virtually all aspects of the preprinting editorial

production, as well as performed virtually all technical and copy editing, type composition, and page layout, of Issues

122-152. Rande R. Cross, Claire L. Steimle, and Judy D. Berrien conducted the literature searching, citation checking,

and bibliographic styling for Issues 122-152. Joseph J. Vitaliano produced all of the food habits figures in Issues 122-

152.

Internet Availability

Issues 122-152 are being copublished, i.e., both as paper copies and as web postings. All web postings are, or will soon

be, available at: www.nefsc.nmfs.gov/nefsc/habitat/efh. Also, all web postings will be in "PDF" format.

Information Updating

By federal regulation, all information specific to Issues 122-152 must be updated at least every five years. All official

updates will appear in the web postings. Paper copies will be reissued only when and if new information associated with

Issues 122-152 is significant enough to warrant a reprinting of a given issue. All updated and/or reprinted issues will retain

the original issue number, but bear a "Revised (Month Year)" label.

Species Names

The NMFS Northeast Regions policy on the use of species names in all technical communications is generally to follow

the American Fisheries Societys lists of scientific and common names for fishes (i.e., Robins et al. 1991a), mollusks (i.e.,

Turgeon et al. 1998b

), and decapod crustaceans (i.e., Williams et al. 1989c), and to follow the Society for Marine

Mammalogy's guidance on scientific and common names for marine mammals (i.e., Rice 1998d). Exceptions to this policy

occur when there are subsequent compelling revisions in the classifications of species, resulting in changes in the names

of species (e.g., Cooper and Chapleau 1998e

).

a

Robins, C.R. (chair); Bailey, R.M.; Bond, C.E.; Brooker, J.R.; Lachner, E.A.; Lea, R.N.; Scott, W.B. 1991. Common and scientific names of fishes

from the United States and Canada. 5th ed. Amer. Fish. Soc. Spec. Publ. 20; 183 p.

b

Turgeon, D.D. (chair); Quinn, J.F., Jr.; Bogan, A.E.; Coan, E.V.; Hochberg, F.G.; Lyons, W.G.; Mikkelsen, P.M.; Neves, R.J.; Roper, C.F.E.;

Rosenberg, G.; Roth, B.; Scheltema, A.; Thompson, F.G.; Vecchione, M.; Williams, J.D. 1998. Common and scientific names of aquatic

invertebrates from the United States and Canada: mollusks. 2nd ed. Amer. Fish. Soc. Spec. Publ. 26; 526 p.

c

Williams, A.B. (chair); Abele, L.G.; Felder, D.L.; Hobbs, H.H., Jr.; Manning, R.B.; McLaughlin, P.A.; Pérez Farfante, I. 1989. Common and

scientific names of aquatic invertebrates from the United States and Canada: decapod crustaceans. Amer. Fish. Soc. Spec. Publ. 17; 77 p.

d

Rice, D.W. 1998. Marine mammals of the world: systematics and distribution. Soc. Mar. Mammal. Spec. Publ. 4; 231 p.

e

Cooper, J.A.; Chapleau, F. 1998. Monophyly and interrelationships of the family Pleuronectidae (Pleuronectiformes), with a revised classification.

Fish. Bull. (U.S.) 96:686-726.
Page iii

FOREWORD

One of the greatest long-term threats to the viability of

commercial and recreational fisheries is the continuing

loss of marine, estuarine, and other aquatic habitats.

Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and

Management Act (October 11, 1996)

The long-term viability of living marine resources

depends on protection of their habitat.

NMFS Strategic Plan for Fisheries

Research (February 1998)

The Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and

Management Act (MSFCMA), which was reauthorized

and amended by the Sustainable Fisheries Act (1996),

requires the eight regional fishery management councils to

describe and identify essential fish habitat (EFH) in their

respective regions, to specify actions to conserve and

enhance that EFH, and to minimize the adverse effects of

fishing on EFH. Congress defined EFH as “those waters

and substrate necessary to fish for spawning, breeding,

feeding or growth to maturity.” The MSFCMA requires

NMFS to assist the regional fishery management councils

in the implementation of EFH in their respective fishery

management plans.

NMFS has taken a broad view of habitat as the area

used by fish throughout their life cycle. Fish use habitat

for spawning, feeding, nursery, migration, and shelter, but

most habitats provide only a subset of these functions.

Fish may change habitats with changes in life history

stage, seasonal and geographic distributions, abundance,

and interactions with other species. The type of habitat,

as well as its attributes and functions, are important for

sustaining the production of managed species.

The Northeast Fisheries Science Center compiled the

available information on the distribution, abundance, and

habitat requirements for each of the species managed by

the New England and Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management

Councils. That information is presented in this series of

30 EFH species reports (plus one consolidated methods

report). The EFH species reports comprise a survey of the

important literature as well as original analyses of fisheryJAMES J. HOWARD MARINE SCIENCES LABORATORY

HIGHLANDS, NEW JERSEY

SEPTEMBER 1999

independent data sets from NMFS and several coastal

states. The species reports are also the source for the

current EFH designations by the New England and MidAtlantic Fishery Management Councils, and have

understandably begun to be referred to as the “EFH source

documents.”

NMFS provided guidance to the regional fishery

management councils for identifying and describing EFH

of their managed species. Consistent with this guidance,

the species reports present information on current and

historic stock sizes, geographic range, and the period and

location of major life history stages. The habitats of

managed species are described by the physical, chemical,

and biological components of the ecosystem where the

species occur. Information on the habitat requirements is

provided for each life history stage, and it includes, where

available, habitat and environmental variables that control

or limit distribution, abundance, growth, reproduction,

mortality, and productivity.

Identifying and describing EFH are the first steps in

the process of protecting, conserving, and enhancing

essential habitats of the managed species. Ultimately,

NMFS, the regional fishery management councils, fishing

participants, Federal and state agencies, and other

organizations will have to cooperate to achieve the habitat

goals established by the MSFCMA.

A historical note: the EFH species reports effectively

recommence a series of reports published by the NMFS

Sandy Hook (New Jersey) Laboratory (now formally

known as the James J. Howard Marine Sciences

Laboratory) from 1977 to 1982. These reports, which

were formally labeled as Sandy Hook Laboratory

Technical Series Reports, but informally known as “Sandy

Hook Bluebooks,” summarized biological and fisheries

data for 18 economically important species. The fact that

the bluebooks continue to be used two decades after their

publication persuaded us to make their successors – the 30

EFH source documents – available to the public through

publication in the NOAA Technical Memorandum NMFSNE series.

JEFFREY N. CROSS, CHIEF

ECOSYSTEMS PROCESSES DIVISION

NORTHEAST FISHERIES SCIENCE CENTER
Page v

Contents

Introduction...............................................................................................................................................................................................1

Life History ...............................................................................................................................................................................................1

Habitat Characteristics ..............................................................................................................................................................................2

Geographical Distribution.........................................................................................................................................................................3

Status of the Stocks ...................................................................................................................................................................................5

Research Needs .........................................................................................................................................................................................6

Acknowledgments.....................................................................................................................................................................................6

References Cited .......................................................................................................................................................................................6

Tables

Table 1. Summary of life history and habitat characteristics for longfin inshore squid, Loligo pealeii ...................................................9

Figures

Figure 1. The longfin inshore squid, Loligo pealeii (from Goode 1884)..............................................................................................11

Figure 2. Abundance of the major prey items in the diet of longfin inshore squid collected during NEFSC trawl surveys .................12

Figure 3. Distribution and abundance of pre-recruit and recruit longfin inshore squid collected during NEFSC trawl surveys..........13

Figure 4. Abundance of pre-recruit and recruits relative to bottom temperature and depth based on NEFSC trawl surveys ...............15

Figure 5. Distribution and abundance of pre-recruit and recruit longfin inshore squid in Massachusetts coastal waters.....................17

Figure 6. Abundance of pre-recruit and recruits relative to bottom temperature and depth based on Massachusetts trawl surveys.....18

Figure 7. Distribution and abundance of pre-recruit and recruit longfin inshore squid in Narragansett Bay .......................................19

Figure 8. Abundance of pre-recruit/recruits relative to bottom temperature and depth based on Narragansett Bay trawl surveys.......21

Figure 9. Distribution and abundance of pre-recruit and recruit longfin inshore squid collected in the Hudson-Raritan estuary ........23

Figure 10. Abundance of pre-recruits/recruits relative to temperature, depth, DO, and salinity based on Hudson-Raritan surveys ......25

Figure 11. Distribution, abundance, and size frequency distribution of longfin inshore squid in Long Island Sound ...........................26

Figure 12. Commercial landings and abundance indices for longfin inshore squid in the Gulf of Maine and Middle Atlantic Bight ...27
Page 1

INTRODUCTION

The longfin inshore squid, Loligo pealeii, is a pelagic

schooling species of the molluscan family Loliginidae

(Figure 1). It is distributed in continental shelf and slope

waters from Newfoundland to the Gulf of Venezuela; it

occurs in commercial abundance from southern Georges

Bank to Cape Hatteras. Exploitation of the species is

currently managed by the Mid-Atlantic Fishery

Management Council under the Atlantic Mackerel, Squid

and Butterfish Fishery Management Plan (MAFMC

1996). Within the range of commercial exploitation, the

population is considered to be a single stock unit. This

Essential Fish Habitat Source Document provides

information on the life history and habitat characteristics

of longfin inshore squid inhabiting the Gulf of Maine,

Georges Bank, and the Middle Atlantic Bight.

