Table 1
Recent Annua! Species Revenues (%) to Otter Trawls by Port

New Bedford Newport Pt. Judith

1978 1976 1978 1976 1978
Yellowtail 30.0 44.0 Yellowtail 25.3 33.1 Butterfish 27.0 5.9
Flounder 28.2 19.5 Flounder 22.5 11.0 Flounder 16.8 9.6
Cod 24.0 18.6 Fluke 19.9 30.2 Fluke 15.1 32.2
Haddock 11.2 4.6 Cod 10.5 44.4 Whiting 10.2 10.3
Lobster 2.3 1.6  Loster 6.3 12.8 Yellowtail 9.0 9.5
Fluke 1.7 5.2 Haddock 5.1 1.7 Scup 4.9 9.0

Rockland Portland Gloucester

1978 1976 978 1976 978
Redfish 57.7 73.0 Flounder 39.2 16.2 Flounder 20.3 12.9
Flounder 21.4 10.6 Redfish 29.6 46.5 Cod 19.3 25.0
Haddock 6.4 5.6 Haddock 13.2 10.5 Haddock 18.9 10.9
Cod 4.8 2.9 Cod 8.2 11.4 Whiting 14.5 16.3
Pollock 3.8 2.8 Pollock 3.4 3.2 Pollock 7.7 6.8
Hake 2.3 1.6 Hake 2.4 2.8 Redfish 7.5 9.4

U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE: 1981 — 700-692/320

ll


offshore to spawn in the rivers, at which time the
traditional U.S. fishery has been conducted. Chesapeake
Bay is the principal spawning area, but rivers along the
entire coast support river herring spawning runs. After
spawning, the adults return to the sea (fish spawning in
the Middle Atlantic tend to move northward) and are
loosely distributed throughout the continental shelf
waters in summer and autumn. They move offshore to
deep water during the winter and begin to concentrate
before migrating inshore to spawn. These pre-spawning
concentrations, particularly in the Middle Atlantic,
have been vulnerable to otter trawl fisheries (e.g., dis-
tant water fleets in the late 1960's-early 1970's).

GULF OF MAINE FISHERY RESOURCES

This area. by virtue of its colder water temperatures,
has some permanently residing boreal species but many
summer migrants as well. Redtish are relatively seden-
tary and occupy primarily the deep waters down to 350-
400 fathoms. Cod are distributed throughout most of the
Gulf from the shore to 200-300 fathoms. Haddock are
found mainly in the southwestern part of the Gulf in
waters less than 100 fathoms. Pollock, which are found
throughout the Gulf but most abundantly in the shallow
areas (less than 80 fathoms), are migratory throughout
the Northwest Atlantic, and are most available at
spawning time in the southwestern part of the Gulf.
Cusk are found in waters deeper than 10-15 fathoms, but
prefer rocky ledges; ocean pout are common throughout
the Gulf at moderate depths. American plaice and witch
flounder are the two most common flounders, being
found in waters greater than 20 fathoms. Winter
flounder are common inside of 30 fathoms; and yellow-
tail are found primarily in the shallow southwestern part
of the Gulf particularly off Cape Cod. Red hake and
white hake are found in the Gulf throughout the year,
preferring shoaler water during the summer and deeper
water in the winter; white hake appear to be the more
widely distributed of the two species and prefer deeper
water. Silver hake are common in the summer months
along the edge of the Gulf in shallow water; some retreat
to deep water in the winter and others apparently
migrate to Southern New England-Middle Atlantic
waters to overwinter. Scup and butterfish migrate as far
north as the southwestern part of the Gulf in summer.
Short-finned (Illex) squid are found throughout the Gulf
in summer but overwinter along the edge of the shelf.
Long-finned (Loligo) squid are not common in the Gulf.

