NOAA Technical Memorandum NMFS-NE-140

Essential Fish Habitat Source Document:

Yellowtail Flounder, Limanda ferruginea,

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:

Yellowtail Flounder, Limanda ferruginea,

Life History and Habitat Characteristics

Donna L. Johnson, Wallace W. Morse, Peter L. Berrien,

 and Joseph J. Vitaliano

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

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-140
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 ...................................................................................................................................................................................4

Research Needs .........................................................................................................................................................................................4

Acknowledgments.....................................................................................................................................................................................4

References Cited .......................................................................................................................................................................................4

Tables

Table 1. The length and age at which 50% of female yellowtail flounder in the northwest Atlantic Ocean are mature..........................7

Table 2. Summary of life history and habitat parameters for yellowtail flounder, Limanda ferruginea..................................................8

Table 3. Distribution of life history stages of yellowtail flounder in estuaries and rivers of the northwest Atlantic Ocean ..................10

Figures

Figure 1. The yellowtail flounder, Limanda ferruginea (from Goode 1884)........................................................................................12

Figure 2. Overall distribution and abundance of yellowtail flounder in the northwest Atlantic ...........................................................13

Figure 3. Abundance (% occurrence) of the major prey items in the diet of yellowtail flounder .........................................................14

Figure 4. Abundance of yellowtail flounder eggs relative to water temperature and depth from NEFSC MARMAP surveys.............15

Figure 5. Abundance of yellowtail flounder larvae relative to water temperature and depth from NEFSC MARMAP surveys ..........16

Figure 6. Abundance of juvenile and adult yellowtail flounder relative to water temperature and depth from NEFSC surveys..........17

Figure 7. Abundance of yellowtail flounder relative to water temperature and depth from Massachusetts inshore trawl surveys .......18

Figure 8. Distribution and abundance of yellowtail flounder eggs collected during NEFSC MARMAP surveys................................19

Figure 9. Distribution and abundance of yellowtail flounder larvae collected during NEFSC MARMAP surveys .............................22

Figure 10. Distribution and abundance of juvenile and adult yellowtail flounder collected during NEFSC surveys.............................24

Figure 11. Distribution and abundance of juvenile and adult yellowtail flounder in Massachusetts coastal waters...............................26

Figure 12. Commercial landings, survey indices, and spawning stock biomass for yellowtail flounder ................................................27

Figure 13. Distribution and abundance of juveniles and adults during low and high abundance periods from NEFSC surveys. ..........29
Page 1

INTRODUCTION

The yellowtail flounder, Limanda ferruginea, is a

small-mouthed, thin bodied pleuronectid (Figure 1) that

inhabits waters along the Atlantic coast of North America

from the Gulf of St. Lawrence, Labrador, and

Newfoundland to the Chesapeake Bay (Figure 2;

Hildebrand and Schroeder 1928; Bigelow and Schroeder

1953; Royce et al. 1959; Lux 1964; Pitt 1970; Laurence

and Howell 1981; Walsh 1992). Yellowtail are most

abundant on the western half of Georges Bank, the

western Gulf of Maine, east of Cape Cod, and southern

New England. Yellowtail are rare in most North Atlantic

estuaries and rivers although they are common in the

Sheepscot River and Casco Bay and abundant in Boston

Harbor (Jury et al. 1994).

Yellowtail flounder grow faster and mature earlier

than most other flatfish (Scott 1954; Bowering and Brodie

1991). It was not until the mid-1930s that yellowtail was

recognized as a valuable flatfish. Today it is in high

demand in commercial fish markets. The primary fishing

gear used to harvest yellowtail flounder is the otter trawl.

LIFE HISTORY

EGGS

In the northwest Atlantic, spawning occurs from

March through August at temperatures of 5-12o

C (Fahay

1983). Yellowtail spawn buoyant, spherical, pelagic eggs

that lack an oil globule. The diameter of live eggs

averages 0.88 mm, and ranges from 0.79-1.01 mm. The

egg membrane is smooth, clear, and colorless. The yolk is

homogenous and there is a narrow perivitelline space.

Eggs hatch approximately five days after fertilization at

temperatures of 10-11o

C (Bigelow and Schroeder 1953;

Hildebrand and Schroeder 1928; Miller et al. 1991).

LARVAE

Hatching times range from 14.5 days at 4oC to 4.5

days at 14o

C (Yevseyenko and Nevinsky 1981; Walsh

1992). Larvae hatch with unpigmented eyes at lengths of

2.0-3.5 mm TL. Caudal rays develop at 10 mm. Body

flexion begins at 5-10 mm notochord length (NL);

transformation is completed at an average length of 14

mm (Fahay 1983). Larvae normally do not become

benthic until ossification of fin rays is complete at

approximately 14 mm SL (Bigelow and Schroeder 1953).

JUVENILES

As early larvae, yellowtail are indistinguishable from

other bony fish with respect to body shape, but as

development proceeds in the upper water column, the

pelagic bilaterally symmetrical larvae become benthic

asymmetrical juveniles. In the course of this transition,

the most visible changes involve pigmentation patterns

and migration of the left eye (usually) across the top of

head. These changes are accompanied by the

restructuring of nerves, blood vessels, skull bones, and

muscles. Pelagic larvae are brief residents in the water

column; transformation to the juvenile stage occurs at

11.6-16 mm SL (Fahay 1983).

ADULTS

Adults reach a maximum size of 60 cm. The body is

compressed and ovate-elliptical with a low arching lateral

line over the pectoral fin (Martin and Drewry 1978).

Yellowtail have a small mouth with small conical teeth.

They are generally found at depths between 37 and 73 m.

REPRODUCTION

The median age at maturity for females is 1.8 years

on Georges Bank, 2.6 years off Cape Cod, and 1.6 years

off southern New England (O’Brien et al. 1993). Females

generally mature at 26-40 cm TL at 2-4 years of age in the

southern part of their range and 5-8 years farther north

(Table 1).

FOOD HABITS

The diet of yellowtail flounder consists chiefly of

benthic macrofauna (Langton 1983; Bowman and

Michaels 1984; Collie 1987b). Cohen and Grosslein

(1981) found that the daily ration consumed by yellowtail

decreased from 6.2% to 1.1% of body weight per day as

the fish aged from young-of-the-year to age 4+. The prey

consist primarily of amphipods (Unicola inermis,

Ericthonius fasciatus, Ampelisca agassizi), polychaetes

(Chone infondibuliformis, Nephtys incisa), and sand

dollars (Echinarachius parma) (Hahm and Langton 1984;

Collie 1987a). Yellowtail flounder adults eat mostly

crustaceans while juveniles eat mostly polychaetes

(Packer and Langton, in prep.). The most abundant prey

in the stomachs of yellowtail flounder in the Northeast

Fisheries Science Center (NEFSC) food habits database

(1973-1990) [see Reid et al. (1999) for details] are shown

in Figure 3.