LIFE HISTORY

A brief synopsis of the life history characteristics of

the longfin inshore squid is provided by Brodziak (1995)

and Amendment #6 to the Fishery Management Plan for

the Atlantic Mackerel, Squid and Butterfish Fisheries

(MAFMC 1996). More detailed information is provided

here.

EGGS AND LARVAE

The 1 mm x 1.6 mm eggs are encased in a gelatinous

capsule as they pass through the female oviduct during

mating. Each capsule contains 150-200 eggs (Arnold et

al. 1974; Gosner 1978; MAFMC 1996) and is about 50-

80 mm long and 1 cm in diameter (Gosner 1978; Lange

1982; MAFMC 1996). During spawning, the male

cements bundles of spermatophores into the mantle cavity

of the female; as the capsule of eggs passes out through

the oviduct, the jelly is penetrated by the sperm (Black et

al. 1987). The egg capsules are laid on the bottom in

clusters 50-60 cm wide composed of hundreds of capsules

(Gosner 1978; Griswold and Prezioso 1981). Each female

lays 20-30 capsules (Lange 1982). The number of eggs

spawned per female has been reported as 950-8,500

(Haefner 1959), 3,500-6,000 (Summers 1971), 2,500-

15,900 (Vovk 1972b), and 3,000-6,000 (MAFMC 1996).

Development time varies from 257 to 642 hrs depending

on water temperature; 26.7 days to hatching at 12-18o

C,

18.5 days at 15.5-21.3o

C, and 10.7 days at 15.5-23.0oC

(Summers 1971).

Little is known about the larval stages of the longfin

inshore squid (MAFMC 1996) because they are not often

found in the spawning areas. Larvae are pelagic in near

surface waters (McMahon and Summers 1971) and are

referred to as paralarvae (Young and Harman 1988).

Larvae 2-4 mm in length have been caught in the Gulf of

Maine (Bigelow 1924).

JUVENILES AND SUBADULTS

There are two juvenile stages; ‘juvenile’ is the stage

after the paralarval stage and before the subadult stage;

‘subadult’ is the stage before maturity when the

morphological characteristics of adults are attained

(Young and Harman 1988). The shift from inhabiting

surface waters to a demersal lifestyle occurs at 45 mm

(Vecchione 1981). Off Martha’s Vineyard, the juvenile

life stage lasts about 1 month; by November subadults

migrate to the outer shelf areas where they remain until

March (Summers 1968a, b). Subadults are thought to

overwinter in deeper waters along the edge of the

continental shelf (Black et al. 1987). Young-of-the-year

(subadults) are found with adults in mid-summer trawls

(Summers 1968a, b). Sexual maturity is first reached at 8-

12 cm, although most mature individuals are > 10 cm

(Macy 1980; Brodziak and Hendrickson 1999). The

length at which 50% of individuals are sexually mature

(L50) is 16 cm (Brodziak 1995).

ADULTS

Historically, the lifespan of longfin inshore squid was

believed to be 1-2 years (Summers 1971; Lange 1982).

However, recent studies using statolith aging

demonstrated exponential growth and a lifespan of less

than 1 year (Brodziak and Macy 1996).

Longfin inshore squid reach sizes greater than 40-50

cm mantle length (ML), although most are less than 30 cm

(Vecchione et al. 1989; Brodziak 1995). They are

sexually dimorphic – males grow more rapidly and reach

larger size at age than females (Brodziak 1995). Longfin

inshore squid migrate offshore during late autumn and

overwinter in warmer waters along the edge of the

continental shelf; they return inshore during the spring and

early summer (MAFMC 1996). Mature individuals enter

inshore waters before immature ones (Macy 1982). Off

Massachusetts, larger individuals migrate inshore in AprilMay while smaller individuals move inshore in the

summer (Lange 1982). Longfin inshore squid form large

schools based on size prior to feeding (Macy 1980) and

make diurnal vertical migrations up into the water column

at night (MAFMC 1996). This movement may be

associated with the pursuit of food organisms such as

euphausiids.

REPRODUCTION

Historically, longfin inshore squid were believed to
Page 2

spawn from summer to early fall (Lange and Sissenwine

1980), although this varied among years and geographic

areas. Brodziak and Macy (1996), however, recently

reported that longfin inshore squid can spawn year round.

Most eggs are spawned in May and hatching occurs in

July (Summers 1971). Spawning has been reported from

August to September in the Bay of Fundy (Stevenson

1934), from May to August in New England waters (Macy

1980; Summers 1971), and from late spring to early

summer in the Middle Atlantic (Lange and Sissenwine

1983; Black et al. 1987). Mesnil (1977) reported that

spawning on the Scotian Shelf and Georges Bank occurs

during early spring and late summer.

Spawning has been reported in the Gulf of Maine in

Cobequid Bay and Massachusetts Bay (Bigelow 1924),

the Bay of Fundy (Stevenson 1934), Minas Basin (Cohen

1976), along the eastern coast of Nova Scotia in St.

Margaret’s and Terrence bays (Dawe et al. 1990), on

Georges Bank (Mesnil 1977), and in the Middle Atlantic

in Narragansett and Delaware bays (Haefner 1959;

Griswold and Prezioso 1981).

FOOD HABITS

The diet of the longfin inshore squid changes with

size; small immature individuals feed on planktonic

organisms (Vovk 1972b; Tibbetts 1977) while larger

individuals feed on crustaceans and small fish

(Vinogradov and Noskov 1979). Cannibalism is observed

in individuals larger than 5 cm (Whitacker 1978). Studies

by Vovk and Khvichiya (1980) and Vovk (1985) showed

that juveniles 4.1-6 cm long fed on euphausiids and arrow

worms, while those 6.1-10 cm fed mostly on small crabs,

but also on polychaetes and shrimp. Adults 12.1-16 cm

long fed on fish (clupeids, myctophids) and squid

larvae/juveniles, and those > 16 cm fed on fish and squid

(Vovk and Khvichiya 1980; Vovk 1985). Fish species

preyed on by longfin inshore squid include silver hake,

mackerel, herring, menhaden (Langton and Bowman

1977), sand lance, bay anchovy, menhaden, weakfish, and

silversides (Kier 1982). Maurer and Bowman (1985)

demonstrated the following seasonal and inshore/offshore

differences in diet: in offshore waters in the spring, the

diet is composed of crustaceans (mainly euphausiids) and

fish; in inshore waters in the fall, the diet is composed

almost exclusively of fish; and in offshore waters in the

fall, the diet is composed of fish and squid.

The Northeast Fisheries Science Center (NEFSC)

bottom trawl survey data on food habits [see Reid et al.

(1999) for details] show a similar ontogenetic shift in the

diet of longfin inshore squid (Figure 2). During 1973-

1980, the diet of squid 1-10 cm was composed primarily

of crustaceans (23%), while fish were the most important

prey item in the diet of squid 11-40 cm. During 1981-

1990, the diet of squid 1-10 cm was composed of 42%

cephalopods (i.e., squid), 26% fish, and 21% crustaceans,

while the diet of squid 11-40 cm was dominated by fish

(39%) and cephalopods (22%).

PREDATION

Juvenile and adult longfin inshore squid are preyed

upon by many pelagic and demersal fish species, as well

as marine mammals and diving birds (Lange and

Sissenwine 1980; Vovk and Khvichiya 1980; Summers

1983). Marine mammal predators include longfin pilot

whale, Globicephala melas, and common dolphin,

Delphinus delphis (Waring et al. 1990; Overholtz and

Waring 1991; Gannon et al. 1997). Fish predators

include bluefish, sea bass, mackerel, cod, haddock,

pollock, silver hake, red hake, sea raven, spiny dogfish,

angel shark, goosefish, dogfish, and flounder (Maurer

1975; Langton and Bowman 1977; Gosner 1978; Lange

1980).