GEORGES BANK FISHERY RESOURCES

Georges Bank is a highly productive area, but
undergoes substantial seasonal changes in species abun-
dance and distribution. Cod and haddock are dis-
tributed all over the Bank but are most abundant on the
eastern half. Cod range to about 250 fathoms whereas
haddock are found in waters less than 100 fathoms.
Pollock are found in the Georges Bank area during the
entire year but are most prevalent in the northwestern

i

part. Silver, red, and white hake overwinter in deep
water around Georges Bank and move onto the Bank to
shoaler water in the summer and autumn. Yellowtail
and winter flounder are permanent residents of the
Bank, and widely distributed in waters less than 50
fathoms, most abundantly on the central and western
parts. American plaice are found along the northern part
of Georges in deeper water. Sand flounder and four-
spotted flounder are taken throughout the Bank with
sand flounder found to depths of about 40 fathoms and
four-spotted flounder to about 75 fathoms. Summer
flounder are found on the southwestern part of the Bank,
occurring in deep water (greater than 75 fathoms) in
winter and spring and in shoal water in summer and
autumn. Redfish are found in deep water around the
perimeter of the Bank; tilefish are restricted to a narrow
strip of shelf edge in water from 50 to 2000 fathoms, Loligo
and I//ex squid are found in deep water along the edge of
Georges in winter and move further inshore to shoal
water in summer. Summer and autumn residents on
Georges Bank (southwest part) include butterfish and
scup.

SOUTHERN NEW ENGLAND FISHERY
RESOURCES

The zone extending from Nantucket Shoals to Hudson
Canyon marks the approximate northern limit for many
of the warm water species which migrate northward in
the summer. Fish north of here (Georges Bank-Gulf of
Maine) consist mainly of boreal species. Hake and
flounder species are generally the most prevalent year-
round. Silver hake and red hake concentrate in deep
water during winter and spring (although in winter they
are found inshore in the Hudson Canyon area) and move
inshore and northeasterly in summer. Yellowtail are dis-
tributed throughout the area out to about 50 fathoms.
Winter flounder are also very abundant, their distribu-
tion extending into the estuaries. Sand and four-spotted
flounder are also present. Summer flounder are found
offshore (deeper than 75 fathoms) in the winter and in-
shore to the beach in the summer and autumn. Cod are
found primarily on the Nantucket Shoals in the warm
months but migrate west and south as far as New Jersey
in the winter. Haddock are rarely found west of Nan-
tucket Shoals. Pollock venture as far southwest as New
York-New Jersey in winter but are not abundant there.
Tilefish are found along the entire edge of the shelf in a
narrow deep-water band. Loligo and Illex squid, scup,
and butterfish are found in deep water (deeper than 75
fathoms) along the edge of the shelf during cold months
and move inshore to shoaler water in the warm months.
Black sea bass and weakfish are found along the inshore
area during summer and autumn and overwinter
offshore in the Middle Atlantic area.

MIDDLE ATLANTIC FISHERY
RESOURCES

The zone from Hudson Canyon to Cape Hatteras is
characterized by an abundance of species in the



ROCKLAND COUNTY

100 4
90 4
20
70
60 4
50 4
40
30 4
20 4 ++
10 plod
oypteiisi. tiie
DFeAMI ORS OND DPFMANSOASOND
COD (124,986) HADDOCK (215,614)
100 + 100
30 4 90
so 4 80
70 4 70
so J 60
30 50
480 40
30 | 30
20 20 ++
10 ti.id. 10 eareran
ofi.iiiiiiiiis fy aren apanaranananananans
“SFM ANJ OAS OND JFeAM)JASONO
FLOUNDER (380,357) HAKE (246,586)
100 5 100 5
30 4 so |
eo J eX)
704 70
60
so d so 4
“od 40
30
20
10 tee eens
Py pererenananenananananans
JFMAMJJASOND “)PFRAMI SAS OND
POLLOCK (339,357) REDFISH (22,857,114)

Figure 3. Monthly percentage distribution of otter traw] landings of selected species by port
of landings, 1970-1976. (Number in parenthesis is the average annual landings for
the seven year period in pounds.) (cont'd)


in a seasonal pattern to the earnings of various fleet
sectors should be recognized as the resource basis for
a management unit.