PREDATION

Based on data from the NEFSC food habits database,

yellowtail flounder are preyed on by spiny dogfish, winter
Page 2

skate, Atlantic cod, Atlantic halibut, fourspot flounder,

goosefish, little skate, smooth skate, silver hake, bluefish,

and sea raven.

MIGRATION

There are five relatively distinct stocks of yellowtail

flounder with little migration occurring between them.

These stocks are southern New England, Georges Bank,

Cape Cod, Nova Scotia, and Grand Bank (Royce et al.

1959). Results from mark and recapture studies revealed

that yellowtail stay primarily within those fishing grounds

(Lux 1964). Minimal migration patterns show that the

southern New England fish traveled eastward during

spring and summer and westward in the fall and winter as

a result of seasonal changes in temperature (Royce et al.

1959; Lux 1964). Walsh (1992) found that the

distribution of juveniles and adults may be more depth

dependent than temperature dependent.

STOCK STRUCTURE

Intermingling among the five relatively distinct stocks

has not been confirmed. Yellowtail flounder are managed

as four stocks (southern New England, Georges Bank,

Cape Cod, Middle Atlantic Bight) under the Multispecies

Fishery Management Plan of the New England Fishery

Management Council (NEFMC 1993).

HABITAT CHARACTERISTICS

A summary of habitat characteristics of the various

life stages of yellowtail flounder is presented in Table 2.

Data from the following surveys were used to determine

habitat characteristics: (1) Northeast Fisheries Science

Center (NEFSC) Marine Monitoring Assessment and

Prediction (MARMAP) ichthyoplankton survey, (2)

NEFSC bottom trawl survey, (3) the Massachusetts

Division of Marine Fisheries (MDMF) bottom trawl

survey, and (4) the NEFSC Food Habits Investigation. A

description of survey methods and materials is found in

Reid et al. (1999).

EGGS

Yellowtail flounder eggs were collected at water

temperatures ranging from 2o

 to 15oC (Figure 4). Egg

catches displayed temperature shifts with time of year;

most February to May catches occurred at 4-8o

C, June to

August catches occurred at 7-10o

C, and September

catches occurred at 11-12o

C. Most eggs were collected in

water from 10 to 750 m deep; they were more frequently

caught between 30 and 90 m (Figure 4).

LARVAE

Yellowtail flounder larvae were collected at water

temperatures ranging from 5o

 to 17oC (Figure 5). Larval

catches displayed temperature shifts with time of year;

most larvae were collected at 6-10o

C from April to June,

10-14o

C from July to September, and 8-11oC in October.

No seasonal trends were obvious for bottom depth and

catch relationships. The largest larval catches occurred in

depths of 10 to 90 m while the overall range was 10 to

1250 m (Figure 5).

The length of the notochord was significantly

different among individuals incubated at 8o

C and 10oC

compared to those incubated at 4o

 and 12oC (Howell

1980). Larvae reared at 4o

C and 12oC had significantly

larger yolk volumes and larvae reared at 12o

C grew

significantly faster. A water temperature increase from

8o

C to 20oC within 24 hours resulted in mortality of

yellowtail flounder larvae in the field (Colton 1959).

JUVENILES

In the NEFSC spring bottom trawl survey, juvenile

yellowtail flounder were not collected at temperatures >

11o

C and depths > 125 m (Figure 6). During the autumn

survey, juveniles were concentrated in areas where

temperatures ranged between 9 and 13°C. Juveniles were

collected from 5 to 125 m in the spring and autumn

surveys (Figure 6).

Temperature and depth relationships observed in the

Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries bottom trawl

survey was similar to patterns in the NEFSC survey

(Figure 7). Juveniles were collected at temperatures

ranging from 2-14o

C in spring and 5-17oC in autumn; the

largest catches occurred at 4-8o

C in spring and 8-11oC in

autumn. Juveniles were collected from 5-75 m in the

spring and autumn surveys.

ADULTS

Yellowtail flounder prefer sand or sand-mud

sediments (Bowering and Brodie 1991) where they find

their demersal prey. Scott (1982b) calculated an index of

preference based on percent frequency of occurrence on a

particular bottom type. A high proportion of yellowtail

flounder favored sand and gravel substrates, which are

frequently found in shallow water.

In U.S. waters, yellowtail flounder are captured at

depths ranging from 10-360 m, but are frequently found in

< 100 m (Miller et al. 1991; Walsh 1992). In the NEFSC

spring bottom trawl survey, adult yellowtail flounder were

concentrated on Georges Bank, frequently along the

Southern Flank and on the Northeast Peak in 60-100 m of

water (Figure 6). Adults were collected at temperatures

ranging from 2o

C to 12oC. During autumn, adults were
Page 3

most abundant in areas with temperatures between 8o

C

and 14.0o

C. The overall depth range was 15-100 m in the

spring and autumn surveys.

In the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries

bottom trawl survey, adults were collected at 4-15o

C in

spring with the largest catches at 4-9o

C (Figure 7). In the

autumn survey, catches occurred from 5o

C to 15oC with

the largest catches at 8-11o

C. The overall depth range was

5-75 m and the largest catches occurred from 20 to 50 m

in spring and 20 to 40 m in autumn.

Based on 24 years of data from the NEFSC bottom

trawl survey, Murawski and Finn (1988) reported that the

depth preferences for age 0 yellowtail flounder ranged

from 56.1 m in winter to 87.3 m autumn. Depth

preferences for age 1+ ranged from 66.1 m in summer to

72.6 m in spring. The mean temperature range for age 0

(3.7-11.0o

C) was slightly wider than for age 1+ (3.1-

9.1o

C). Yellowtail flounder can experience water

temperatures that differ by as much as 20o

C depending on

season and location (Laurence and Howell 1981).

The relationship between yellowtail flounder catches

and temperature has been documented (Royce et al. 1959;

Lux 1964; Sissenwine 1974). Sissenwine (1974) found an

inverse correlation between water temperature and yearclass strength off southern New England. Helser and

Brodziak (1996) found significant positive associations

between yellowtail catch and bottom temperature in 20 of

27 years, and between catch and water depth in 25 out of

27 years during NEFSC spring trawl surveys. The

number of significant associations in autumn trawl surveys

occurred in only 5 of 32 years for bottom temperature and

18 of 32 years for water depth.

Relationships also exist between fish distributions and

bottom depth on the Scotian Shelf (Scott 1976, 1982a).

Scott (1982b) determined the following ranges for

yellowtail flounder on the Scotian Shelf: 27-364 m, with

37-90 m preferred, 1-12o

C, with 2-6oC preferred, and 31-

34 ppt, with 32-33 ppt preferred. Yellowtail did not make

extensive seasonal migrations and displayed higher

selectivity for bottom type than for temperatures.

GEOGRAPHICAL DISTRIBUTION

Yellowtail flounder occur along the Atlantic coast of

North America from the north shore of the Gulf of St.