HABITAT CHARACTERISTICS

The terms pre-recruit and recruit are used here in the

description of the habitat characteristics and geographical

distributions. These terms refer to the exploited and

unexploited portions of the stock. Longfin inshore squid

are exploited at a minimum mantle length of 9 cm; thus,

pre-recruits are ≤ 8 cm and recruits are ≥ 9 cm.

Information on the habitat characteristics and preferences

of the longfin inshore squid is summarized in Table 1.

EGGS AND LARVAE

Egg masses are commonly found attached to rocks

and small boulders on sandy/muddy bottom and on

aquatic vegetation, such as Fucus sp., Ulva lactuca,

Laminaria sp. and Porphyra sp. (Arnold et al. 1974;

Griswold and Prezioso, 1981; Summers 1983). The eggs

are demersal, are generally laid in waters < 50 m deep

(Bigelow 1924; Griswold and Prezioso 1981; Lange

1982), and are found at temperatures of 10-23o

C

(McMahon and Summers 1971) and salinities of 30-32

ppt (McMahon and Summers 1971).

The larvae are pelagic near the surface (McMahon

and Summers 1971; McConathy et al. 1980) and occur at

temperatures of 10-26o

C and salinities of 31.5-34.0 ppt

(Vecchione 1981). Surface waters are important to

hatchlings and larvae move deeper as they grow older

(Vecchione 1981).

JUVENILES

Juveniles inhabit the upper 10 m of the water column

over water 50-150 m deep (Mercer 1969; Vovk and
Page 3

Khvichiya 1980; Brodziak and Hendrickson 1999). They

are found at surface water temperatures of 10-26o

C

(Vecchione 1981; Brodziak and Hendrickson 1999) and

salinities of 31.5-34.0 ppt (Vecchione 1981).

Longfin inshore squid pre-recruits (≤ 8 cm ML)

caught during NEFSC trawl surveys were taken at depths

ranging from 0-210 m (Figure 4). However, depth of

occurrence varied seasonally in accordance with known

inshore-offshore migrations. Most pre-recruits were taken

at 70-120 m and 8-12o

C in winter, 20-130 m and 10-13oC

in spring, 10 m and 13-18o

C in summer, and 10-40 m and

11-17o

C in winter.

Off Massachusetts, most pre-recruits were found in

10-15 m of water at temperatures of 10-13o

C in spring and

15-20o

C in autumn (Figure 6). In Narragansett Bay, prerecruits were found at depths of 3-34 m (27 m in winter,

6-12 m in spring, 30-34 m and summer, and 30 m in

autumn) and temperatures of 9-25o

C (10oC in winter, 9-

16o

C in spring, 11-25oC with most at 19oC in summer, and

13-23o

C with most at 20oC in autumn) (Figure 8). In the

Hudson-Raritan estuary, most pre-recruits were found at

temperatures of 16-20o

C, depths of 30 and 45-50 ft (~9

and 14-15 m), salinities of 30 ppt, and dissolved oxygen

levels of 7-8 mg/L (Figure 10).

ADULTS

Adult longfin inshore squid inhabit the continental

shelf and upper continental slope to depths of 400 m

(Vecchione et al. 1989), but depth varies seasonally. In

spring they occur at depths of 110-200 m (Serchuk and

Rathjen 1974; Lange and Sissenwine 1980), in summer

and autumn they inhabit inshore waters as shallow as 6-28

m (Summers 1968a, b; Serchuk and Rathjen 1974; Gosner

1978; Howell and Simpson 1994), and in winter they

inhabit offshore waters to depths of 365 m (Lange 1982).

They are found on mud or sand/mud substrate (Howell

and Simpson 1994), at surface temperatures ranging from

9-21o

C, and bottom temperatures ranging from 8-16oC

(Summers 1969; Lux et al. 1974; Serchuck and Rathjen

1974; Lange and Sissenwine 1980; Macy 1980; Brodziak

and Hendrickson 1999).

Longfin inshore squid recruits (≥ 9 cm) caught during

NEFSC trawl surveys were taken at depths ranging from

0-300 m. However, depth of occurrence varied seasonally

in accordance with known inshore-offshore migrations.

Most recruits were collected at 50-120 m and 7-12o

C in

winter, 100-150 m and 10-12o

C in spring, 10-20 m and

11-16o

C in summer, and 20-70 m and 10-14oC in fall

(Figure 4).

Off Massachusetts, most recruits were collected at

10-15 m and 10-13o

C in spring, and 10-30 m and 16-20oC

in autumn (Figure 6). In Narragansett Bay, recruits were

found at depths of 3-37 m. Seasonally, in winter they

were found at 27-30 m, in spring and summer at 3-37 m

with most at 30-34 m, and in autumn 27-30 m. They were

also found at temperatures of 7-26o

C. Seasonally, in

winter they were found at 7-10o

C, in spring 9-16oC with

most at 11o

C, in summer 9-26oC with most at 17-21oC,

and in autumn 11-23o

C with most at 15oC (Figure 8). In

the Hudson-Raritan estuary, most recruits were found at

temperatures of 16-17o

C, depths of 50 and 60 ft (15 and

18 m), salinities of 30 ppt, and dissolved oxygen levels of

7-8 mg/L (Figure 10).

GEOGRAPHICAL DISTRIBUTION

Longfin inshore squid occur from Newfoundland to

the Gulf of Venezuela, however, the principal

concentrations occur from Georges Bank to Cape Hatteras

(Brodziak 1995). Longfin inshore squid are generally

found at water temperatures of at least 9o

C (Lange and

Sissenwine 1980). The population makes seasonal

migrations that appear to be related to bottom water

temperatures; they move offshore during late autumn to

overwinter along the edge of the continental shelf and

return inshore during the spring and early summer

(MAFMC 1996). During winter and early spring when

inshore waters are coldest, the population concentrates

along the outer edge of the continental shelf where waters

are 9-13o

C. The inshore movement to the shelf areas

takes place when water temperatures are rising (Black et

al. 1987) and begins in the south and proceeds north along

the coast (MAFMC 1996). A northerly extension of the

range has been noted in summer (Black et al. 1987).

EGGS AND LARVAE

The egg and larval stages of longfin inshore squid

were not sampled by the NEFSC Marine Resources

Monitoring, Assessment and Prediction program

(MARMAP) offshore ichthyoplankton surveys.

PRE-RECRUITS

NEFSC Bottom Trawl Surveys

The NEFSC bottom trawl surveys [see Reid et al.

(1999) for details] captured longfin inshore squid prerecruits (≤ 8 cm ML) during all seasons (Figure 3). In

winter, pre-recruits were captured from Cape Hatteras to

Nantucket Shoals, although most were found south of

Long Island. They were generally found offshore of the

55 m (30 f) depth contour, with highest concentrations in

the vicinity of the 183 m (100 f) contour. They were

distributed farther inshore in the southern part of the

range, presumably due to warmer water temperatures. In

the spring, the distribution extended farther to the south,

with high concentrations south of Cape Hatteras, and
Page 4

farther to the north, with catches on Georges Bank and the

Scotian Shelf. Although the highest concentrations were

still found near the 183 m contour, concentrations inshore

of the 55 m contour were much higher than in winter,

indicating that the spring inshore migration had

commenced. In summer, the highest concentrations

occurred nearshore; a number of extremely dense schools

(> 10,000 squid/tow) were found nearshore from the

Delmarva Peninsula to Buzzards Bay, Massachusetts.

Very few were caught on Georges Bank and in the Gulf of

Maine. In autumn, longfin inshore squid were distributed

throughout the continental shelf from the shore to the 183

m contour, although the highest concentrations were found

nearshore. This presumably indicates the beginning of the

offshore migration.

Pre-recruits were caught at a wide range of

temperatures (Figure 4). In winter, they were found at 5-

13o

C, although most were caught at 8-12oC. In spring,

they were at 6-20o

C, with most caught at 10-13oC. In

summer, they were found at 7-26o

C, but most were caught

at 13-18o

C, with the highest catch at 18oC. In autumn,

temperatures ranged from 7-27o

C, with most caught at 11-

17o

C.

Pre-recruits were caught at depths ranging from 0-210

m, although this varied seasonally and in accordance with

inshore-offshore migrations (Figure 4). In winter, depths

ranged from 20-200 m, but most were caught between 70-

120 m. In spring, depths ranged from 10-210 m, although

most were caught at 20-130 m, and the highest catch was

at 40 m. In summer, depths were much less variable,

ranging from 0-110 m, and 70% were found at 10 m. In

autumn, depths ranged from 10-150 m, but most were

caught at 10-40 m, with the highest catch at 20 m.