'V. MANAGEMENT IMPLICATIONS

The preceding sections discuss biological and
economic considerations bearing upon management unit
selection and suggest the desirability of defining
management units as broadly as possible. However,
various practical constraints exist upon the extent of the
resource base which can be included within a manage-
ment unit. These constraints may derive from the in-
stitutional structure for managing a broad range of
regional fishery resources, from jurisdictional authority.
and from practical limitations to operational manage-
ment systems.

The rationale for defining a management unit in terms
of an extended resource base is that management objec-
tives and measures focusing on one or a group of species
within a fishery can be expected to affect other species
supporting the fishery at several operational levels.
Broad definition of a management unit requires that
management strategies be (1) simultaneously deter-
mined for those species requiring regulation, and (2) sen-
sitive to impacts on commercially-important, non-
regulated species and species which are likely candidates
for fishery development. Tradeoffs will probably be
necessary in selecting species for inclusion within a
management unit. It is important to recognize, however,
that even though relatively few species may be chosen
for regulation, a broad management unit requires any
management system to be evaluated in terms of its
overall impacts on the multi-species fishery.

In fisheries which are characteristically directed at a
single species, such as the scallop fishery, the manage-
ment unit may only need to address the range of regional
fisheries. However, it should be recognized that for some
fleet sectors, the directed species (scallops) may supply
only a portion of the annual revenues. Where manage-
ment measures directed at scallops do not affect other
fishing activities or options, management units may
reasonably be defined independently.

The inclusion of various regional fleet sectors within a
fishery management unit should not imply diminished
flexibility in establishing management strategies consis-
tent with the unique characteristics of each component
fishery. The unique characteristics of a given fleet sector,

including traditional patterns of operation, may clearly
justify the establishment of a management system for
that sector which is distinct from all others. Neverthe-
less, the attributes of each component management
system within the management unit will have to be con-
sidered with reference to all others in evaluating the
overall prospects for achieving the management objec-
tives.

Many of the species which support the fisheries of New
England and the Mid-Atlantic may be found both within
state territorial seas and the FCZ. Management units for
these species must transcend jurisdictional boundaries;
although management plans developed under the FCMA
may initially be enforced only in the FCZ, the plans
must be designed to be responsive to the entire manage-
ment unit. Where the management unit extends into
state territorial seas, it is reasona to expect states to
cooperate with the regional management system, im-
plementing complementary management measures.

V. CONCLUSION

In general, three conclusions may be drawn with |
respect to management unit definition.

1) Management units must be sensitive to the seasonal
and geographical distribution of the fishery
resources which are the focus of the various regional
commercial and recreational fishing interests. The
co-occurrence of these species must be recognized
and the resultant by-catch implications considered.

2) The multiple-species focus of most New England
and Mid-Atlantic commercial fishing operations
must be reflected in the choice of management units.
In many cases these multiple species operations are
carefully designed to generate the maximum net
revenue from a set of geographically and seasonally
available species. The management unit needs to
consider al] of these complementary species in order
to insure that the management system has
minimum impact on the flexibility and profitability
of such fisheries.

3) The management unit must extend over the natural
geographic range in which a species is available to
the fishery. Where appropriate, the management
unit must transcend jurisdictional boundaries; in-
stitutional arrangements must be made to ensure
effective implementation of the management system
in all areas.


