Page 14

Table 9. Size composition of the landings and discards of primary species caught in the 1988 Experimental Whiting Fishery

Landings Discards
Min! Max Mean n Min Max Mean a
Whiting (silver hake) 79 31.9 11.5 2,993 7A 18.5 112 183
Atlantic cod “15.7 35.4 22.4 25 10.2 21.3 146 73
Haddock 19.3 34.3 24.8 3 83 17.7 12.1 a7
Pollock 32.3 32.3 32.3 1 5.1 31.5 16.9 19
White hake 114 15.4 12.9 4 8.7 22.4 15.2 398
Redfish 2 43 11.4 719 85
Winter flounder 18.1 18.5 18.3 2 :
Witch flounder 2 5.9 15.0 10.1 39
Yellowtail flounder 2 9.8 13.4 us 8
American plaice 2 3.5 18.9 9.2 755
Red hake 10.2 20.5 14.7 81 TA 21.7 12.7 1,587
Skates, unclassified 2 10.2 35.4 19.5 15
Squid, unclassified 2 2.4 16.5 7A 396
Spiny dogfish 2 15.7 24.8 20.1 86
2

Atlantic herring 75 12.2 10.6 767

* Given in inches.
? No samples of landed individuals collected.

The following vessel captains (listed in order of the number of trips made in the fishery) provided the raw data from the
fishery through completion of tow-by-tow logbooks:

Capt. Joseph Litchfield F/V American Eagle

Capt. Bruce Harvey F/V Lightning Bay

Capt. James Parisi F/V Gloucesterman

* Capt. Craig Huntley F/V Catherine Louise

Capt. Ray Livernois F/V Vic-Ter-Rae ~

Capt. Paul Harvey F/V Ingtoffer II

Capt. Bill Dykstra F/V Katrina Lee

Capt. Donald Fox F/V Thunder Bay

Capt. Carlo Moseri F/V Morning Star

Capt. Lou Dimon FVJ.BJ.

Capt. Joel Hovanesian F/V Excalibur

Capt. Antonio San Fillippo F/V St George

Capt. Greg Huba F/V Green Arrow

Capt. Inignazio San Fillippo F/V Lady Francesca

Capt. Harold Loftus, Jr. F/V Min Terse

Capt. James Homstead F/V Kit Kat

Capt. Bob Conley F/V Alliance
REFERENCES CITED

Almeida, F.P. 1987. Stock definition of silver hake in the New England - Middle Atlantic area. N. Amer. J. Fish. Manage.
7:169-186.

Almeida, F.P., S. Chang, and T.S. Burns. 1989. Summer distribution of regulated species on Georges Bank with reference
to the 1988 experimental whiting fishery. NOAA Tech. Mem. NMFS-F/NEC-70.

Wigley, S.E. 1987. Data preparation and report summary guide for prorating commercial interviewed landings in 82-
format. NMFS, NEFC, Woods Hole Laboratory. Unpublished report available from) National Marine Fisheries Service,
Woods Hole Laboratory, Woods Hole, MA 02543.


Page 8

Table 6. Percentages of landings, discards, and total catch, the
amount of effort expended, and whiting landings per hour by
mesh size in the 1988 Experimental Whiting Fishery

Mesh Effort
(in) Landings Discards Total (ar) Percent
All Species
1-3/8 49 3.0 45 53.2 3.2
2 68 25 61 167.1 10.0
2-1/4 128 93 12.1 493.6 29.6
2-3/8 71 5.0 67 73.5 44
2-1/2 6.8 13.7 81 110.8 6.6
2-3/4 29 21 2.8 23.3 14
3 51.0 52.7 513 615.2 36.9
3-1/8 6.9 27 14 109.7 6.6
4 0.6 05 0.6 4.0 0.2
4-1/2 0.2 1.4 0.4 18.4 11
Total 1,668.8
Whiting Only Landings/hour
1-38 5.0 : 5.0 4,664.5
2 7.0 11 6.9 2,680.6
2-1/4 12.5 18.5 12.6 1,266.4
2-3/8 73 - 73 4,919.7
2-1/2 6.9 148 7A 3,049.0
2-3/4 3.0 27 3.0 6,158.7
3 50.3 57.4 50.4 4,021.7
3-1/8 TA 48 7.0 3,265.5
4 0.6 01 0.6 73171
4-1/2 0.2 0.6 0.2 1,272.1
Mean 3,861.5
Regulated Species
1-3/8 21 84 49
2 6.4 5.9 6.2
2-1/4 50.6 178 35.9
2-3/8 <0.1 <O.1 <0.1
2-1/2 28 19.1 10.1
2-3/4 0.3 0.3 0.3
3 34.1 45.0 39.0
3-1/8 11 3.0 19
4 09 01 0.5
4-1/2 18 0.2 11