Lawrence, the Labrador side of the Strait of Belle Isle,

northern Newfoundland, Newfoundland banks, and

southward to the Chesapeake Bay (Figure 2; Hildebrand

and Schroeder 1928; Bigelow and Schroeder 1953; Royce

et al. 1959; Lux 1964; Pitt 1970; Laurence and Howell

1981; Walsh 1992). As stated previously, they are most

abundant on western Georges Bank, western Gulf of

Maine, east of Cape Cod, on Stellwagen Bank, and off

southern New England. Yellowtail flounder are rare in

most estuaries and rivers in the North Atlantic, although

they are common in the Sheepscot River and Casco Bay

and abundant in Boston Harbor (Table 3; Jury et al.

1994).

EGGS

Collections from the NEFSC MARMAP ichthyoplankton survey (1977-1987) showed little or no spawning

activity during January and February (Figure 8). By

March and April, eggs appeared on the continental shelf

off New Jersey and Long Island, on Georges Bank,

northwest of Cape Cod, and on Browns Bank. The

distribution and abundance of eggs expanded in southern

New England in May. On Georges Bank, the distribution

and abundance of eggs expanded in June and declined

thereafter; spawning ended in August. The densest egg

concentrations occurred on the northeast and southwest

part of Georges Bank, west from Nantucket Shoals to

New Jersey, northwest of Cape Cod along western Gulf of

Maine, and off southwest Nova Scotia.

LARVAE

In the NEFSC MARMAP ichthyoplankton survey,

yellowtail flounder larvae (< 7.0 mm NL) first appeared

on the shelf in April from the New York Bight south to

the Delmarva peninsula (Figure 9). Larvae were collected

more frequently from May through July. Their numbers

increased in May along the 365 m (200 fm) contour of

Georges Bank. The highest larval concentrations occurred

in the mixed layer on southwest Georges Bank, off

southern New England, and in the New York Bight during

May-July. In June, larvae were most abundant from

Georges Bank to Hudson Canyon. Abundance declined

during July and August when the larvae were caught on

southwest Georges Bank and northwest of Cape Cod.

JUVENILES AND ADULTS

Based on the NEFSC bottom trawl survey, yellowtail

flounder occur from Nova Scotia south to Chesapeake

Bay. Catches are high around Cape Cod during spring

and autumn. However, adults and juveniles migrate away

from coastal areas off southern New England, especially

around Long Island and the New York Bight, during

autumn (Figure 10). During the spring surveys, dense

concentrations of adults appear on Georges Bank,

frequently along the Southern Flank and Northeast Peak.

During the winter, yellowtail adults are present over most

of Georges Bank, southern New England, and the Middle

Atlantic Bight. Adults extend as far south as Maryland

while juveniles reach the southern tip of New Jersey.

Throughout most of the nearshore areas of southern New

England, populations are found from New Jersey,

extending south as far as Delaware Bay. Few fish were
Page 4

collected in the Northeast Channel, south of Nova Scotia,

Cape Cod, and the Gulf of Maine. Only during the

summer did adults appear along the coastal Gulf of Maine.

In the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries

bottom trawl survey, yellowtail adults and juveniles

concentrate seasonally in coastal waters east of Cape Cod

and from northwestern Cape Cod Bay to Ipswich Bay

(Cape Cod stock) (Figure 11). In Cape Cod Bay,

juveniles appear to redistribute shoreward in fall. Small

numbers of mostly juvenile fish are caught seasonally in

shoal waters south of Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket

Island (southern New England stock).

STATUS OF THE STOCK

Yellowtail flounder became a key constituent of the

U.S. demersal fishery in the early 1930s when the stock of

winter flounder declined (Royce et al. 1959). Twentyfour years later, landings suffered a dramatic decline;

however landings peaked in the late 1960s due in large

part to an increase in fishing effort (Lux 1964).

Yellowtail flounder landings and abundance indices

(stratified mean catch per tow) for four principal fishing

grounds are presented in Figure 12.

From 1973 to 1975, the spawning stock biomass

(SSB) for southern New England dropped 10,000 mt. By

1982, it increased to 22,000 mt due to the strong 1980

year-class and then declined to a low of 2,400 mt in 1984

due to heavy fishing. Numbers increased again to 22,000

mt due to a strong year-class in 1987. It was heavily

fished and SSB dropped to 1,057 mt in 1993. Large

numbers of discards were generated because of minimum

size regulations. The SSB slowly rose during the mid

1990s to < 10,000 mt in autumn 1997. Recruitment from

the 1990 year class increased total landings by 1,000 mt

from 1991 to 1992 (Northeast Fisheries Science Center

1994b).

In the Georges Bank stock, the four strongest year

classes with the highest estimated recruitment at age 1

were 1973, 1974, 1977, and 1980. All cohorts after 1973

were < 25 million at age 1. The 1995 cohort was the

weakest since 1986. The SSB was 21,000 mt in 1973 and

declined to < 4,000 mt from 1984 to 1988. From 1989 to

1994, SSB remained < 6,000 mt and increased to 11,700

mt in 1996 (Northeast Fisheries Science Center 1997).

During the 1980s, the abundance of New England

groundfish declined by 65% when haddock, redfish, and

yellowtail flounder reached record low levels (Northeast

Fisheries Science Center 1991). Commercial indices of

catch-per-unit-effort (CPUE) and standardized research

trawl survey indices indicate that yellowtail flounder

underwent substantial fluctuations and dramatic declines

over a twenty year span (Northeast Fisheries Science

Center 1994a, 1994b).

The abundance index for yellowtail flounder was high

in 1963-1967 and low in 1984-1988 (Figure 13). During

1963-1967, adult and juvenile yellowtail were abundant

along the 60 m contour in southern New England and

between at 60-100 m on Georges Bank during autumn.

During 1984-1988, yellowtail abundance declined

significantly in these areas. According to a recent report

to Congress from the Secretary of Commerce (National

Marine Fisheries Service 1997), yellowtail flounder are no

longer considered overfished on Georges Bank and in

southern New England; the status for the Cape Cod and

Middle Atlantic Bight stocks is unknown.

RESEARCH NEEDS

• In spite of its commercial importance, relatively little

is know about the early life history and development

of yellowtail flounder.

• A spatial and temporal comparison of early-life

history characteristics based on otolith

microstructure.

• Analysis of current age and length at maturity

contrasted against historic information on age and

length at maturity.

• Habitat specific examination of biotic and abiotic

factors, which ultimately affect adult recruitment.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Special acknowledgment and appreciation goes to the

reviewers from the Woods Hole Laboratory, Michael

Pentony, members of the New England Fishery

Management Council, and Dr. Jeffrey Cross for their

critical reviews and comments. We also thank librarians

Judy Berrien, Rande Ramsey-Cross, and Claire Steimle

for their invaluable assistance with literature searches and

style suggestions. Thanks also to Michael P. Fahay for his

helpful suggestions in preparation of this document.

REFERENCES CITED

Beacham, T.D. 1983. Variability in size and age at sexual

maturity of American plaice and yellowtail flounder

in the Canadian Maritimes region of the northwest

Atlantic Ocean. Can. Tech. Rep. Fish. Aquat. Sci.

1196. 74 p.