summer, but fewer in the winter. Principal year-round
species include silver and red hake; summer, winter, and
yellowtail flounder: squid; and scup, butterfish, and
black sea bass. Red hake extend south to about
Chesapeake Bay and are found primarily along the outer
half of the shelf. Silver hake are found as far south as
Cape Hatteras. but are more abundant off New Jersey:
they tend to overwinter in deep water and move closer
inshore during the warm months. Summer flounder
migrate to deep, offshore waters during winter-spring
and return to coastal waters during summer-autumn;
they extend south to South Carolina. Winter flounder
are found as far south as Chesapeake Bay and
throughout the mid-portion of the shelf; they move more
inshore during the cold months. The major area of
yellowtail abundance extends to about New Jersey
although some are found as far south as Chesapeake
Bay. Loligo and Illex squid both overwinter along the
edge of the shelf throughout the entire Middle Atlantic
zone and move closer inshore during the summer. Scup,
butterfish, weakfish. and black sea bass prefer the
deeper, offshore waters during winter and move north
and inshore during the summer. Cod are found in the
Middle Atlantic primarily during winter-spring, some
remain in cold water cells in the area east and north of
Hudson Canyon. and the bulk migrate back to the Nan-
tucket Shoals area for summer-autumn. Tilefish are
found along the edge of the shelf from 50 to 200 fathoms.

III. ECONOMIC DIMENSIONS OF
MANAGEMENT UNITS

In the previous section, discussion was focused on the
commercial implications of the geographical /seasonal
availability and the co-occurrence of important species
off the Northeast coast of the United States. Many of the
species mentioned are of recreational as well as commer-
cial significance, while several other species, not noted,
are primarily recreational. The following discussion of
the economic dimensions of management units will
again focus on commercial aspects of the important
fisheries, drawing examples from New England and the
Mid-Atlantic; the principles illustrated, however, can be
extended to the recreaiional fishery as a special case.

Economic species interactions, in many cases, follow
directly from species distribution and behavior. In
general, three categories of economic interaction can be
identified.

1) Joint harvesting relationships, often described as
by-catch relationships, are common in the majority
of Néw England and Mid-Atlantic trawl fisheries.
They exist because trawl gear usually does not
harvest individual species selectively. The extent to
which species are harvested in conjunction with
others is best illustrated in the New England mixed
trawl fishery. Figure 2 shows that many species are
harvested on trips where they account for less than
half of the catch most of the time. For only a few

2)

species can the fishery clearly be called “directed,”
and even then there is significant by-catch. Thus, a
large proportion of the total catch of a given species
is often derived from small shares of the total catch
on many individual trips. The implication for defini-
tion of management units is that concentration on
“target” species in most fisheries is not an accept-
able criterion because joint harvesting relationships
imply management impacts on “‘by-catch” species
as well.

The substitution among species which make up the
total landings of a trip is another form of economic
species interaction at the harvesting level. As a
fisherman’s expectation of net revenues increases
from one species over another, he will shift his
fishing effort toward the more profitable species.
Such changes in relative expected species revenue
are commonly associated with seasonal change in
species abundance and availability. Seasonal
switching of effort among species as a means of im-
proving the economic returns to fishing is the rule
rather than the exception in most trawl and fixed
gear fisheries. Table 1 illustrates the annual
dependence of certain New England ports on
revenues from various species, while Figures 3 and 4
illustrate the seasonality of the species catches ‘in
two of these ports. Management measures focused
on one or a group of seasonally co-harvested species
may affect or constrain the switching behavior of
fishermen, and consequently, economic returns to
the industry. The implication for management unit
definition is clear: these units must encompass or be
sensitive to the range of species which, on an annual
basis, contribute to the total expected net revenues
of the fishery.

A third form of economic species interaction occurs
at the market level. Many species are substitutes in
various market sectors. Moreover, economic de-
mand studies show that the price paid to fishermen
for one species may depend on landings of another.
This appears to be the case for the ex-vessel price of
cod relative to the landings of haddock, and implies
competition between these species at the market
level. Clearly market effects have regiona] im-
plications. For example, the ex-vessel price for sea
scallop meats is a function of landings in the New
England and Mid-Atlantic regions, imports, and the
value of other competitive species (e.g., lobster).
This implies that the expected revenue to one fleet
sector from the harvesting of a species cannot be
evaluated separately from the harvest of the same or
competitive species by other fleet sectors. The scope
of management transcends the multi-species
harvesting practices of specific fleet sectors and in-
cludes the multi-species nature of fisheries from a
regional perspective. Management units must
reflect this. Species which to a large extent are
harvested jointly, or which individually contribute