vessel, aggregated by port, and then over all ports and
vessels. Only the results of the overall analysis (and
percentages from the port-by-port analysis) are presented
because the weighout data are confidential. Comparisons
were not possible for all trips in the fishery since several
vessels from Gloucester landed their catches in boxed form
and had the catch transported to the Fulton Fish Market in
New York. Weighouts from these trips were compiled by
counting the number of boxes landed and multiplying by
125 (assumed weight of each box). Data from Gloucester
for other species in the catch were not recorded. Two

vessels (the Morning Star and Lady Francesca) processed
all of their landings in this manner, while the Gloucester-
man trucked seven of its 11 trips. Data from these trips
were eliminated from this portion of the analysis.

Results indicated that overall compliance was good in
that the total landings from the logbook system were only
0.2 percent less than the weighout data (Table 11). Whiting
landings were very close with only a 0.1 percent difference.
However, landings of regulated species recorded by the
logbooks were 36.5 percent lower than reported through *
the weighout system. This may have been due to the small
amount of regulated species caught during the fishery.
While there were often large discrepancies in the percent-
age differences between the two systems, they were proba-
bly the result of small errors (possibly individual fish)
summed over the 4-mo period of the fishery. Discrepancies
in white hake and Atlantic cod landings made up the largest
portion of the total with 11,027 Ib of white hake and 4,452
Ib of cod sold but not recorded in logbooks. Several species
had higher percentages of landings unrecorded in the
logbooks, but the total weight of those landings were
insignificant (e.g., witch and windowpane flounder). All
ports with the exception of Gloucester had far higher
discrepancies between landings of regulated species than
with all species combined since whiting catches were so
much larger than other species and masked other differ-
ences (Gloucester had very high differences both with and
without whiting included in the analysis) (Figure 9). Point
Judith was the only port in which any logbook landings
were higher than those in the weighout system. This was
probably due to dockside discarding after logbooks were
completed.

DISCUSSION

Were the objectives of the 1988 Experimental Whiting
Fishery met? Clearly, yes. The results of the analysis of
catch data from the experiment indicated that a small-mesh
fishery for whiting, in a well defined time and location,
could be prosecuted in the large-mesh area on Georges
Bank with minimal effects on the regulated species in the
area at current abundance levels. Indeed, the overall by-
catch rate of regulated species was only 1.1 percent with a
discard rate of 0.5 percent. While it can be argued that the
Teason for such low by-catch and discard rates was the
result of the depleted stock abundance of most regulated
species, the analysis of research vessel survey data and a
review of past sea-sampling trips indicate that the area
where the whiting fishery was conducted has generally
been one of low abundance of these species during the
summer months. A comparison of the 1988 Experimental
Fishery with the small (four-trip) fishery conducted in 1987
(1988 NERO intemal report by P. Gerrior) produced simi-
lar results with the exception of the proportion of whiting in
the total catch. In the 1988 experiment, other species,


Page v

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

An experimental fishery for whiting (silver hake) was conducted in cooperation with the New England commercial
whiting industry on Georges Bank during July - November1988. During the fishery, 17 vessels from four ports made 119
trips totaling 1,014 tows and 1,668.8 hours fished. Ten of the trips in the fishery were monitored through the use of
technicians placed aboard the vessels to collect scientific information.

The fishery was conducted primarily on the northwestern edge of Georges Bank in waters averaging 52 fathoms. Based
on catch-per-unit-effort statistics and discard rates, the major portion of the fishery began in the third week of July and
continued until about the third to fourth week in September.

Over 5 million Ib [2,270 metric tons (mt)] of whiting were caught during the fishery, of which 4.9 million Ib (2,237
mt) were landed. The total catch of regulated species was about 68,000 Ib (31 mt), primarily white hake and Atlantic cod,
of which 37,000 Ib (17 mt) were landed, while about 1.2 million Ib of other species were caught with only 136,000 Ib landed.

Whiting accounted for 80.2 percent of the total catch; however, whiting made up 96.6 percent of the total landings.
The overall discard rate was 18.2 percent. The primary species discarded were red hake, skates, northern shortfin squid,
Atlantic herring, and spiny dogfish. Only 1.1 percent of the total catch was composed of regulated species, and only 0.7
percent of the total landings were of regulated species. Length-frequency analysis indicated that the whiting catch was
primarily made up of individuals averaging about 11.4 inches, age 3 fish from the strong 1985 year class. Examination
of historical catch data from the commercial fishery and research vessels indicate that the area where the experimental
fishery-was conducted was an area where few regulated species had been caught in the past.