Massachusetts Inshore Trawl Survey

Pre-recruits were collected in greater abundance in

autumn than in spring in waters off Massachusetts (Figure

5). In the spring, high concentrations occurred in

Buzzards Bay and around Martha’s Vineyard and

Nantucket islands. Low numbers were found in and

around Cape Cod Bay, and none were captured north of

Cape Cod. In the autumn, high concentrations were found

in Buzzards Bay, around Martha’s Vineyard and

Nantucket, throughout Cape Cod Bay, in Massachusetts

Bay, and north and south of Cape Ann. The lower

numbers of pre-recruits in inshore waters in the spring was

most likely due to the survey occurring prior to the main

part of the inshore migration.

Pre-recruits were found at warmer temperatures in

autumn than in spring (Figure 6). In spring, most were

found at 10-13o

C while in autumn most were found at 15-

20o

C. There was little difference in depth distribution in

spring and autumn, with most found at 10-15 m (Figure

6). However, pre-recruits inhabited a wider range of

temperatures in autumn.

Rhode Island Trawl Survey

Longfin inshore squid pre-recruits (≤ 8 cm ML) were

caught during all seasons in Narragansett Bay (Figure 7).

Catches were low in winter, increased slightly in spring,

and were highest during summer and autumn. This

pattern corresponds to inshore migrations beginning in

early spring. Pre-recruits were found at depths ranging

from 10 to 110 feet (3 to 34 m) (Figure 8). In winter the

few pre-recruits caught were taken at 90 feet (27 m), in

summer and spring most were caught at 20-40 feet (6-12

m) and 100-110 feet (30-34 m), and in autumn most were

caught at 100 feet (30 m). Pre-recruits were collected at

temperatures ranging from 9-25o

C. They were collected

at temperatures of 10o

C in winter, from 9-16oC in spring,

from 11-25o

C with most at 19oC in summer, and from 13-

23o

C with most at 20oC in autumn.

Hudson-Raritan Estuary Trawl Survey

Longfin inshore squid pre-recruits (≤ 8 cm ML) were

captured in the Hudson-Raritan estuary during spring,

summer, and fall (Figure 9). They were found almost

exclusively in the eastern portion of the bay and were

collected in the highest numbers in the summer and

autumn. Pre-recruits were collected at temperatures

ranging from 9-24o

C, but most were taken at 16-20oC.

They were also collected at depths of 15-75 ft (~5-23 m),

with most at 45-50 ft (~14-15 m), and salinities of 20-33

ppt, with the highest catch at 30 ppt. They were found at

dissolved oxygen levels of 5-10 mg/L, with most at 7-8

mg/L (Figure 10). Longfin inshore squid require oxygen

concentrations greater than 4 mg/L (Howell and Simpson

1994).

RECRUITS

NEFSC Bottom Trawl Surveys

The NEFSC bottom trawl surveys [see Reid et al.

(1999) for details] captured longfin inshore squid recruits

(≥ 9 cm ML) during all seasons. Their seasonal

distributions are identical to that of pre-recruits and

illustrate the spring and summer inshore and the autumn

offshore migrations (Figure 3).

Recruits were caught at a wide range of temperatures

(Figure 4). In winter, they were found at 4-13o

C, although

most were at 7-12o

C. In spring, they were found at 5-

17o

C, with > 60% found at 10-12oC. In summer, they

were caught at 6-26o

C, but most were at 11-16oC, with the

highest catch at 16o

C. In autumn, temperatures ranged

from 7-27o

C, with most at 10-14oC.

Recruits were caught at depths ranging from 0-300 m,

although this varied seasonally and in accordance with
Page 5

inshore-offshore migrations (Figure 4). In winter, depths

ranged from 20-290 m, although most were caught

between 50-120 m. In spring, depths ranged from 0-270

m, but most were caught at 100-150 m, and the highest

catch was at 120 m. In summer, depths were less variable,

ranging from 0-110 m, and > 80% were caught at 10-20

m. In autumn, depths ranged from 10-300 m, but most

were caught between 20-70 m.

Massachusetts Inshore Trawl Survey

The distribution of longfin inshore squid recruits (≥ 9

cm) in waters off Massachusetts was almost identical to

that of pre-recruits, although the overall number of

recruits was much lower (Figure 5). Recruits were also

found at similar temperatures and depths as pre-recruits

(Figure 6). Most were found at 10-13o

C and 10-15 m in

spring and 16-20o

C and 10-30 m in autumn.

Rhode Island Trawl Survey

Longfin inshore squid recruits (≥ 9 cm) were caught

during all seasons in Narragansett Bay (Figure 7).

Catches were low in winter, increased somewhat in spring,

and were highest during summer and autumn. This

pattern corresponds to inshore migrations beginning in

spring. Recruits were found at depths ranging from 10 to

120 feet (3-37 m) (Figure 8). In winter the few recruits

caught were taken at 90-100 feet (27-30 m). In summer

and spring they were taken at depths ranging from 10-120

feet (3-37 m), but most were caught at 100-110 feet (30-

34 m). In autumn most were caught at 90-100 feet (27-30

m). Recruits were taken at temperatures ranging from 7-

26o

C (Figure 8). Seasonally they were collected at 7-10oC

in winter, from 9-16o

C with most at 11oC in spring, from

9-26o

C with most at 17-21oC in summer, and from 11-

23o

C with most at 15oC in autumn.

Connecticut Trawl Survey

Longfin inshore squid were captured from throughout

Long Island Sound in surveys conducted from 1992-1997

(Figure 11). A total of 70,930 were captured in all

seasons, although they were much less abundant in winter

and spring than in summer and autumn. The highest

catches occurred in September-October; these were

dominated by small squid ranging from about 2 to 12 cm

(Gottschall et al., in review). By November, abundance

dropped dramatically, most likely due to the migration to

offshore overwintering areas.

Squid taken in the surveys ranged from 2-40 cm ML.

Recruits dominated the catches in winter and spring and

pre-recruits were caught in high numbers in summer and

fall (Figure 11). The largest squid were present in May

and June when 65% were adults; by September, most

ranged from 4 to 9 cm, and only 1% were 16 cm or

greater (Gottschall et al., in review).

Hudson-Raritan Estuary Survey

Longfin inshore squid recruits (≥ 8 cm ML) were

captured in the Hudson-Raritan estuary during spring,

summer, and fall (Figure 9). They were found mostly in

the eastern portion of the bay; the highest catches

occurred in summer and autumn. Recruits were collected

at temperatures ranging from 9-24o

C, but most were at 16-

17o

C. They were also collected at depths of 15-75 ft (~5-

23 m), with most at 50-60 ft (~15-18 m), and salinities of

20-33 ppt, with the highest catch at 30 ppt. They were

found at dissolved oxygen levels of 5-10 mg/L, with most

at 7-8 mg/L (Figure 10). Longfin inshore squid require

oxygen concentrations greater than 4 mg/L (Howell and

Simpson 1994).

STATUS OF THE STOCKS

The northwest Atlantic (Cape Hatteras to the Gulf of

Maine) commercial landings of longfin inshore squid,

Loligo pealeii, were 12,459 metric tons (mt) in 1996, a

33% decrease over the 1995 landings of 18,500 mt, and a

45% decrease from the 1994 landings of 22,500 mt

(Figure 12; Northeast Fisheries Science Center 1996). Of

the 1993 landings of 22,300 mt, 56% were caught in the

Middle Atlantic Bight between Hudson Canyon and

Baltimore Canyon and 50% were caught in the winter

from January through March (Northeast Fisheries Science

Center 1996).

Annual landings of Loligo pealeii from North

Carolina to Maine by the distant water fleet were highest

from 1972-1976 with a peak of 37,600 mt in 1973 (Lange

1982). Foreign fishing regulations were enforced in 1977

(MAFMC 1996); during the following three years,

landings decreased to an average of 15,000 mt, then

increased slightly in 1980-1984, but fell again to 15,000

mt in 1985-1987 (Northeast Fisheries Science Center

1996). Directed foreign fishing was eliminated in 1987

and commercial landings continued to fluctuate

throughout the late 1980s and early 1990s. Annual

domestic landings of Loligo averaged 17,800 mt in 1987-

1992 (Brodziak 1995) and were taken primarily in the

winter fishery in offshore waters of the New York Bight

(Northeast Fisheries Science Center 1996).