AREA/SPECIES
OTTER TRAWLS

5Y RED & WHITE HAKE
5Z RED & WHITE HAKE
5Y HADDOCK

5Z/SA6 POLLOCK

5Y YELLOWTAIL
5Z/SA6 HADDOCK
5Z/SA6 OTHER FLOUNDER
5Y COD

5Y POLLOCK

5Z/SA6 REDFISH
5Z/SA6 COD

5Z/SA6 YELLOWTAIL
5Y OTHER FLOUNDER
52Z/SA6 SCUP

5Y WHITING

5Z/SA6 BUTTERFISH
52Z/SA6 WHITING

5Y REDFISH

GILL NETS

5Y HADDOCK
5Y RED &WHITE HAKE

5Y COD
5Y POLLOCK

ANNUAL PERCENTAGE HARVESTED AS BY-CATCH

98.7%

79.0%
74.9%
72.8%
69.5%
64.4%
62.9%
59.1%

53.4%

47.8%

45.5%

41.2%
31.8%
31.2%
24.2%
15. 6%
13.1%
78.3%
57.0%
45.8%
17.2%

Figure 2. Percentages of total annual catch, in major fishing areas, of various groundfish
species taken as ‘“‘by-catch” by otter trawl and gillnet (i.e.: species making up
50% or less of individual trip catch; 1978).

6

96.1%


NOAA Technical Memorandum NMFS-F /NEC -3

This TM series is used for documentation and timely communication of
preliminary results, interim reports, or Special purpose information; and
has not received complete formal review, editorial control, or detailed
editing

y,

S
fon
&
z
2
g
%
z

NouwaisTM

Northeast Fishery Management
Task Force

Definition
of
Management Units

Emory D. Anderson’ and Guy D. Marchesseault?

‘Woods Hole Laboratory, National Marine Fisheries Service, Woods Hole, MA 02543
?New England Fishery Management Council, Suntaug Bidg., 5 Broadway, Saugus, MA 01906

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

Philip M. Klutznick, Secretary

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Richard A. Frank, Administrator

National Marine Fisheries Service
Terry L. Leitzell, Assistant Administrator for Fisheries

Northeast Fisheries Center
Woods Hole, Massachusetts

October 1980


100
90
86
70
60
50
40
36
20
10

100
90
89
70

50
40
30
20

100

80
70
6c
50
40
30
20

Figure 4. Monthly percentage distribution of otter traw] landings of selected species by port
of landings, 1970-1976. (Number in parenthesis is the average annual landings for
the seven year period in pounds.)

sees

++

tees

=

coD

F

YELLOWTAIL (3,187,

F

x

4

pare ras
+ pare
Para ar arses
AM JJ AS ON D
(921,857)

Parra area ars
rarer arararanan
AMO TAS OND

+

A

M

+

J

+

J

+
+

A

teat

s

FLUKE (975,657)

543)

100
90
80
70
60
50
40
30
2

100

80
70
60
50
40
30 4
20 4

POINT JUDITH AND COUNTY

thee

dv FMA

HADDOCK

JF MR

see

M

WHITING

+e ee

JF MR

FLOUNDER (2,400,686)

as

4

tees

tease

Ry

sea

a

d

J

++

+
+

AS ON
(3,925,200)

+
+

A

++

$0

"

+

+

D

(cont'd)


Figure 3 (cont'd)

ROCKLAND COUNTY

30

o 38

& $8
phe kk

teen errerreee

teoereee

JFMAMJJASOND
WHITING (219,986)

A mark at the zero level represents a percentage of landings greater than 0 but less than 2.5
percent.