A comparison of landings data from mandatory tow-by-tow logbooks and data from the Northeast Fisheries Center
(NEFC) weighout system indicated that while whiting landings from the weighout system corresponded quite well with
totals recorded in the logbooks, the landings of regulated species recorded in the logbooks were 36.5 percent less than those
in the weighouts. However, while the percentage differences appear quite high, absolute differences in weight were
generally low.


Table 10. Comparison (percent of total) of sea-sampled versus
non-sea-sampled catches in the 1988 Experimental Whiting

Fishery
Catch Landings
Species Sampl. Unsampl. Sampl. Unsampl.
Whiting 84.72 79.85 96.37 96.61
(silver hake)
Atlantic cod 16 44 13 20
Haddock 10 04 01 OL
Pollock 05 02 04 02
White hake 148 32 77 30
Redfish 01 o1 01 01
Winter flounder 02 03 02 04
Witch flounder 01 01 01 01
Yellowtail 05 02 05 02
flounder
American 16 12 AL 10
plaice
Windowpane 01 00 01 00
flounder
Red hake 4.38 787 1.97 1.63
Dogfish/skates 7.28 3.67 10 04
Other 1.58 7.59 43 1.03
Number of tows 92 922
% of total landed = 85.60 81.54
% of total discarded 14.40 18.46
Regulated species
% of total catch 2.04 1.00
% of total landings = 1.15 69

Page 15

Table 11. Comparison of landings (1b) statistics obtained from
tow-by-tow logbooks with landings reported from the NEFC
weighout system and percent difference (logbooks vs. weighouts)
in the 1988 Experimental Whiting Fishery

Percent
Weighouts Logbooks' _Difference
Whiting 4,137,084 4,142,700 01
Red hake 89,277 84,316 5.6
Hake, unclassified 1,090 25,380 2,228.4
White hake? 28,474 17,447 -38.7
Atlantic cod? 14,237 9,785 313
American plaice? 8,089 5,226 335.4
Monkfish (goosefish) 7,819 4,878 376
Blueback herring . 4,000
Butterfish 8,688 3,253 62.6
Bluefish 5,381 3,253 39.5
Atlantic mackerel 3,790 3,196 15.7
Skates, unclassified 6,705 2,070 69.1
Winter flounder? 1,680 1,766 5.1
Yellowtail flounder? 2,500 1,391 44.4
Pollock? 1,240 947 -23.6
Longfin squid 452 801 712
Porbeagle shark 405 770 90.1
Cusk 1,403 680 “515
Sharks, unclassified 664 540 18.7
Herring, unclassified : 500
Flounder, unclassified 40 365 812.5
Witch flounder? 1,208 308 “745
Haddock? 250 152 39.2
Atlantic halibut 2 113 5,550.0
Northern shortfin squid . 65
Shortfin mako shark 66 60 91
Longhorn sculpin. : 50
Redfish? 234 48 -79.5
» Atlantic herring - 40
Squid, unclassified . 37
Atlantic wolffish 155 33 78.7
Sea scallops - uu
Weakfish - 10
Spiny dogfish - 5
American lobster : 3
Windowpane flounder? 515 2 -99.6
Other fish 190 12 93.7
TOTAL 4,321,638 = 4,314,213 0.2
TOTAL(non-whiting) 184,554 171,513 T1
TOTAL (reg. species) 58,427 37,072 -36.5

‘Sums do not equal those from Table 3 since weighouts were not

available from every trip (see text).
‘Indicates regulated species.


Length (in)
ition of the Atlantic cod landi

20

Page 12

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: Zo 8
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Figure 7. Si
discard.


Page 4

Table 2. Summary statistics for the 1988 Experimental Whiting Fishery

Pt, Judith Gloucester Portland Newport Total

Number of Trips 59 36 16 8 119
Number of Vessels 10 4 2 1 17
Number of Tows 616 188 132 78 1,014
Sea-sampled Trips 3 4 3 - 10
Tows/trip 10.4 5.2 8.3 98 85
‘Ave. Tow Time (hr) 13 17 3.4 14 1.6
Ave. Depth (fathoms) 48.3 42.9 918 38.3 52.2
Total Effort (hr) 789.7 317.1 452.3 109.7 1,668.8
Total Catch (1b) 3,889,443 1,271,471 615,876 460,671 6,237,461
Whiting 2,990,915 1,106,045 555,986 351,600 5,004,546
Regulated Species 34,854 4,564 26,972 1,316 67,706