Long-term data from the Northeast Fisheries Science

Center fall and spring bottom trawl surveys indicate

fluctuations in seasonal biomass as well. In the fall, 1973-

1976, Loligo pealeii stock biomass averaged 62,000 mt

(Northeast Fisheries Science Center 1996). The peak of

37,600 mt was landed in the commercial fisheries during

this period. Stock biomass in the spring, 1972-1976, was
Page 6

also above average with estimates of 22,000 mt.

However, biomass decreased in the spring and fall, 1977-

1982, to 10,000 and 33,000 mt, respectively, and during

this time, commercial landings also declined (Northeast

Fisheries Science Center 1996). During the next nine

years, spring and fall biomass levels remained relatively

above average with few periods of low abundance.

Throughout 1992-1994, biomass decreased to

considerably lower levels than during 1989-1991.

Average biomass levels in 1992-1994 were 12,000 mt in

spring and 45,000 mt in autumn; the spring 1994 level

was almost a record low (Northeast Fisheries Science

Center 1996). Stock biomass levels in the fall of 1992

and spring of 1993 were estimated to be 35-50% below

the historical average even though the number of prerecruits per tow was the highest ever in the fall of 1992

(Brodziak 1995). The Loligo pealeii stock in the

northwest Atlantic from Cape Hatteras to the Gulf of

Maine has a medium biomass level that is almost fully

exploited (Northeast Fisheries Science Center 1996).

RESEARCH NEEDS

• There is little biological information on the egg and

larval stages. There is a need for more information

on the location of spawning beds and the movement

of larvae.

• More information on growth rates and maturity are

needed. For example, Brodziak and Macy (1996)

demonstrated that growth rates are exponential,

lifespans are less than one year, and spawning occurs

throughout the year. More data from geographically

and temporally diverse studies are needed to confirm

these findings.

• The commercially exploited population from Cape

Hatteras to Georges Bank is considered a single stock

unit. More information is needed on stock structure,

including gene flow and levels of genetic

differentiation among geographic areas.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

The authors thank S. Chang for the NEFSC bottom

trawl survey histograms, S. Wilk for the Hudson-Raritan

Bay survey maps, J. Cross for the status of the stocks

figure, and J. Vitaliano for the gut contents data and

figure.

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States. M.S. thesis, College of Charleston.

Charleston, SC. 164 p.

Young, R.E. and R.F. Harman. 1988. “Larva,” “paralarva,” and “subadult” in cephalopod terminology.

Malacologia 29: 201-207.
Page 9

Table 1. Summary of life history and habitat characteristics for longfin inshore squid, Loligo pealeii.

Life Stage Size and Growth Habitat Substrate Temperature Salinity

Eggs 1 Incubation time varies

with temperature: 26.7 d

at 12-18o

C, 18.5 d at

15.5-21.3oC, and 10.7 d

at 15.5-23.0oC.

Eggs generally in shallow

waters, < 50 m.

Egg masses are

commonly found on

sandy/mud bottom;

usually attached to

rocks/boulders, pilings,

or algae such as Fucus,

Ulva lactuca, Laminaria

and Porphyra sp.

Eggs found in waters 10-

23o

C; usually > 8oC.

Optimal development at

12o

C.

Found at 30-32 ppt.

Larvae 2 Paralarvae range in size

from 1.4-15 mm ML

(mantle length).

Growth rates slower for

winter-hatched animals

than spring-hatched.

Found in coastal, surface

waters in spring, summer and

fall. Hatchlings found in

surface waters day and night.

Move deeper in water column

as they grow larger.

Found at 10-26oC (at

lower temperatures found

at higher salinities).

Found at 31.5-34.0

ppt.

Juveniles 3 Size ranges from approx.

15 mm - 8 cm.

At 6-8 cm sexual size

dimorphism is evident,

before offshore

migrations occur.

Growth rates of youngof-the-year are 12-38

mm/month.

Inhabit upper 10 m at depths

of 50-100 m on continental

shelf. Found in coastal

inshore waters in spring/fall,

offshore in winter. Migrate to

surface at night.

Ontogenetic descent: at 45

mm, chromatophores are

concentrated on dorsal rather

than ventral surface,

indicating a change from

inhabiting surface waters to

demersal lifestyle.

Found at 10-26o

C (at

lower temperatures found

at higher salinities).

Juveniles prefer warmer

bottom temperatures and

shallower depths in fall

than adults.

Found at 31.5-34.0

ppt.

Adults 4 Smallest size at maturity

8 cm ML; most are > 10

cm ML.

Males grow faster than

females and attain larger

sizes; larger sizes at

higher latitudes.

Growth is rapid, faster in

warm months (1.5-2.0

cm/month) than in cold

months (0.4-0.6

cm/month). Life span is

< 1 year. Maximum size

and age are ~50 cm ML,

3 yrs.

Range from Newfoundland

south to Cape Hatteras, on

continental shelf and upper

slope. Most abundant from

Gulf of Maine to Hatteras.

Mar-Oct: inshore, shallow

waters up to 180 m.

Winter: offshore deeper

waters, up to 400 m on shelf

edge.

Most abundant at bottom

during the day; move upwards

at night. Generally found at

greater depths and cooler

bottom temperatures in the

fall than juveniles.

Mud or sandy mud. Found at surface

temperatures ranging

from 9-21o

C and bottom

temperatures ranging

from 8-16o

C.

1

 Bigelow (1924), McMahon and Summers (1971), Arnold et al. (1974), Griswold and Prezioso (1981), Lange (1982), Summers (1983), Dawe et al. (1990) 2 McMahon and Summers (1971), McConathy et al. (1980), Vecchione (1981), Nesis (1982), Vovk (1983), Young and Hartman (1988) 3

 Summers (1968a, b), Mercer (1969), Macy (1980), Vovk and Khvichiya (1980), Vecchione (1981), Young and Hartman (1988), Brodziak and Henderson (1999) 4

 Haefner (1964), Summers (1968a, b, 1969, 1971, 1983), Rathjen (1973), Lux et al. (1974), Serchuk and Rathjen (1974), Cohen (1976), Mesnil (1977), Gosner (1978),

Sissenwine and Bowman (1978), Lange (1980, 1982), Lange and Sissenwine (1980), Macy (1980), Nesis (1982), Vecchione et al. (1989), Dawe et al. (1990), Howell and

Simpson (1994), Brodziak and Macy (1996), Brodziak and Henderson (1999)
Page 10

Table 1. cont’d.

Life Stage Prey Predators Spawning Notes

Eggs 1 N/A Most eggs are spawned in May,

hatching occurs in July.

Fecundity ranges from

950-15,900 eggs per female.

Eggs are demersal. Enclosed in

a gelatinous capsule containing

up to 200 eggs. Each female

lays 20-30 capsules. Laid in

masses made up of hundreds of

egg capsules from different

females.

Larvae 2 Primary prey are copepods. "Paralarvae" defined as stage

after hatching when

cephalopods are pelagic.

Tentacles are non-functional at

≤ 15 mm.

Juveniles 3 Primary prey varies with size:

< 4.0 cm: plankton,

copepods;

4.1-6.0 cm: euphausiids,

arrow worms;

6.1-10.0 cm: crabs,

polychaetes, shrimp.

Cannibalism observed in

specimens larger than 5 cm

ML (small Illex illecebrosus

were found in 49 of 322

Loligo stomachs).

Many pelagic and demersal fish

species as well as marine

mammals and birds.

Changes in habitat as the squid

grows are indicated by changes

in the diet.

Adults 4 Fish prey includes silver hake,

mackerel, herring, menhaden,

sand lance, bay anchovy,

menhaden, weakfish and

silversides. Invertebrate prey

include crustaceans

(Crangon, Palaeomonetes

sp.) and squid.

15 cm adults can eat fish up

to half their mantle length. At

16-25 cm, consume more fish

and less crustaceans as

growth increases; > 25 cm,

more squid than fish eaten;

and > 30 cm, almost

exclusively squid.

Predators include many fishes

(bluefish, sea bass, mackerel,

cod, haddock, pollock, hakes,

sea raven, goosefish, flounder,

dogfish, angel sharks, skates),

pilot whale (Globicephala

melas) and common dolphin

(Delphinus delphis), and diving

birds.

Spawning occurs on Scotian

Shelf, Georges Bank, Gulf of

Maine and from Nantucket

Shoals to Cape Hatteras in

shallow waters, 10-90 m, from

April-Nov (New England: MayAug; Bay of Fundy: Aug-Sept).

Georges Bank: two broods -

early spring and late summer.

Spring spawn: hatch in June,

mature over winter. Summer

spawn: hatch in fall, mature in

2nd winter. Mating occurs

during inshore migration in

spring. Mortality occurs after

first spawning.