WOIJ) SAaAINS |MBI} WWOZ}0q JO Sayo}Bd [BNPIAIpUl Jo syoyd uo po:
WOz0q 07 a[quiauNA saloads yuByodwt jo ainyxtul jo wesde:

yaedy
Biauas) “] einai



I. INTRODUCTION

Under the Fishery Conservation and Management Act
of 1976 (FCMA). the United States assumed respon-
sibility for the establishment of fishery management
plans and policies for the fish stocks that are endemic to
an area designated as the Fishery Conservation Zone
(FCZ). Fishery management plans (FMP) prepared pur-
suant to the FCMA must carefully define the nature of
the fishery which is expected to be subject to the
provisions of the plan and the objectives which these
provisions are expected to achieve. The FCMA, however,
provides little specific guidance in determining the ap-
propriate dimensions of a management unit, although
National Standard 3 requires that to the extent prac-
ticable, an individual stock of fish shall be managed as a
unit throughout its range, and interrelated stocks shall
be managed as a unit or in close coordination. This
national standard requires management to recognize two
aspects of a management unit: (1) species naturally co-
occur on fish grounds, and as such are subject to
being jointiy harvested: (2) species commonly interact at
the harvesting. processing, and market levels, so that net
bene: to the industry derive from a range of commer-
cially and recreationally important species. The various
dimensions of management units are discussed in the
following sections.

Il. RESOURCE DIMENSION OF
MANAGEMENT UNITS

Determination of management units for fisheries in
the U.S. Fishery Conservation Zone in the Northwest
Auantic should take into account the distribution and
mixture of various s,ecies which vary by season
geographical zone, ann water depth. Most fishing in the
Northwest Atlantic for jinfish species is conducted by
means of bottom otter trawls which are non-selective
except to the extent that they partially exclude fish
below a certain size, depending on the cod end mesh
employed in the net. Fishing for certain species may be
successfully carried out with pelagic trawls or purse
seines (e.g., pelagic species such as sea herring and
Atlantic mackerel) resulting in pure or nearly pure
catches of target species, but this component of the
overall fishery in the Northwest Atlantic is presently
much smaller than the traditional mixed species demer-
sal finfish fishery.

The following is a generalized description of the
“pure” pelagic fisheries and the seasonal and depth dis-

tribution of approximately two dozen principal commer-
cial finfish and squid species in the (1) Gulf of Maine, (2)
Georges Bank, (3) Southern New England, and (4) Mid-
dle Atlantic areas. This description is intended to il-
lustrate the dimensions of the problem associated with
fishery management in a multi-species fishery.
Variations in seasonal. geographic, and depth dis-
tributions (Figure 1) must be considered in management
units and suggest the possibility of area designations
being the basic component of management units.

PELAGIC FISHERY RESOURCES

Sea herring, Atlantic mackerel, and river herring are
schooling, pelagic, highly migratory species. In the Gulf
of Maine, juvenile herring are available in summer and
autumn in inshore areas. Adults are concentrated in late
summer and autumn at spawning areas. Herring, which
spawn in the Gulf and on Georges Bank, overwinter in
Southern New England-Middle Atlantic waters general-
ly inside 80 meters (40 fathoms) as far as Chesapeake
Bay, but generally are not as tightly schooled then as
during the later summer-early autumn spawning period.
As warming begins in the spring, these fish begin
migrating east and north towards the Northern Georges
Bank-Nantucket Shoals area for autumn spawning. Gulf
of Maine spawners overwinter in Long Island Sound and
Southern New England waters and also return north,
beginning in the spring.

Mackerel (both northern and southern components)
overwinter along the edge of the continental shelf from
Georges Bank to Cape Hatteras. In March-April they
begin moving inshore and north and east. Prior to
spawning during April-June primarily in the New York
Bight (southern component), they are tightly schooled,
but tend to be less concentrated during the summer as
they distribute themselves along the coast of New
England and to some extent on Georges Bank. The
northern component spawns in the Gulf of St. Lawrence.