Others 863,674 160,862 32,918 107,755 1,165,209

Total Landings (1b) 3,076,935 1,106,005 571,669 350,640 5,105,249
Whiting 2,934,955 1,102,025 546,645 348,100 4,931,725
Regulated Species 14,921 1,655 20,316 395 37,287

Others 127,059 2,325 4,708 2,145 136,237

Total Discards 812,508 165,466 44,207 110,031 1,132,212
Percent Discards 20.9 13.0 7.2 23.9 18.2

using these two mesh sizes produced 63 percent of the total
catch for all species combined, 63 percent of the whiting
catch, and 75 percent of the regulated species catch. These
percentages were also consistent in the landings and dis-
card statistics (Table 6). There was little evidence that the
smaller meshes used in the fishery contributed to higher
discard rates than the larger sizes, For all species com-
bined, an average of 79 percent of the catch was landed over
all mesh sizes, with 21 percent discarded; for whiting only,
99 percent of the catch was landed (Table 7). For regulated
species, an average (over all mesh sizes) of 58 percent of
the catch was landed. Only 15 percent of the catch garnered
by 2-1/2 inch mesh was landed, but 100 percent of the catch
by 3 inch was landed. However, since the actual weight of
the regulated species catch was so low, it is difficult to
interpret these data since no consistent trend was seen.
Indeed, vessels using 2-1/4 inch mesh nets landed 76
percent of their total regulated species catch, but this was
primarily large white hake, while 3-inch mesh discarded 52
percent of its regulated species catch, primarily small cod.
Analysis of whiting landings per hour fished by mesh
size indicated that most of the gear used fished with the
same efficiency with the exception of the 2-1/4 inch mesh
(substantially below the mean), 4-1/2 inch mesh Scottish
seine, fished for only 18 hr (substantially below the mean),
and 4 inch, actually a 5-1/2 inch net with 4-inch liner fished
for only 4 hr, (substantially above the mean) (Table 6).

LOCATION OF WHITING WINDOW

During the first two weeks of the fishery, six trips were

made with very little success, except for a single trip that
located a concentration of whiting in Powell Canyon south
of Georges Bank. Catches on Georges Bank were light,
averaging only about 24,000 Ib per trip. These catches
were scattered on the northwestern edge, but included
several single tows on the southem part of the bank. By the
third week of the fishery, while catches still averaged only
30,000 Ib per trip, trips were more concentrated on the
northwestern edge of the bank with only a single trip fishing
the southern edge. By the fourth week of the fishery, the
last week of July, all vessels had concentrated their effort
along the northwestern edge of the bank, with vessels from
Pt. Judith and Gloucester fishing in the shallower waters of
the bank proper, and vessels from Portland consistently
fishing waters slightly deeper and to the north. During
August and to a great extent during the rest of the fishery,
all vessels concentrated their effort in generally the same
area as defined in the last weeks of July, although during
September, two trips were made in the area north of the
Great South Channel (Figure 2). The window defined by
the Experimental Fishery is an area of consistently high
concentrations of whiting that has been identified by analy-
ses of historical catches from both commercial fishery and
bottom trawl survey data (Figure 3).

SEASONALITY

To define the seasonality of the fishery, we calculated
its beginning and duration, weekly whiting CPUE (daily
during July), and weekly total species discard rates. During
the first 13 days of July, discard rates were quite high,


INTRODUCTION

Between July 1 and November 4, 1988, an experimen-
tal fishery for whiting (silver hake, Merluccius bilinearis
Mitchill) was conducted on Georges Bank by vessels from
the ports of Pt. Judith, Rhode Island; Newport, Rhode
Island; Portland, Maine; and Gloucester, Massachusetts.
The Experimental Whiting Fishery (hereafter called the
Experimental Fishery) was authorized as a research ex-
emption under the Northeast Multispecies Fishery Man-
agement Plan (Federal Register 50 CFR Part 651, Section
651.24) and designed with the intention that historical
fisheries, excluded under current regulations, would be
allowed to operate under supervision to determine their
feasibility.

The objectives of the Experimental Fishery were to
determine the feasibility of conducting a small-mesh fish-
ery for whiting in the offshore waters of Georges Bank
where large-mesh (i.e., 5-1/2 inch) trawl gear is currently
required of all vessels. Further objectives were to deter-
mine the fishery’s location and spatial extent, seasonality,
and impact on species regulated by the Northeast Multispe-
cies Fishery Management Plan (hereafter called regulated
species).