Loligo form schools according

to size class prior to feeding.

Oxygen requirement > 4 ml/l.

Larger individuals migrate

earlier (April-May) than smaller

ones.

1

 Haefner (1959), Summers (1971), Vovk (1972b), Arnold et al. (1974), Gosner (1978), Griswold and Prezioso (1981), Lange (1982), Nesis (1982), Lange and Sissenwine

(1983) 2

 Vecchione (1981), Vovk (1983), Young and Hartman (1988) 3

 Vovk (1972b, 1985), Tibbetts (1977), Whitaker (1978), Vinogradov and Noskov (1979), Vovk and Khvichiya (1980), Vecchione (1981) 4

 Stevenson (1934), Summers (1969, 1971), Vovk (1972a, 1985), Rathjen (1973), Maurer (1975), Cohen (1976), Langton and Bowman (1977), Mesnil (1977), Tibbetts

(1977), Gosner (1978), Vinogradov and Noskov (1979), Lange (1980, 1982), Lange and Sissenwine (1980, 1983), Macy (1980), Griswold and Prezioso (1981), Kier

(1982), Summers (1983), Maurer and Bowman (1985), Dawe et al. (1990), Waring et al. (1990), Overholtz and Waring (1991), Howell and Simpson (1994), Brodziak and

Macy (1996), Gannon et al. (1997)
Page 11

Figure 1. The longfin inshore squid, Loligo pealeii (from Goode 1884).
Page 12

Figure 2. Abundance (percent occurrence) of the major prey items in the diet of longfin inshore squid collected during

1973-1980 and 1981-1990 NEFSC bottom trawl surveys. The 1-10 cm size range corresponds, at least roughly, to prerecruits or juveniles, and the 11-30 cm size class corresponds to recruits or adults. The category “animal remains” refers

to unidentifiable animal matter. Methods for sampling, processing, and analysis of samples differed between the time

periods [see Reid et al. (1999) for details].

Animal Remains 53.5%

Crustacea 22.7%

Fish 9.4%

Cephalopoda 4.2%

Chaetognatha 2.2%

All Other Prey 7.9%

Animal Remains 48.0%

Fish 13.7%

Crustacea 12.3%

Cephalopoda 11.7%

All Other Prey 14.4%

Crustacea 21.1%

Cephalopoda 42.1%

Fish 26.3%

Animal Remains 10.5%

Fish 38.8%

Cephalopoda 21.7% Animal Remains 15.6%

Crustacea 13.3%

All Other Prey 10.6%

a) 1973-1980

b) 1981-1990

1-10 cm

(n = 621)

11-40 cm

(n = 939)

1-10 cm

(n = 19)

11-40 cm

(n = 251)
Page 13

Figure 3. Distribution and abundance of longfin inshore squid pre-recruits (≤ 8 cm) and recruits (≥ 9 cm) collected

during NEFSC bottom trawl surveys in winter (1967-1997), spring (1967-1997), summer (1967-1995) and autumn

(1967-1996). Densities (number per tow) are represented by dot size [see Reid et al. (1999) for details].

Longfin inshore squid Longfin inshore squid

Longfin inshore squid Longfin inshore squid
Page 14

Figure 3. cont’d.

Longfin inshore squid Longfin inshore squid

Longfin inshore squid Longfin inshore squid
Page 15

Figure 4. Seasonal abundance of longfin inshore squid pre-recruits (≤ 8 cm) and recruits (≥ 9 cm) relative to bottom

water temperature and depth based on NEFSC bottom trawl surveys, all years combined. Open bars represent the

proportion of all stations surveyed, while solid bars represent the proportion of the sum of all standardized catches

(number/10 m2

).

SPRING

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

45

50

4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20

BOTTOM TEMPERATURE (C)

PERCENT

STATIONS N=1576

CATCHES N=534851

SUMMER

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

45

50

5 7 9 11 13 15 17 19 22 24 26

BOTTOM TEMPERATURE (C)

PERCENT

STATIONS N=353

CATCHES N=363055

FALL

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

45

50

5 7 9 11 13 15 17 19 21 23 25 27 29

BOTTOM TEMPERATURE (C)

PERCENT

STATIONS N=3929

CATCHES N=1715523

WINTER

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

45

50

4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13

BOTTOM TEMPERATURE (C)

PERCENT

STATIONS N=353

CATCHES N=60330

Pre-recruits: ≤ 8 cm ML

SUMMER

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

020406080110170220

DEPTH (m)

PERCENT

STATIONS N=390

CTACHES N=423016

SPRING

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

0306090120150180210240270300330360

DEPTH (m)

PERCENT

STATIONS N=1576

CATCHES N=534851

WINTER

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

1030507090110130150190220260310

DEPTH (m)

PERCENT

STATIONS N=361

CATCHES N=60870

FALL

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

04080120160200240280320370510

DEPTH (m)

PERCENT

STATIONS N=4702

CATCHES N=2087764
Page 16

 Figure 4. cont’d.

SPRING

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

45

50

04080120160200240280320360410

DEPTH (m)

PERCENT

STATIONS N=2643

CATCHES N=265955

SUMMER

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

45

50

020406080110140170200230

DEPTH (m)

PERCENT

STATIONS N=476

CATCHES N=60578

FALL

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

45

50

04080120160200240280320360420

DEPTH (m)

PERCENT

STATIONS N=5883

CATCHES N=613325

WINTER

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

45

50

104070100130160200230270390

DEPTH (m)

PERCENT

STATIONS N=486

CATCHES N=50106

SPRING

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20

BOTTOM TEMPERATURE (C)

PERCENT

STATIONS N=2281

CATCHES N=225182

SUMMER

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

5 7 9 11 13 15 17 19 21 23 25 27

BOTTOM TEMPERATURE (C)

PERCENT

STATIONS N=431

CATCHES N=50109

FALL

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

5 7 9 11 13 15 17 19 21 23 25 27

BOTTOM TEMPERATURE (C)

PERCENT

STATIONS N=4919

CATCHES N=503669

WINTER

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13

BOTTOM TEMPERATURE (C)

PERCENT

STATIONS N=473

CATCHES N=49330

Recruits: ≥ 9 cm ML
Page 17

Figure 5. Distribution and abundance of longfin inshore squid pre-recruits (≤ 8 cm) and recruits (≥ 9 cm) in

Massachusetts coastal waters during spring and autumn Massachusetts trawl surveys, 1978-1996 [see Reid et al. (1999)

for details].

Longfin Squid

Mass. Inshore Trawl Survey

 Autumn 1978 - 1996

 Pre-recruits (<8cm)

Number/Tow

 1 to <250

 250 to <1000

 1000 to <5000

 5000 to <10000

 10000 to <17490

(<=8cm)

Longfin Squid

Mass. Inshore Trawl Survey

 Spring 1978 - 1996

 Pre-recruits (<=8cm)

Number/Tow

 1 to <25

 25 to <50

 50 to <100

 100 to <500

 500 to <844

Longfin Squid

Mass. Inshore Trawl Survey

 Autumn 1978 - 1996

 Recruits (>=9cm)

Number/Tow

 1 to <50

 50 to <250

 250 to <500

 500 to <1000

 1000 to <1012

Longfin Squid

Mass. Inshore Trawl Survey

 Spring 1978 - 1996

 Recruits (>=9cm)

Number/Tow

 1 to <50

 50 to <100

 100 to <500

 500 to <1000

 1000 to <1489

Longfin Inshore Squid Longfin Inshore Squid

Longfin Inshore Squid Longfin Inshore Squid
Page 18

Figure 6. Abundance of longfin inshore squid pre-recruits and recruits relative to bottom water temperature and depth

based on Massachusetts inshore bottom trawl surveys (spring and autumn 1978-1996, all years combined). Open bars

represent the proportion of all stations surveyed, while solid bars represent the proportion of the sum of all standardized

catches (number/10 m2

).

1 3 5 7 9 11 13 15 17 19 21 23

0

10

20

30

40

1 3 5 7 9 11 13 15 17 19 21 23

0

4

8

12

16

20

0

10

20

30

40

50

0

10

20

30

0

5

10

15

20

25

0

10

20

30

40

50

1 3 5 7 9 11 13 15 17 19 21 23

0

4

8

12

16

20

1 3 5 7 9 11 13 15 17 19 21 23

0

10

20

30

Pre-recruits 40 Recruits

Stations

Catches

Spring Spring

Spring Spring

Autumn Autumn

Autumn Autumn

Bottom Depth (m) Bottom Depth (m)

Bottom Depth (m) Bottom Depth (m)

Bottom Temperature (C) Bottom Temperature (C)

Bottom Temperature (C) Bottom Temperature (C)

Mass. Inshore Trawl Surveys

Longfin Inshore Squid
Page 19

Figure 7. Distribution and abundance of longfin inshore squid pre-recruits (≤ 8 cm) and recruits (≥ 9 cm) in Narragansett

Bay during 1990-1996 Rhode Island bottom trawl surveys. The numbers shown at each station are the average catch per

tow rounded to one decimal place [see Reid et al. (1999) for details].