Both species undergo daily vertical migrations, being
closer to the bottom during the day and nearer the sur-
face at night; consequently there is some potential for
catching additional species when using bottom trawls
during daylight. In the past, the largest catches have oc-
curred prior to spawning for both species: in late
summer-early autumn for herring, and in the late
winter-early spring for mackerel.

River herring (i.e. alewife, blueback, shad) at certain
times of the year can be considered targets of a “pure”
pelagic fishery. These species range throughout the en-
tire area from the Middle Atlantic to the Gulf of Maine.
Adults move inshore in the spring after overwintering


IL.
Tl.
IV.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Introduction ....... 0... ec c ec c eee te nen e eee 1
Resource Dimensions of Management Units
Economic Dimensions of Management Units

Management Implications ............. 00sec cece eee eee eee 4
Conclusion 0.6... eee ence nee nee ene 4
Figures... 00. e nent e beeen 5

1 Generalized diagram of mixture of important species vulnerable
to bottom trawling—based on plots of individual catches of
bottom trawl surveys (from Grosslein and Bowman 1973) .........5 5

2 Percentages of total annual catch, in major fishing areas, of
various groundfish species taken as “‘by-catch”’ by otter trawl
and gillnet (i.e.: species making up 50% or less of individual
trip catch; 1978)... cece eee ce eee eee eee teens 6

3 Monthly percentage distribution of otter trawl landings of

selected species by port of landings, 1970-1976. (Number in

parenthesis is the average annual landings for the seven year

period in pounds.) 2.0... . cece ee eee cece ete teens 7
4 Monthly percentage distribution of otter trawl landings of

selected species by port of landings, 1970-1976. (Number in

parenthesis is the average annual landings for the seven vear

period in pounds.) .. 6... cece e eee eee ee 9



PREFACE

This document is the result of studies originating within the North-
east Fishery Management Task Force. The Task Force, organized in 1979
by the New England and Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Councils and
funded by the NMFS, seeks to promote discussion and dialogue on the
major issues of fishery management and to explore the effects of various
fishery management alternatives.

Composed of representatives from the fishing industry, Regional
Fishery Management Councils, federal and state agencies, academic in-
stitutions, and general public, the Task Force will operate in three phases.
The first phase will assemble background information for identifying and
analyzing management options. The second phase will examine this
background information to determine the data requirements, regulatory
measures, administrative procedures, and enforcement methods
associated with each management option. The third phase will critically
review the various options for application to specific fisheries, particularly
the Atlantic demersal finfish fishery.

This document is one of eight developed under Phase I operations,
all of which are being issued in the NOAA Technical Memorandum
NMES-F/NEC series. This document and six others functionally serve as
appendixes to the eighth and leading document for Phase I operations—
“Overview Document of the Northeast Fishery Management Task Force,
Phase I.”

Jon A. Gibson, Coordinator
NOAA Technical Memorandum NMFS-F/NEC series


Figure 4 (cont’d)

POINT JUDITH AND COUNTY

100 100
9” 90
80 80
70 70
60 60
50 50
40 40
30 30
oe +
20 + ++ 20 +
++ +4 + ++
10 + + ++ 10 + + + + ++
] tee Fe eae Fete ee eee 4G
OL tt ee ee eee eee Of teeter eee eeee
JFMAM I JASON OD JFMAMJJASOND
SCUP (1,139,529) HAKE (649,929)
100 100
90 90
80 80
70 70
60 60
50 50
40 40
30 + 30
+
20 ++ 204 +
pe + + +
10 t+ + wW4re tee
teenies t+ +4 tate eee
ee a a ee eas OL steer eee eens
SFR AMS DAS ONO JFRAM IJ AS OND
POLLOCK (8,371) BUTTERFISH (865,443)
A mark at the zero level represents a percentage of landings greater than 0 but less than 2.5
percent.

10