Additional objectives of the Experimental Fishery
were to: (1) determine how closely catches from trips with
observers aboard compared to those from which detailed
data were acquired through operator-completed tow-by-
tow logbooks; and (2) compare landings data from log-
books to NEFC weighout system data.

HISTORICAL BACKGROUND

A whiting fishery has historically taken place during
June-October, with largest catches taken during July-Sep-
tember, on the northern and northwestern edges of Georges
Bank [Statistical Areas (SA) 522 and 561] and east of Cape
Cod (SA 521) (Figure 1). Catch data from interviewed trips
in the NEFC database indicate that during July-September,
commercial catch per unit effort (CPUE) (summarized by
10-minute square) frequently exceeded 55,000 Ib/day for
the period 1965-80. NEFC bottom trawl survey data,
summarized from surveys conducted intermittently during
the summer (1963-81), indicate persistent concentrations
of whiting in this area over time. Through examination of
gonads and food habits information, the area has been
identified as a site where intensive post-spawning feeding
aggregations consistently occur (Almeida 1987).

Several sea sampling trips have been conducted in this
fishery since the inception of the Magnuson Fishery Con-
servation and Management Act. In 1978, a single trip was
conducted aboard the F/V Capt’ Scrod on the northwestern
edge of Georges Bank (SA 522) during August, and in
1987, seven trips were made aboard the F/V Gloucester-
man on the northern edge of Georges Bank (SA 561) and
the Nauset area east of Cape Cod (SA 521) during August-

Page 1

Figure 1. Fishery statistical reporting areas in the Georges Bank
region.

September. The results of these studies indicated that it
might be possible to conduct a fishery for whiting with
minimal levels of by-catch of regulated species in very
specific areas and times of the year. During the 1978 sea
sampling trip, whiting accounted for 98 percent of the total
trip landings (1978 NEFC internal report by F. Almeida),
while in 1987, whiting made up 96 percent of the total from
Georges Bank and 75 percent of the total from the Nauset
area [1988 Northeast Regional Office (NERO) internal
report by P. Gerrior]. During these trips, regulated species
by-catch was approximately one percent of the total land-
ings.

METHODS

OPERATIONAL PLAN

The operational plan for the experiment was to con-
duct a small-mesh fishery for whiting in the large-mesh
area during the summer of 1988 with sea samplers aboard
randomly selected vessels to monitor performance. Spe-
cific plans for the Experimental Fishery included the fol-
lowing:

1. Vessels in the Experimental Fishery were required to
fish only for whiting while participating. A whiting
trip, defined a posteriori, was one in which at least 75
percent of the total landings were whiting.

2. No restrictions were placed on the area in which vessels
participating in the Experimental Fishery could tow.

3, There were no restrictions governing the prosecution of
the fishery, ie, when, where and the number of tows
per trip were determined by vessel operators.

4. No limits were placed on the number of vessel permits
or trips, however. Vessels were required to obtain a





Table 8. Catch (Ib) of regulated species by port from the 1988

Experimental Whiting Fishery

Pt, Judith Gloucester
Species Catch Land. Disc. Catch Land. Disc.
Atlantic cod 22,312 7,468 14,844 1,129 1,097 32
Haddock 2,798 117 2,681 1220 31 91
Pollock 208 = =203 5 77 7 .
White hake 500 350 «150 2,669 4 2,665
Redfish 7 - 7 5S - 5
Winter 1,682 1,626 56 103 103 :
flounder
Witch 153 1530 - : : :
flounder
Yellowtail 1,017 982 35 224 224 -
flounder
American. 6,175 4,020 2,155 235 «119 «116
plaice
Windowpane 2 2 - - -
flounder
TOTAL 34,854 14,921 19,933 4,564 1,655 2,909
% of Overall 06 #02 03 01 <O01 <01
Total
Portland Newport
__ Species Catch Land. Disc. Catch Land. Disc.
Atlantic cod 1,325 1,081 244 1,257 349 + =908°
Haddock 17 9 8 1 - 1
Pollock 949 667 = 282 - : -
White hake 22,685 17,093 5,592 - - :
Redfish 169 48 = «121 - - :
Winter 5 5 - 32 32 :
flounder
Witch 183 154 29 1 1 -
flounder
Yellowtail 176 173 3 12 12 :
flounder ~
American 1,452 1,086 366 13 1 12
plaice
Windowpane 11s 11 : -
flounder
TOTAL 26,972 20,316 6,656 1,316 395 921.
% of Overall 04° «0.3 01 <01 <01 <0.1
Total
All Ports
Species Catch Land. a
Atlantic cod 26,023 9,995 16,028
Haddock 2,938 157 2,781
Pollock 1,234 947 287
White hake 25,854 17,447 8,407
Redfish 181 48 133
Winter flounder 1,822 1,766 56
Witch flounder 337 308 29
Yellowtail flounder 1,429 1,391 38
American plaice 7875 5,226 2,649
Windowpane flounder 13 2 u
TOTAL 67,706 37,287 30,419
% of Overall Al 0.6 05