Bigelow, H.B., and W.C. Schroeder. 1953. Fishes of the

Gulf of Maine. U.S. Fish Wildl. Serv. Fish. Bull. 53.

577 p.

Bowering, W.R. and W.B. Brodie. 1991. Distribution of

commercial flatfishes in the Newfoundland-Labrador

region of the Canadian northwest Atlantic and

changes in certain biological parameters since

exploitation. Neth. J. Sea Res. 27: 407-422.

Bowman, R.E. and W.L. Michaels. 1984. Food of

seventeen species of northwest Atlantic fish. NOAA
Page 5

Tech. Mem. NMFS-F/NEC-28. 183 p.

Cohen, E. and M. Grosslein. 1981. Food consumption in

five species of fish on Georges Bank. ICES C.M.

1981/G:68. 21 p.

Collie, J.S. 1987a. Food consumption by yellowtail

flounder in relation to production of its benthic prey.

Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser. 36: 205-213.

Collie, J.S. 1987b. Food selection by yellowtail flounder

(Limanda ferruginea) on Georges Bank. Can. J. Fish.

Aquat. Sci. 44: 357-367.

Colton, J.B. 1959. A field observation of mortality of

marine fish larvae due to warming. Limnol.

Oceanogr. 4: 219-222.

Fahay, M.P. 1983. Guide to the early stages of marine

fishes occurring in the western North Atlantic Ocean,

Cape Hatteras to the southern Scotian Shelf. J.

Northwest Atl. Fish. Sci., 4: 1-423.

Goode, G.B. 1884. The fisheries and fishery industries of

the United States. Section I: Natural history of useful

aquatic animals. Govt. Print. Office, Washington,

DC. Plates.

Hahm, W. and R. Langton. 1984. Prey selection based on

predator/prey weight ratios for some northwest

Atlantic fish. Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser. 19: 1-5.

Helser, T.E. and J.K.T. Brodziak. 1996. Report of the

twenty-first Northeast Regional Stock Assessment

Workshop (21st SAW): Influence of temperature and

depth on distribution and catches of yellowtail

flounder, Atlantic cod, and haddock in NEFSC

bottom trawl surveys. Northeast Fish. Sci. Cent. Ref.

Doc. 96-05e. 16 p.

Hildebrand, S.F. and W.C. Schroeder. 1928. Fishes of

Chesapeake Bay. Bull. U.S. Bur. Fish 43. 366 p.

Howell, W.H. 1980. Temperature effects on growth and

yolk utilization in yellowtail flounder, Limanda

ferruginea, yolk-sac larvae. Fish. Bull. (U.S.). 78:

731-739.

Jury, S.H., J.D. Field, S.L. Stone, D.M. Nelson, and M.E.

Monaco. 1994. Distribution and abundance of fishes

and invertebrates in North Atlantic estuaries. ELMR

Rep. No. 13. NOAA/NOS Strategic Environmental

Assessments Division, Silver Spring, MD. 221 p.

Langton, R.W. 1983. Food habits of yellowtail flounder,

Limanda ferruginea (Storer), from off the

northeastern United States. Fish. Bull. (U.S.) 81: 15-

22.

Laurence, G.C. and W.H. Howell. 1981. Embryology and

influence of temperature and salinity on early

development and survival of yellowtail flounder

Limanda ferruginea. Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser. 6: 11-18.

Lux, F.E. 1964. Landings, fishing effort, and apparent

abundance in the yellowtail flounder fishery. Int.

Comm. Northwest Atl. Fish. (ICNAF) Res. Bull. 1: 5-

21.

Martin, F.D. and G.E. Drewry. 1978. Development of

fishes of the Mid-Atlantic Bight: An atlas of egg,

larval and juvenile stages. Vol. 6: Stromateidae

through Ogcocephalidae. U.S. Fish Wildl. Serv. Biol.

Serv. Prog. FWS/OBS-78/12. 416 p.

Miller, J.M., J.S. Burke, and G.R. Fitzhugh. 1991. Early

life history patterns of Atlantic North American

flatfish: Likely (and unlikely) factors controlling

recruitment. Neth. J. Sea Res. 27: 261-275.

Morse, W. and A. Morris. 1981. An analysis of yellowtail

flounder, Limanda ferruginea, length at maturity east

and west of 72°00’ longitude for 1975-1980. U.S.

Natl. Mar. Fish. Serv. Northeast Fish. Cent. Sandy

Hook Lab. Rep. 81-16. 4 p.

Murawski, S.A. and J.T. Finn. 1988. Biological bases for

mixed-species fisheries: species co-distribution in

relation to environmental and biotic variables. Can. J.

Fish. Aquat. Sci. 45: 1720-1735.

National Marine Fisheries Service. 1997. Report to

Congress. Status of fisheries of the United States:

Report on the status of fisheries of the United States.

September 1997. [Homepage of the National Marine

Fisheries Service], [Online]. Available:

http://www.nmfs.gov/sfa.Fstatus.html.

[NEFMC] New England Fishery Management Council.

1993. Final amendment #5 to the Northeast Multispecies Fishery Management Plan incorporating the

supplemental environmental impact statement. Vol. I.

September 1993. NEFMC.[Saugus, MA.] 361 p.

Northeast Fisheries Science Center. 1991. Report of the

twelfth Northeast Regional Stock Assessment

Workshop (12th SAW): Stock Assessment Review

Committee (SARC) consensus summary of

assessments. NOAA/National Marine Fisheries

Service, Northeast Fisheries Center. 102 p.

Northeast Fisheries Science Center. 1994a. Report of the

seventeenth Northeast Regional Stock Assessment

Workshop (17th SAW): Stock Assessment Review

Committee (SARC) consensus summary of

assessments. Northeast Fish. Sci. Cent. Ref. Doc. 94-

06. 124 p.

Northeast Fisheries Science Center. 1994b. Report of the

eighteenth Northeast Regional Stock Assessment

Workshop (18th SAW): Stock Assessment Review

Committee (SARC) consensus summary of

assessments. Northeast Fish. Sci. Cent. Ref. Doc. 94-

23. 154 p.

Northeast Fisheries Science Center. 1997. Twenty-fourth

Northeast Regional Stock Assessment Workshop

(24th SAW): Stock Assessment Review Committee

(SARC) consensus summary of assessments.

Northeast Fish. Sci. Cent. Ref. Doc. 97-12. 291 p.

O’Brien, L., J. Burnett, and R.K. Mayo. 1993. Maturation

of nineteen species of finfish off the northeast coast

of the United States, 1985-1990. NOAA Tech. Rep.

NMFS 113. 66 p.

Packer, D.B. and R.W. Langton. In preparation. Food

habits of the major groundfish species of Sheepscot

Bay, Maine, U.S.A. U.S. Natl. Mar. Fish. Serv.,
Page 6

Northeast Fish Sci. Cent., James J. Howard Mar. Sci.

Lab., Highlands, NJ.

Pitt, T.K. 1970. Distribution, abundance, and spawning of

yellowtail flounder, Limanda ferruginea, in the

Newfoundland area of the northwest Atlantic. J. Fish.