0.1

0.0

0.0

0.0

0.0

0.0

0.0

0.0

0.0

0.0

0.0

0.0 0.0

1.6

0.1

0.0

0.0

0.9

0.2

0.0

0.2

0.1

4.4

1.6

0.9 3.9

228.1

35.2

37.4

1.3

153.4

16.5

20.5

159.1

84.7

94.2

242.8

237.6 309.3

236.7

41.3

21.0

0.2

158.7

2.4

2.3

60.8

36.6

49.2

356.9

137.0 92.4

Spring

Summer Autumn

Winter

Longfin Inshore Squid Pre-recruits (< 8 cm)
Page 20

Figure 7. cont’d.

2.1

0.0

0.0

0.0

0.0

0.0

0.0

0.0

0.0

0.0

0.2

0.0 0.0

2.2

15.7

0.9

1.1

3.2

0.1

0.1

1.7

6.5

0.9

10.6

2.6 4.5

44.2

22.8

11.2

0.7

34.4

4.8

2.5

30.0

16.7

5.5

130.9

40.4 58.4

587.8

17.4

8.1

1.3

61.2

1.9

1.6

10.5

15.1

17.8

204.8

57.4 34.9

Spring

Summer Autumn

Winter

Longfin Inshore Squid Recruits (> 9 cm)
Page 21

Figure 8. Seasonal abundance of longfin inshore squid pre-recruits (≤ 8 cm) and recruits (≥ 9 cm) relative to mean

bottom water temperature and bottom depth from Rhode Island Narragansett Bay trawl surveys, 1990-1996. Open bars

represent the proportion of all stations surveyed, while solid bars represent the proportion of the sum of all catches.

-1 1 3 5 7 9 11 13 15 17 19 21 23 25 27

0

10

20

30

40

-1 1 3 5 7 9 11 13 15 17 19 21 23 25 27

0

10

20

30

40

-1 1 3 5 7 9 11 13 15 17 19 21 23 25 27

0

10

20

30

40

-1 1 3 5 7 9 11 13 15 17 19 21 23 25 27 0

20

40

60

80

100

Bottom Temperature (C)

Winter

Spring

Summer

Autumn

Longfin Squid

Pre-recruits (<8cm)

Stations

Catches

10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 110 120

0

20

40

60

80

100

10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 110 120 0

5

10

15

20

25

10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 110 120

0

10

20

30

10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 110 120

0

10

20

30

40

50

Winter

Autumn

Summer

Spring

Stations

Catches

Bottom Depth (ft)

Longfin Inshore Squid

Pre-recruits (<8cm)

Longfin Inshore Squid
Page 22

Figure 8. cont’d.

-1 1 3 5 7 9 11 13 15 17 19 21 23 25 27 0

10

20

30

40

-1 1 3 5 7 9 11 13 15 17 19 21 23 25 27 0

5

10

15

20

25

-1 1 3 5 7 9 11 13 15 17 19 21 23 25 27

0

10

20

30

-1 1 3 5 7 9 11 13 15 17 19 21 23 25 27 0

20

40

60

80

100

Bottom Temperature (C)

Winter

Spring

Summer

Autumn

Longfin Squid

Recruits (>=8cm)

Stations

Catches

10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 110 120

0

20

40

60

80

100

10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 110 120

0

5

10

15

20

25

10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 110 120 0

10

20

30

40

10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 110 120

0

10

20

30

40

50

Winter

Autumn

Summer

Spring

Stations

Catches

Bottom Depth (ft)

Longfin Inshore Squid

Recruits (>=8cm)

Longfin Inshore Squid

Recruits (>=8cm)
Page 23

Figure 9. Seasonal distribution and abundance of longfin inshore squid pre-recruits (≤ 8 cm) and recruits (≥ 9 cm)

collected in the Hudson-Raritan estuary during NEFSC Hudson-Raritan trawl surveys, 1992 – 1997 [see Reid et al.

(1999) for details].

NEW

JERSEY

NEW

YORK

Staten

Island

No/Tow

 1 - 4

10 - 24

25 - 49

 5 - 9

 50 - 99

Longfin Inshore Squid

Hudson-Raritan Estuary

Spring 1992 - 1997

Pre-Recruits ( # 8 cm)

NEW

JERSEY

NEW

YORK

Staten

Island

No/Tow

 1 - 4

10 - 24

25 - 49

 5 - 9

 50 - 99

Longfin Inshore Squid

Hudson-Raritan Estuary

Summer 1992 - 1997

Pre-Recruits ( # 8 cm)

NEW

JERSEY

NEW

YORK

Staten

Island

No/Tow

 1 - 4

10 - 24

25 - 49

 5 - 9

 50 - 99

Longfin Inshore Squid

Hudson-Raritan Estuary

Fall 1992 - 1997

Pre-Recruits ( # 8 cm)

No Catches

NEW

JERSEY

NEW

YORK

Staten

Island

Longfin Inshore Squid

Hudson-Raritan Estuary

Winter 1992 - 1997

Pre-Recruits ( # 8 cm)

No/Tow

 1 - 4

10 - 24

25 - 49

 5 - 9

 50 - 99
Page 24

Figure 9. cont’d.

NEW

JERSEY

NEW

YORK

Staten

Island

No/Tow

 1 - 4

10 - 24

25 - 49

 5 - 9

 50 - 99

>

Hudson-Raritan Estuary

Spring 1992 - 1997

Recruits ($ 9 cm)

Longfin Inshore Squid

NEW

JERSEY

NEW

YORK

Staten

Island

No/Tow

 1 - 4

10 - 24

25 - 49

 5 - 9

 50 - 99

>

Longfin Inshore Squid

Hudson-Raritan Estuary

Summer 1992 - 1997

Recruits ($ 9 cm)

NEW

JERSEY

NEW

YORK

Staten

Island

No/Tow

 1 - 4

10 - 24

25 - 49

 5 - 9

 50 - 99

>

Longfin Inshore Squid

Hudson-Raritan Estuary

Fall 1992 - 1997

Recruits ($ 9 cm)

No Catches

NEW

JERSEY

NEW

YORK

Staten

Island

Hudson-Raritan Estuary

Winter 1992 - 1997

Recruits ($ 9 cm)

Longfin Inshore Squid

No/Tow

 1 - 4

10 - 24

25 - 49

 5 - 9

 50 - 99
Page 25

Figure 10. Abundance of longfin inshore squid pre-recruits (≤ 8 cm) and recruits (≥ 9 cm) relative to bottom water

temperature, depth, dissolved oxygen, and salinity based on Hudson-Raritan estuary trawl surveys, 1992 – 1997, all

seasons and years combined. Open bars represent the proportion of all stations surveyed, solid bars represent the

proportion of the sum of all standardized catches.

Temperature (C)

Depth (ft)

0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20 22 24 26

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

Stations

Catches

10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 55 60 65 70 75 80 85

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

Dissolved Oxygen (mg/l)

Salinity (ppt)

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13

0

10

20

30

40

15 17 19 21 23 25 27 29 31 33 35

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

45

Recruits ( 9 cm) >

Temperature (C)

Depth (ft)

0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20 22 24 26

0

5

10

15

20

25

Stations

Catches

10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 55 60 65 70 75 80 85

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

Dissolved Oxygen (mg/l)

Salinity (ppt)

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

45

15 17 19 21 23 25 27 29 31 33 35

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

Longfin Inshore Squid

Pre-recruits (< 8 cm)
Page 26

Figure 11. Distribution, abundance, and size frequency distribution of longfin inshore squid captured in Long Island

Sound during spring and autumn Connecticut bottom trawl surveys, 1992-1997 [see Reid et al. (1999) for details].

Number/Tow

 1 to <50

 50 to <100

 100 to <200

 200 to <500

 500 to <871

Number/Tow

 1 to <250

 250 to <500

 500 to <1000

 1000 to <2000

 2000 to <5829

State of Connecticut DEP

Fisheries Division

Long Island Sound Trawl Survey

SPRING 1992 - 1997

State of Connecticut DEP

Fisheries Division

Long Island Sound Trawl Survey

AUTUMN 1992 - 1997

Longfin Squid

Longfin Squid
Page 27

Figure 12. Commercial landings and population abundance indices (from the NEFSC bottom trawl surveys) for longfin

inshore squid in the Gulf of Maine and Middle Atlantic Bight, 1963-1996.