Total

Page 13

12
LANDINGS
=81
34
+
is
©
5
a
44
04
DISCARD
n=1,587
84
-
©
sy
2
o
a
44
o-

6 8 10 #120: «4

Length (in)

16

18 20 «22

Figure 8. Size composition of the red hake landings and discard.

Logbook » Welghout

Portland Gloucester Newport

WE All epectes
EB Att epecies {no Whiting)
BN Regulated species only

Pi, Juatin

Weighout > Logbook

Figure 9. Comparison of Jandings data between tow-by-tow
logbooks and NEFC weighouts for each port (vessels combined)
participating in the 1988 Experimental Whiting Fishery.



Ties such as snapper and scrod were considered ‘small’ and
the larger categories considered ‘large’) (see Appendix
Table 1). The data were then summarized and plotted with
monthly Experimental Fishery area windows overlaid.
Catches from summer bottom trawl surveys conducted
during 1977-81 were subdivided into legal and sub-legal
categories based on length-frequency data. For regulated
species with specified minimum legal sizes, those values
were used as cutoff lengths between categories (e.g., Atlan-
tic cod or haddock sub-legals were defined as individuals
less than 19 inches, legals greater than or equal to 19
inches). Otherwise, catches of species without minimum
legal sizes were subdivided into sub-legals and legals
utilizing approximate biological cutoff lengths between
juveniles and adults. These data were also summarized by
10-minute square (all surveys combined) and plotted with
a window overlying the area in which the Experimental
“Fishery was conducted.

The size composition of the catch and by-catch from
the fishery was determined based on data provided by sea
samplers (10 trips) and from data obtained from six trips in
which 100-lb samples from the last tow of the trip were
collected.

RESULTS

A total of 119 trips were completed by 17 vessels from
Pt. Judith and Newport, Rhode Island; Portland, Maine;
and Gloucester, Massachusetts (Table 1). While the
fishery was scheduled to end on October 1, the duration was

Page 3

extended through November 4 because of favorable market
conditions.

An overall summary of the fishery is provided in Table
2. Catches, landings, and discards by species are listed in
Table 3, catch and effort by week are summarized in Table
4, and a summary of weekly discards (Table 5) is also
given. Catches totaling 6,237,461 Jb [2,829.3 metric tons
(mt)] of which whiting made up 5,004,546 Ib (2,270.0 mt),
approximately 80.2 percent, were taken during 1,668.8 hr
of fishing. Total landings from the fishery were 5,105,249
Ib (2,315.7 mt) of which 4,931,725 Ib (2,237.0 mt), or 96.6
percent, were whiting. The total catch of regulated species
was only 67,706 Ib (30.7 mt) of which 37,287 Ib (16.9 mt)
were landed. Discards totaled 1,132,212 Ib (513.6 mt),
about 18.2 percent of the total catch, made up primarily of
ted hake (390,035 Ib), skates (140,279 Ib), and northern
shortfin squid (127,891 Ib).

MESH SIZE ANALYSIS

Vessels participating in the fishery used otter trawls
almost exclusively; a Scottish seine was used during two
trips. Mesh sizes ranged from 1-3/8 to 4-1/2 inches,
although two mesh sizes, 2-1/4 inch, used primarily by
vessels from Portland, and 3 inch, used by Pt. Judith
vessels, were dominant (Table 1). A total of 615.2 hr of
effort were expended using 3-inch mesh, while 2-1/4 inch
nets accounted for 493.6 hr, about 37 and 30 percent of the
total effort, respectively (Table 6). The dominance of these
mesh sizes was also reflected in the catch statistics. Vessels

Table 1. Vessels participating in the 1988 Experimental Whiting Fishery

Permit Mesh Size Number of Effort

Port Vessel Number (in) Trips (hr)
Gloucester Gloucesterman 330384 28 2-1/4 un 167.1
Morning Star 330372 2-3/8 15 73.5

St George 410244 1-3/8 4 » $3.2

Lady Francesca 320608 2-3/4 6 23.3

Portland American Eagle 330454 2& 2-1/4 14 433.9
Kit Kat 320617 4-1/2! 2 18.4

Newport Ingtoffer IT 410222 3-1/8 8 109.7
Pt. Judith Lightning Bay 410410 3 16 204.9
Catherine Louise 330322 3 10 124.9

Vie-Ter-Rae 410349 3 8 114.2

Katrina Lee 410318 3&4 8 86.7

Thunder Bay 410384 2-1/2 5 80.7

IBS. 330485 _ 2-1/4 3 59.7

Excalibur 330339 3 4 58.4

Green Arrow 330538 2-1/2 3 30.1

Min Terse 410392 3 1 20.1

Alliance 330098 3 1 10.0

* Scottlsh seine.