Res. Board Can. 27: 2261-2271.

Reid, R., F. Almeida, and C. Zetlin. 1999. Essential fish

habitat source document: Fishery independent

surveys, data sources, and methods. NOAA Tech.

Mem. NMFS-NE-122. 39 p.

Royce, W.F., R.J. Buller, and E.D. Premetz. 1959.

Decline of the yellowtail flounder (Limanda

ferruginea) off New England. Fish. Bull. (U.S.) 59:

169-267.

Scott, D.M. 1954. A comparative study of the yellowtail

flounder from three Atlantic fishing areas. J. Fish.

Res. Board Can. 11(3): 171-197.

Scott, J.S. 1976. Summer distribution of groundfish on the

Scotian Shelf, 1970-74. Fish. Mar. Serv. Can. Tech.

Rep. 635. 51 p.

Scott, J.S. 1982a. Depth, temperature and salinity

preferences of common fishes of the Scotian Shelf. J.

Northwest Atl. Fish. Sci. 3: 29-39.

Scott, J.S. 1982b. Selection of bottom type by

groundfishes of the Scotian Shelf. Can. J. Fish.

Aquat. Sci. 39: 943-947.

Sissenwine, M.P. 1974. Variability in recruitment and

equilibrium catch of the southern New England

yellowtail flounder fishery. J. Cons. Int. Explor. Mer

36 (1): 15-26.

Smith, W.G., J.D. Sibunka, and A. Wells. 1975. Seasonal

distributions of larval flatfishes (Pleuronectiformes)

on the continental shelf between Cape Cod,

Massachusetts, and Cape Lookout, North Carolina,

1965-66. NOAA Tech. Rep. NMFS SSRF-691. 68 p.

Walsh, S.J. 1992. Factors influencing distribution of

juvenile yellowtail flounder (Limanda ferruginea) on

the Grand Bank of Newfoundland. Neth. J. Sea Res.

29: 193-203.

Wigley, S.E. and W.L. Gabriel. 1991. Distribution of

sexually immature components of 10 northwest

Atlantic groundfish species based on Northeast

Fisheries Center bottom trawl surveys, 1968-86.

NOAA Tech. Mem. NMFS-F/NEC-80. 17 p.

Yevseyenko, S.A. and M.M. Nevinskiy. 1981. On the

development of the eggs and larvae of the yellowtailed dab Limanda ferruginea Storer and their

passive transport in the northwestern Atlantic. J.

Ichthyol. 21: 65-74.
Page 7

Table 1. The length (L) and age (A) at which 50% of the female yellowtail flounder, Limanda ferruginea, in the

northwest Atlantic Ocean are mature.

Area L50 A50 Source

(cm) (yrs)

Nova Scotia 40 - Scott (1954)

Cape Cod 32 2.0 Royce et al. (1959)

East of 72° 27 - Morse and Morris (1981)

West of 72° 25 - Morse and Morris (1981)

Scotian Shelf (1970-1974) 24 3.1 Beacham (1983)

Scotian Shelf (1975-1979) 29 2.9 Beacham (1983)

Georges Bank 25.8 1.8 O’Brien et al. (1993)

Cape Cod 27.3 2.6 O’Brien et al. (1993)

Southern New England 25.5 1.6 O’Brien et al. (1993)
Page 8

Table 2. Summary of life history and habitat parameters for yellowtail flounder, Limanda ferruginea. (NTS = NEFSC

Trawl Survey; MITS = Massachusetts Inshore Trawl Survey).

Life Stage Size Range Time of Year

Distribution

Habitat/Location Substrate Temperature

Spawning

Adults

see Table 1 mid-March to

September, peaks in

April to June in

southern New England,

late June to July in

Canada. 1

Along continental shelf waters of

Georges Bank, northwest of Cape

Cod, southern New England and

nearshore along NJ and southern

Long Island.

Estimated range 2.0-

17°C

Eggs 0.76-1.01 mm

(avg. 0.88 mm)

mid-March to July,

peaks in April to June

in southern New

England, late June to

July in Canada.

Pelagic, near surface, along

continental shelf waters of Georges

Bank, northwest of Cape Cod,

southern New England and

nearshore along NJ and southern

Long Island.

range 2.0-15°C

Larvae up to 16 mm March through April

(< 7.0mm NL) in NY

Bight. Peak during

May-July in southern

New England and

southeastern Georges

Bank.

Pelagic, movement limited to water

current

range 5.0-17°C

Juveniles 17 mm to < 26

cm

January to December Spring:

In Gulf of Maine concentrations

occur between Mass. Bay, Cape

Cod, and along the outer perimeter

of Cape Cod. Southern edge of

Georges Bank. 2

Autumn:

In Gulf of Maine concentrations

occur between Mass. Bay, Cape

Cod, and along the outer perimeter

of Cape Cod. Northern shift

towards Great South Channel, in

deeper waters along the Southern

Flank of Georges Bank. 2

sand or sand

and mud

sand or sand

and mud

NTS 2.0-13°C (most 3.0-

10°C)

MITS 2.0-16°C (most

4.0-7°C)

NTS 5.0-18°C (most 7.0-

15°C)

MITS 5.0-17°C (most

8.0-11°C)

Adults ≥ 26 to 60 cm January to December Overall distributions include the

Strait of Belle Isle down to the

Chesapeake Bay. High

concentrations around Cape Cod for

both spring and autumn seasons.

Concentrations pull away from

coastal southern New England,

Long Island, and the NY Bight

during autumn months.

sand or sand

and mud

For NTS same as

Juvenile above;

MITS spring: > 2-17°C

(most 5-8°C),

autumn: > 5-17°C (most

8-12°C)

1

 Martin and Drewry (1978);

2

 Wigley and Gabriel (1991)
Page 9

Table 2. cont’d.

Life Stage Salinity Depth (m) Estuarine Use Notes

Spawning

Adults

32.44-33.49 ppt

(southern New

England);

32.75-33.35 ppt

(Georges Bank)

Estimated range 10-1250 m Largely an oceanic

nursery (see Table

3).

Eggs 32.44-33.49 ppt

(southern New

England);

32.75-33.35 ppt

(Georges Bank)

range 10-750 m (most 30-90 m) Largely an oceanic

nursery (see Table

3).

Buoyant pelagic spheres, lack

an oil globule. Shell is smooth,

clear and colorless, yolk is

homogenous.

Larvae 32.44-33.49 ppt

(southern New

England);

32.75-33.35 ppt

(Georges Bank)

Vertical abundance peak 10 m at

night, 20 m in the daytime. 1

Range 10-1250 m (most 10-90 m)

Largely an oceanic

nursery (see Table

3).

Transformation occurs between

11.6-16.0 mm. 2

Juveniles Spring:

32.44-33.49 ppt

(southern New

England);

32.75-33.35 ppt

(Georges Bank)

Autumn:

32.44-33.49 ppt

(southern New

England);

32.75-33.35 ppt

(Georges Bank)

9.0-179 m (mean 47.3 m) 3

MITS 5-60 m (most 30-50 m)

14-287.0 m (mean 63 m) 3

MITS 5-60 m (most 20-40 m)

Largely an oceanic

nursery (see Table

3).