Gulf of Maine - Middle Atlantic

Year

1960 1965 1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000

Landings (mt x 1000)

0

10

20

30

40

Stratified mean catch/tow (nos)

0

200

400

600

800

Landings (mt)

Survey index (nos)

Smoothed survey index (nos)

NORTHEAST FISHERIES SCIENCE CENTER

Dr. Michael P. Sissenwine, Science & Research Director

CAPT John T. Moakley, Operations, Management & Information Services Staff Chief

Teri L. Frady, Research Communications Unit Chief

Jon A. Gibson, Biological Sciences Editor & Laura S. Garner, Editorial Assistant

Publishing in NOAA Technical Memorandum NMFS-NE

Manuscript Qualification

This series represents a secondary level of scientific publishing in the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS). For

all issues, the series employs thorough internal scientific review,

but not necessarily external scientific review. For most issues,

the series employs rigorous technical and copy editing. Manuscripts that may warrant a primary level of scientific publishing

should be initially submitted to one of NMFSs primary series

(i.e., Fishery Bulletin, NOAA Technical Report NMFS, or Marine Fisheries Review).

Identical, or fundamentally identical, manuscripts should

not be concurrently submitted to this and any other publication

series. Manuscripts which have been rejected by any primary

series strictly because of geographic or temporal limitations may

be submitted to this series.

Manuscripts by Northeast Fisheries Science Center

(NEFSC) authors will be published in this series upon approval

by the NEFSC's Deputy Science & Research Director. Manuscripts by non-NEFSC authors may be published in this series if:

1) the manuscript serves the NEFSCs mission; 2) the manuscript meets the Deputy Science & Research Directors approval; and 3) the author arranges for the printing and binding

funds to be transferred to the NEFSCs Research Communications Unit account from another federal account. For all manuscripts submitted by non-NEFSC authors and published in this

series, the NEFSC will disavow all responsibility for the manuscripts contents; authors must accept such responsibility.

The ethics of scientific research and scientific publishing

are a serious matter. All manuscripts submitted to this series are

expected to adhere -- at a minimum -- to the ethical guidelines

contained in Chapter 1 (Ethical Conduct in Authorship and

Publication) of the CBE Style Manual, fifth edition (Chicago,

IL: Council of Biology Editors). Copies of the manual are

available at virtually all scientific libraries.

Manuscript Preparation

Organization: Manuscripts must have an abstract, table of

contents, and -- if applicable -- lists of tables, figures, and

acronyms. As much as possible, use traditional scientific manuscript organization for sections: Introduction, Study Area,

Methods & Materials, Results, Discussion and/or Conclusions, Acknowledgments, and References Cited.

Style: All NEFSC publication and report series are obligated to conform to the style contained in the most recent edition

of the United States Government Printing Office Style Manual.

That style manual is silent on many aspects of scientific manuscripts. NEFSC publication and report series rely more on the

CBE Style Manual, fifth edition.

For in-text citations, use the name-date system. A special

effort should be made to ensure that the list of cited works

contains all necessary bibliographic information. For abbreviating serial titles in such lists, use the most recent edition of the

Serial Sources for the BIOSIS Previews Database (Philadelphia,

PA: Biosciences Information Service). Personal communications must include date of contact and full name and mailing

address of source.

For spelling of scientific and common names of fishes,

mollusks, and decapod crustaceans from the United States and

Canada, use Special Publications No. 20 (fishes), 26 (mollusks),

and 17 (decapod crustaceans) of the American Fisheries Society

(Bethesda, MD). For spelling of scientific and common names

of marine mammals, use Special Publication No. 4 of the

Society for Marine Mammalogy (Lawrence, KS). For spelling in

general, use the most recent edition of Websters Third New

International Dictionary of the English Language Unabridged

(Springfield, MA: G.&C. Merriam).

Typing text, tables, and figure captions: Text, including

tables and figure captions, must be converted to, or able to be

coverted to, WordPerfect. In general, keep text simple (e.g.,

dont switch fonts, dont use hard returns within paragraphs,

dont indent except to begin paragraphs). Especially, dont use

WordPerfect graphics for embedding tables and figures in text.

If the automatic footnoting function is used, also save a list of

footnotes as a separate WordPerfect file. When the final draft is

ready for review, save the text, tables, figure captions, footnotes,

and front matter as separate document files.

Tables should be prepared using all tabs or all spaces

between columnar data, but not a combination of the two.

Figures must be original (even if oversized) and on paper; they

cannot be photocopies (e.g., Xerox) unless that is all that is

available, nor be on disk. Except under extraordinary circumstances, color will not be used in illustrations.

Manuscript Submission

Authors must submit one paper copy of the double-spaced

manuscript, one magnetic copy on a disk, and original figures (if

applicable). NEFSC authors must include a completely signedoff NEFSC Manuscript/Abstract/Webpage Review Form.

Non-NEFSC authors who are not federal employees will be

required to sign a Release of Copyright form.

Send all materials and address all correspondence to:

Jon A. Gibson, Biological Sciences Editor

Northeast Fisheries Science Center

National Marine Fisheries Service

166 Water Street

Woods Hole, MA 02543-1026 USA
Research Communications Unit

Northeast Fisheries Science Center

National Marine Fisheries Service, NOAA

166 Water St.

Woods Hole, MA 02543-1026

NOAA Technical Memorandum NMFS-NE -- This series is issued irregularly. The series includes: data reports of longterm or large area studies; synthesis reports for major resources or habitats; annual reports of assessment or monitoring programs;

documentary reports of oceanographic conditions or phenomena; manuals describing field and lab techniques; literature surveys of major

resource or habitat topics; findings of task forces or working groups; summary reports of scientific or technical workshops; and indexed

and/or annotated bibliographies. All issues receive internal scientific review and most issues receive technical and copy editing. Limited

free copies are available from authors or the NEFSC. Issues are also available from the National Technical Information Service, 5285

Port Royal Rd., Springfield, VA 22161.

Fishermen's Report and The Shark Tagger -- The Fishermen's Report (FR) is a quick-turnaround report on the

distribution and relative abundance of commercial fisheries resources as derived from each of the NEFSC's periodic research vessel

surveys of the Northeast's continental shelf. There is no scientific review, nor any technical or copy editing, of the FR; copies are available

through free subscription. The Shark Tagger (TST) is an annual summary of tagging and recapture data on large pelagic sharks as derived

from the NMFS's Cooperative Shark Tagging Program; it also presents information on the biology (movement, growth, reproduction, etc.)

of these sharks as subsequently derived from the tagging and recapture data. There is internal scientific review, but no technical or copy

editing, of the TST; copies are available only to participants in the tagging program.

Northeast Fisheries Science Center Reference Document -- This series is issued irregularly. The series

includes: data reports on field and lab observations or experiments; progress reports on continuing experiments, monitoring, and

assessments; background papers for scientific or technical workshops; and simple bibliographies. Issues receive internal scientific review

but no technical or copy editing. No subscriptions. Free distribution of single copies.

The mission of NOAA's National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) is "stewardship of living marine resources for the

benefit of the nation through their science-based conservation and management and promotion of the health of their

environment." As the research arm of the NMFS's Northeast Region, the Northeast Fisheries Science Center (NEFSC)

supports the NMFS mission by "planning, developing, and managing multidisciplinary programs of basic and applied

research to: 1) better understand the living marine resources (including marine mammals) of the Northwest Atlantic, and

the environmental quality essential for their existence and continued productivity; and 2) describe and provide to

management, industry, and the public, options for the utilization and conservation of living marine resources and

maintenance of environmental quality which are consistent with national and regional goals and needs, and with

international commitments." Results of NEFSC research are largely reported in primary scientific media (e.g.,

anonymously-peer-reviewed scientific journals). However, to assist itself in providing data, information, and advice to

its constituents, the NEFSC occasionally releases its results in its own media. Those media are in three categories:

Publications and Reports

of the

Northeast Fisheries Science Center

To obtain a copy of a technical memorandum or a reference document, or to subscribe to the fishermen's report,

write: Research Communications Unit, Northeast Fisheries Science Center, 166 Water St., Woods Hole, MA

02543-1026. An annual list of NEFSC publications and reports is available upon request at the above address.

Any use of trade names in any NEFSC publication or report does not imply endorsement.

STANDARD

 MAIL A