? Four tows made with 5-1/2 inch mesh net with 4-inch liner.


| tition

ome,
<a. NOAA Technical Memorandum NMFS-F/NEC-69

A }3 This TM series ls used for documentation and timely communication of proliminary resutts,
cA fa interim reports, or special purpose information, and has not received complete formal review,
oP a editorial control, or detailed editing.
a oF

The 1988 Experimental Whiting Fishery:
A NMFS/Industry Cooperative Program

Frank P. Almeida, Thurston S. Burns, and Sukwoo Chang
Woods Hole Lab., National Marine Fisheries Serv., Woods Hole, MA 02543

U. S. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
Robert A. Mosbacher, Secretary
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
John A. Knauss, Administrator
National Marine Fisheries Service
James W. Brennan, Assistant Administrator for Fisheries

Northeast Fisheries Center

Woods Hole, Massachusetts

August 1989

yr parrooueen® BY:

ai Tech etitiece
rent Fecha erma dons


Page 6

Table 4, Weekly statistics from the 1988 Experimental Whiting Fishery

Number of Catch (Ib)
Effort :

Dates Week Vess. Trips Tows (hr) CPUE Whiting Reg. Spp.
TA - 19 1 3 3 29 93.0 1,158.1 107,700 4,414
7/10 - 7/16 2 3 3 32 90.8 388.3 35,256 3,475
TAT - 7/23 3 6 8 53 106.3, 2,532.3 269,290 4,424
7/24 - 7/30 4 8 15 90 ~ 130.7 3,902.5 510,060 8,037
7/31 - 8/6 5 7 10 65 109.3 4,898.0 535,350 5,833
8/7 - 8/13 6 9 12 82 125.6 4,100.7 515,050 3,869 ©
8/14 - 8/20 7 4 6 51 82.7 3,731.6 308,600 1,999
8/21 - 8/27 8 6 12 87 127.8 3,275.0 418,549 5,092
8/28 - 9/3 9 7 10 3s 76.9 5,775.1 444,106 1,483
9/4 - 9/10 10 8 12 88 147.2 2,726.1 401,280 2,742
9/11 - 9/17 1 9 12 98 136.2 2,140.2 291,490 6,704,
9/18 - 9/24 12 9 10 95 137.3 2,694.1 369,905 9,208
9/25 - 10/1 13 4 5 51 89.2 2,626.7 234,300 4,527
10/2 - 10/8 14 4 5 54 82.6 2,569.0 212,200 1,321
10/9 -10/15 15 4 4 32 51.7 1,923.8 99,460 3,370
10/16-10/22 16 3 s 33 52.5 2,821.9 148,150 968
10/23-10/29 17 1 1 8 12.0 4,208.3 50,500 - 50
10/30-11/S 18 1 1 il 17.0 3,135.3 53,300 190
Total 1,014 1,668.8 5,004,546 67,706

made from a total of 33 species. All regulated species with
the exception of windowpane flounder were represented in
the length samples; however, in many cases, very few
individuals were measured. A total of 3,306 individuals of
Janded species were measured, while 5,121 discarded indi-
viduals were measured. A summary of the length-fre-
quency analysis for whiting, all of the regulated species,
and primary by-catch species is provided in Table 9. The
results indicate that the whiting landings were made up
primarily of individuals from the strong 1985 year class
which had an average length of about 11.4 inches; however,
observed lengths ranged from 7.9 to 31.9 inches (Table 9
and Figure 6). The whiting discard was also made up of
individuals of about the same lengths, probably the result of
poor quality fish and not due to size. For Atlantic cod, the
primary regulated by-catch species, the range in lengths of
landed individuals was 15.7 to 35.4 inches with an average
of 22.4 inches. Discarded individuals ranged from 10.2 to
21.3 inches, averaging 14.6 inches (Table 9 and Figure 7).
Red hake, the primary discard species, ranged in length
from 14.7 to 21.7 inches. The average length of landed red
hake was 14.6 inches, while discarded individuals averaged
12.6 inches (Table 9 and Figure 8).