Largely an oceanic

nursery (see Table

3).

Significant juvenile mortality

found in the southern New

England region with

unregulated mesh size. 3

(Trawl Surveys 1968-1986)

Adults 32.44-33.49 ppt

(southern New

England);

32.75-33.35 ppt

(Georges Bank)

9.0-238 m concentrated at 37-73

m.

During spring and summer trawl

surveys found between 15-100 m.

MITS spring: 5.0-75m (most 20-

50 m); autumn: > 5.0-65 m (most

20-40 m)

Largely an oceanic

nursery (see Table

3).

1

 Smith et al. 1975; 2

 Fahay 1983;

3

 Wigley and Gabriel 1991
Page 10

Table 3. Distribution of life history stages of yellowtail flounder in estuaries and rivers of the northwest Atlantic Ocean

(from Jury et al. 1994). *** = Highly Certain; ** = Moderately Certain; * = Reasonable Inference.

Distribution and Relative

Estuaries and Rivers Life Stage Abundance

Mixing Seawater

Months of

Occurrence

Data

Reliability

 Passamaquoddy Bay Adults (A) Rare Jan - Dec **

 Spawning adults (S) Rare April - Aug *

 Juveniles (J) Rare Jan - Dec **

 Larvae (L) Rare April - Aug *

 Eggs (E) Rare April - Aug *

 Englishman / Machias Bay A Rare Jan - Dec **

 S Rare April - Aug *

 J Rare Jan - Dec **

 L Rare April - Aug *

 E Rare April - Aug *

 Narraguagus Bay A Rare Jan - Dec **

 S Rare April - Aug *

 J Rare Jan - Dec **

 L Rare April - Aug *

 E Rare April - Aug *

 Blue Hill Bay A Rare Jan - Dec **

 S Rare April - Aug *

 J Rare Jan - Dec **

 L Rare April - Aug *

 E Rare April - Aug *

 Penobscot Bay A Rare Jan - Dec **

 S Rare April - Aug *

 J Rare Jan - Dec **

 L Rare April - Aug *

 E Rare April - Aug *

 Muscongus Bay A Rare Jan - Dec **

 S Rare April - Aug *

 J Rare Jan - Dec **

 L Rare April - Aug *

 E Rare April - Aug *

 Damariscotta River A Rare Jan - Dec **

 S Rare April - Aug *

 J Rare Jan - Dec **

 L Rare April - Aug *

 E Rare April - Aug *

 Sheepscot River A Common Jan - Dec ***

 S Rare April - Aug ***

 J Common Jan - Dec ***

 L Rare April - Aug ***

 E Rare April - Aug ***

 Kennebec / Androscoggin A Rare Jan - Dec **

 Rivers S Rare April - Aug *

 J Rare Jan - Dec **

 L Rare April - Aug *

 E Rare April - Aug *

 Casco Bay A Common Jan - Dec *

 S Common April - Aug *

 J Common Jan - Dec *

 L Common April - Aug *

 E Common April - Aug *
Page 11

Table 3. cont’d.

Distribution and Relative

Estuaries and Rivers Life Stage Abundance

Mixing Seawater

Months of

Occurrence

Data

Reliability

 Saco Bay A Rare Jan - Dec *

 S Rare April - Aug *

 J Rare Jan - Dec *

 L Rare April - Aug *

 E Rare April - Aug *

 Wells Harbor A Not Present *

 S Not Present *

 J Rare April - Nov **

 L Rare April - Aug *

 E Not Present *

 Great Bay A Not Present **

 S Not Present ***

 J Not Present **

 L Rare April - Sept **

 E Rare April - Sept **

 Merrimack River A Not Present **

 S Not Present **

 J Not Present **

 L Rare Not Present April - Sept *

 E Rare Not Present April - Sept *

 Massachusetts Bay A Abundant Jan - Dec ***

 S Abundant April - Sept *

 J Abundant Jan. - Dec ***

 L Abundant April - Oct *

 E Abundant April - Sept *

 Boston Harbor A Abundant Jan - Dec **

 S Abundant April - Sept *

 J Abundant Jan - Dec **

 L Abundant April - Oct *

 E Abundant April - Sept *

 Cape Cod Bay A Common Jan - Dec **

 S Common April - Sept *

 J Common Jan - Dec **

 L Common April - Oct **

 E Common April - Sept **
Page 12

Figure 1. The yellowtail flounder, Limanda ferruginea (from Goode 1884).
Page 13

Figure 2. Distribution and abundance of Yellowtail flounder from Newfoundland to Cape Hatteras based on research

trawl surveys from the U.S. NOAA/Canada DFO East Coast of North America Strategic Assessment Project (http://

www-orca.nos.noaa.gov/projects/ecnasap/ecnasap_table1.html).
Page 14

Figure 3. Abundance (% occurrence) of the major prey items in the diet of yellowtail flounder collected during NEFSC

bottom trawl surveys from 1973-1980 and 1981-1990. The category “unknown” 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].

Arthropoda 33.9%

Annelida 26.0%

Unknown 18.5% Miscellaneous Materials 9.4%

Mollusca 4.4%

Nemertea 1.8%

Cnidaria 1.6%

Other Prey Groups 4.3%

Annelida 44.9%

Arthropoda 38.6%

Unknown 6.4%

Mollusca 4.5%

Echinodermata 1.7%

Fish 1.3%

Other Prey Groups 2.5%

a) 1973-1980

b) 1981-1990

n = 550

n = 678
Page 15

Figure 4. Abundance of yellowtail flounder eggs relative to water column temperature (to a maximum of 200 m) and

bottom depth from NEFSC MARMAP ichthyoplankton surveys (1977-1987) by month for 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

).

April

0

10

20

30

40

Yellowtail Flounder Eggs

September

Bottom Depth (m), Interval Midpoint

10

30

50

70

90

110

130

150

170

190

210

230

250

270

290

325

375

450

750

1250

1750

>2000

0

10

20

30

6070

May

0

10

20

30

40

June

0

10

20

30

40

50

July

0

10

20

30

40

50

August

0

10

20

30

50

60

70

March

0

10

20

30

40

February

0

10

20

70

80

90

Stations

Egg Catch

April

0

10

20

30

40

May

0

10

20

30

June

Percent

0

10

20

30

July

0

10

40

60

August

0

10

40

Yellowtail Flounder Eggs

September

Water-Column Temperature (0-200m, C)

0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20 22 24 26 28

0

10

20

30

60

80

February

0

10

20

30

Stations

Egg Catch

March

0

10

20

30

40
Page 16

Figure 5. Abundance of yellowtail flounder larvae relative to water column temperature (to a maximum of 200 m) and

bottom depth from NEFSC MARMAP ichthyoplankton surveys (1977-1987) by month for 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

).

April

0

10

20

30

40

Stations

Larva Catch

May

0

10

20

30

June

Percent

0

10

20

30

40

July

0

10

20

30

40

August

0

10

20

50

Yellowtail Flounder Larvae (<=16.0 mm length)

September

0

10

20

30

October

Water-Column Temperature (0-200m, C)

0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20 22 24 26 28

0

10

20

30

40

April

0

20

60

Stations

Larva Catch

Yellowtail Flounder Larvae (<=16.0 mm length)

September

0

20

40

60

May

0

10

20

30

40

June

0

10

20

30

40

July

0

10

20

30

40

50

August

0

10

20

30

40

50

October

Bottom Depth (m), Interval Midpoint

10

30

50

70

90

110

130

150

170

190

210

230

250

270

290

325

375

450

750

1250

1750

>2000

0

10

20

30

40
Page 17

Figure 6. Abundance of juvenile and adult yellowtail flounder relative to bottom water temperature and depth based on

spring (1968-1997) and autumn (1963-1996) NEFSC bottom trawl surveys. 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 25 27 29

0

10

20

30

40

1 3 5 7 9 11 13 15 17 19 21 23 25 27 29

0

5

10

15

20

25

0

10

20

30

40

50

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

0

10

20

30

40

50

0

10

20

30

40

50

1 3 5 7 9 11 13 15 17 19 21 23 25 27 29

0

5

10

15

20

25

1 3 5 7 9 11 13 15 17 19 21 23 25 27 29

0

10

20

30

Juveniles 40 Adults

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)

Yellowtail Flounder

NMFS Bottom Trawl Surveys
Page 18

Figure 7. Abundance of juvenile and adult yellowtail flounder relative to bottom water temperature and depth based on

Massachusetts inshore bottom trawl surveys (spring and autumn 1978-1996) for 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

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

0

10

20

30

0

5

10

15

20

25

0

10

20

30

40

0

5

10

15

20

25

0

5

10

15

20

25

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

0

10

20

30

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

0

5

10

15

20

Juveniles 25 Adults

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)

Yellowtail Flounder

Mass. Inshore Trawl Surveys
Page 19

Figure 8. Distribution and abundance of yellowtail flounder eggs collected during NEFSC MARMAP ichthyoplankton

surveys, February to September, 1977-1987 [see Reid et al. (1999) for details].

76 75 74 73 72 71 70 69 68 67 66 65

35

36

37

38

39

40

41

42

43

44

45

Yellowtail Flounder

Eggs

MARMAP Ichthyoplankton Surveys

61-cm Bongo Net; 0.505-mm mesh

February to September; 1977 to 1987

Number of tows = 7312, with eggs = 1495

Eggs / 10m2

1 to <10

10 to <100

100 to <1000

1000 to 4979

Yellowtail Flounder

Eggs

MARMAP Ichthyoplankton Surveys

61-cm Bongo Net; 0.505-mm mesh

February; 1977 to 1987

Number of tows = 459, with eggs = 4

76 75 74 73 72 71 70 69 68 67 66 65

35

36

37

38

39

40

41

42

43

44

45

None

1 to 7

Eggs / 10m2

76 75 74 73 72 71 70 69 68 67 66 65

35

36

37

38

39

40

41

42

43

44

45

Yellowtail Flounder

Eggs

MARMAP Ichthyoplankton Surveys

61-cm Bongo Net; 0.505-mm mesh

March; 1977 to 1987

Number of tows = 968, with eggs = 216

None

1 to <10

10 to <100

100 to 968

Eggs / 10m2

76 75 74 73 72 71 70 69 68 67 66 65

35

36

37

38

39

40

41

42

43

44

45

Yellowtail Flounder

Eggs

MARMAP Ichthyoplankton Surveys

61-cm Bongo Net; 0.505-mm mesh

April; 1977 to 1987

Number of tows = 1211, with eggs = 501

None

1 to <10

10 to <100

100 to <1000

Eggs / 10m2

1000 to 2337
Page 20

Figure 8. cont’d.

76 75 74 73 72 71 70 69 68 67 66 65

35

36

37

38

39

40

41

42

43

44

45

Yellowtail Flounder

Eggs

MARMAP Ichthyoplankton Surveys

61-cm Bongo Net; 0.505-mm mesh

May; 1977 to 1987

Number of tows = 1357, with eggs = 515

None

1 to <10

10 to <100

100 to <1000

Eggs / 10m2

1000 to 3978

76 75 74 73 72 71 70 69 68 67 66 65

35

36

37

38

39

40

41

42

43

44

45

Yellowtail Flounder

Eggs

MARMAP Ichthyoplankton Surveys

61-cm Bongo Net; 0.505-mm mesh

June; 1977 to 1987

Number of tows = 779, with eggs = 211

None

1 to <10

10 to <100

100 to <1000

Eggs / 10m2

1000 to 4979

76 75 74 73 72 71 70 69 68 67 66 65

35

36

37

38

39

40

41

42

43

44

45

Yellowtail Flounder

Eggs

MARMAP Ichthyoplankton Surveys

61-cm Bongo Net; 0.505-mm mesh

July; 1977 to 1987

Number of tows = 782, with eggs = 32

None

1 to <10

10 to <100

100 to <1000

Eggs / 10m2

1000 to 1222

76 75 74 73 72 71 70 69 68 67 66 65

35

36

37

38

39

40

41

42

43

44

45

Yellowtail Flounder

Eggs

MARMAP Ichthyoplankton Surveys

61-cm Bongo Net; 0.505-mm mesh

August; 1977 to 1987

Number of tows = 1009, with eggs = 12

None

1 to <10

10 to 39

Eggs / 10m2
Page 21

Figure 8. cont’d.

76 75 74 73 72 71 70 69 68 67 66 65

35

36

37

38

39

40

41

42

43

44

45

Yellowtail Flounder

Eggs

MARMAP Ichthyoplankton Surveys

61-cm Bongo Net; 0.505-mm mesh

September; 1977 to 1987

Number of tows = 747, with eggs = 4

None

1 to <10

10 to 11

Eggs / 10m2
Page 22

Figure 9. Distribution and abundance of yellowtail flounder larvae collected during NEFSC MARMAP ichthyoplankton

surveys, April to October, 1977-1987 [see Reid et al. (1999) for details].

76 75 74 73 72 71 70 69 68 67 66 65

35

36

37

38

39

40

41

42

43

44

45

MARMAP Ichthyoplankton Surveys

61-cm Bongo Net; 0.505-mm mesh

April to October; 1977 to 1987

Yellowtail Flounder

Number of Tows = 7653, with larvae = 945

Larvae <17.0 mm

1 to < 10

10 to < 100

100 to < 1000

1000 to 1327

Number of Larvae / 10m2

76 75 74 73 72 71 70 69 68 67 66 65

35

36

37

38

39

40

41

42

43

44

45

April (1977 to 1987)

Number of Tows = 1281, with larvae = 37

Number of Larvae / 10m2

None

1 to < 10

10 to 64

76 75 74 73 72 71 70 69 68 67 66 65

35

36

37

38

39

40

41

42

43

44

45

May (1977 to 1987)

Number of Tows = 1472, with larvae = 369

Number of Larvae / 10m2

None

1 to < 10

10 to < 100

100 to 515

76 75 74 73 72 71 70 69 68 67 66 65

35

36

37

38

39

40

41

42

43

44

45

June (1977 to 1987)

Number of Tows = 893, with larvae = 254

None

1 to < 10

10 to < 100

100 to < 1000

1000 to 1327

Number of Larvae / 10m2
Page 23

Figure 9. cont’d.

76 75 74 73 72 71 70 69 68 67 66 65

35

36

37

38

39

40

41

42

43

44

45

July (1977 to 1987)

Number of Tows = 938, with larvae = 193

Number of Larvae / 10m2

None

1 to < 10

10 to < 100

100 to 772

76 75 74 73 72 71 70 69 68 67 66 65

35

36

37

38

39

40

41

42

43

44

45

August (1977 to 1987)

Number of Tows = 1148, with larvae = 84

Number of Larvae / 10m2

None

1 to < 10

10 to < 100

100 to 296

76 75 74 73 72 71 70 69 68 67 66 65

35

36

37

38

39

40

41

42

43

44

45

September (1977 to 1987)

Number of Tows = 774, with larvae = 5

Number of Larvae / 10m2

None

1 to 6

76 75 74 73 72 71 70 69 68 67 66 65

35

36

37

38

39

40

41

42

43

44

45

October (1977 to 1987)

Number of Tows = 1147, with larvae = 3

Number of Larvae / 10m2

None

1 to 9
Page 24

Figure 10. Distribution and abundance of juvenile and adult yellowtail flounder collected during NEFSC bottom trawl

surveys during all seasons during 1963-1997. Densities are represented by dot size in spring and fall plots, while only

presence and absence are represented in winter and summer plots [see Reid et al. (1999) for details].

Number/Tow

 1 to 10

 10 to 25

 25 to 50

 50 to 100

 100 to 175

NMFS Trawl Surveys

Spring 1968 - 97

Juveniles (<26cm)

Yellowtail Flounder

NMFS Trawl Surveys

Summer 1963 - 95

Juveniles (<26cm)

= Absent

 = Present

Yellowtail Flounder

Number/Tow

 1 to 25

 25 to 50

 50 to 100

 100 to 500

 500 to 601

NMFS Trawl Surveys

Autumn 1963 - 96

Juveniles (<26cm)

Yellowtail Flounder

NMFS Trawl Surveys

Winter 1964 - 97

Juveniles (<26cm)

= Absent

 = Present

Yellowtail Flounder
Page 25

Figure 10. cont’d.

Number/Tow

 1 to 50

 50 to 100

 100 to 200

 200 to 500

 500 to 826

NMFS Trawl Surveys

Spring 1968 - 97

Adults (>=26cm)

Yellowtail Flounder

NMFS Trawl Surveys

Summer 1963 - 95

Adults (>=26cm)

= Absent

 = Present

Yellowtail Flounder

Number/Tow

 1 to 50

 50 to 100

 100 to 500

 500 to 1000

 1000 to 2432

NMFS Trawl Surveys

Autumn 1963 - 96

Adults (>=26cm)

Yellowtail Flounder

NMFS Trawl Surveys

Winter 1964 - 97

Adults (>=26cm)

= Absent

 = Present

Yellowtail Flounder
Page 26

Figure 11. Distribution and abundance of juvenile and adult yellowtail flounder in Massachusetts coastal waters during

spring and autumn Massachusetts trawl surveys, 1978-1996 [see Reid et al. (1999) for details].

Yellowtail Flounder

Mass. Inshore Trawl Survey

 Autumn 1978 - 1996

 Juveniles (<26cm)

Number/Tow

 1 to 10

 10 to 50

 50 to 100

 100 to 200

 200 to 406

Yellowtail Flounder

Mass. Inshore Trawl Survey

 Spring 1978 - 1996

 Juveniles (<26cm)

Number/Tow

 1 to 10

 10 to 50

 50 to 100

 100 to 200

 200 to 514

Yellowtail Flounder

Mass. Inshore Trawl Survey

 Autumn 1978 - 1996

 Adults (>=26cm)

Number/Tow

 1 to 10

 10 to 25

 25 to 50

 50 to 100

 100 to 187

Yellowtail Flounder

Mass. Inshore Trawl Survey

 Spring 1978 - 1996

 Adults (>=26cm)

Number/Tow

 1 to 25

 25 to 100

 100 to 150

 150 to 200

 200 to 282
Page 27

Figure 12. Commercial landings, survey indices, and spawning stock biomass (from the NEFSC bottom trawl surveys)

for yellowtail flounder from Georges Bank, Cape Cod, southern New England, and the Middle Atlantic Bight.

Georges Bank

Year

1960 1965 1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000

Metric tons (mt x 1000)

0

4

8

12

16

20

0

Stratified mean catch/tow (kg)

5

10

15

20

25

Total landings (mt)

Autumn survey index (kg)

Smoothed survey index (kg)

Spawning stock biomass (mt)

Cape Cod

Year

1960 1965 1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000

Landings (mt x 1000)

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

Stratified mean catch/tow (kg)

0

5

10

15

Total landings (mt)

Autumn survey index (kg)
Page 28

Figure 12. cont’d.

Southern New England

Year

1960 1965 1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000

Metric tons (mt x 1000)

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

Stratified mean catch/tow (kg)

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

Total landings (mt)

Spawning stock biomass (mt)

Autumn survey index (kg)

Smoothed survey index (kg)

Middle Atlantic

Year

1960 1965 1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000

Landings (mt x 1000)

0

2

4

6

8

10

Stratified mean catch/tow (kg)

0

5

10

15

20

25

Total landings (mt)

Autumn survey index (kg)

Smoothed survey index (kg)
Page 29

Figure 13. Distribution and abundance of juvenile and adult yellowtail flounder during a period of high abundance

(1963-1967) and during a period of low abundance (1984-1988), from autumn NEFSC bottom trawl surveys.

Number/Tow

 1 to 10

 10 to 50

 50 to 100

 100 to 200

 200 to 601

NMFS Trawl Surveys

Autumn 1963 - 67

Juveniles (<26cm)

High Abundance

Yellowtail Flounder

Number/Tow

 1 to 10

 10 to 50

 50 to 100

 100 to 200

 200 to 601

NMFS Trawl Surveys

Autumn 1984 - 88

Juveniles (<26cm)

Low Abundance

Yellowtail Flounder

Number/Tow

 1 to 25

 25 to 100

 100 to 200

 200 to 500

 500 to 1212

NMFS Trawl Surveys

Autumn 1963 - 67

Adults (>=26cm)

High Abundance

Yellowtail Flounder

Number/Tow

 1 to 25

 25 to 100

 100 to 200

 200 to 500

 500 to 1212

NMFS Trawl Surveys

Autumn 1984 - 88

Adults (>=26cm)

Low Abundance

Yellowtail Flounder

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.

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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

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

STANDARD

 MAIL A