COMPARISON OF SEA-SAMPLED VER-
SUS NON-SEA-SAMPLED CATCH DATA

A comparison of catch statistics from data obtained
through vessel-operator-compiled logbooks of trips that
did not have an NEFC observer aboard (unobserved catch;
91.5 percent of the total trips) and those trips from which

data were collected while an observer was aboard was
carried out to determine the relative quality of the unobser-
ved catch data. The results, presented in Table 10, indicate
that correspondence between the two data sets was gener-
ally good. For example, whiting catch from sea-sampled
trips was approximately 85 percent of the total compared to
about 80.percent from non-sea-sampled trips. Whiting
landings were virtually identical from both data sets (about
96 percent of the total landings). Data for other species
show no significant differences in percentage of catch or
landings except for white hake and red hake. This may
have been due to misidentification of the two species.
From sea-sampled trips, regulated species contributed 2.0
and 1.2 percent of the catch and landings, respectively,
while non-sea-sampled trips reported 1.0 and 0.7 percent of
their catch and landings made up of regulated species. For
the regulated species, with the exception of white hake, no
individual species had catches or landings exceeding 0.5
percent of the total from either data set.

COMPARISON OF LOGBOOK LANDINGS
DATA WITH WEIGHOUT DATA

Landings data reported through the tow-by-tow log-
book system designed for the Experimental Fishery were
compared to data collected through the standard NEFC
weighout system for two purposes: (1) to determine accu-
racy (i.€., at-sea estimation errors), and (2) to verify whether
or not vessel operators were keeping complete records.
Comparisons of the logbook data with weighout data
(landings that were actually sold) were completed for each


averaging 30.5 percent of the total catch, while whiting
CPUE was quite low, approximately 773.2 Ib/hr (but only
455.0 lb/hr with the single large catch south of Georges
Bank excluded from the estimate) (Figure 4). The primary
species making up the discard during this period was spiny
dogfish (Table 5). By day 14 and through the remainder of
the month, whiting catch rates remained high, averaging
3,217.3 lb/hr, with discard rates dropping sharply to 11.1
percent. During August, whiting CPUE averaged 4,363.4
lb/hr, while discard rates remained low, averaging only 9.8
percent of the total catch. By mid-September and continu-
ing through mid-October, CPUE declined to average 2,462.6
lb/hr, while discard rates increased sharply, averaging 33.6
percent (Table 4, Figure 5). During this time, the primary
discard species were red hake, Atlantic herring, and north-
ern shortfin squid.

IMPACT ON REGULATED SPECIES

During the fishery, a total of 67,706 Ib of regulated
species were caught, of which 37,287 Ib were landed (55
percent) (Table 8). Atlantic cod was the most frequently
caught species (26,023 Ib, 11.8 mt) while white hake was
most frequently landed (17,447 Ib, 7.9 mt). These two
species made up approximately 77 and 74 percent of the
total catch and landings of regulated species, respectively.
The overall by-catch rate of regulated species was only 1.1
percent of the total catch, while their landings made up only
0.7 percent of the total. The overall regulated species
discard rate was only 0.5 percent. Vessels from Pt. Judith
recorded the highest catch (34,854 Ib, primarily Atlantic
cod), while vessels from Portland reported the highest
landings (20,316 Ib, primarily white hake).

The likely effects of this fishery on regulated species,
both juveniles and adults, from historical commercial and
research vessel survey catches were evaluated. The analy-
ses indicated that within the confined area in which the
Experimental Fishery was conducted, the effects of a
small-mesh fishery on regulated species appear to be rela-
tively insignificant. The location in which the fishery took
place was not an area from which large commercial land-
ings (i.e., averaging greater than about 100 tons/yr) of any
of the regulated species have been taken in the last 5 yr
(1982-87). Research vessel survey data demonstrated that
the area is one of low abundance for most of the species,
with the important exception of legal and sub-legal cod,
sub-legal haddock, and legal and sub-legal American plaice.
For these species, it is apparent that during the summer
months the northwestern portion of the bank is an important
nursery area. A complete set of plots describing the
distribution of commercial landings and survey catches is
available in Almeida et al. (1989).

SIZE COMPOSITION OF THE CATCH

During the fishery, 8,427 length measurements were

Page 5

Table 3. Summary of catch statistics (Ib) from logbook data for
the 1988 Experimental Whiting Fishery

Species Catch Landings Discards
Whiting 5,004,546 4,931,725 72,821
(silver hake)
Red hake 475,201 85,166 390,035
Skates, unclass. 142,349 2,070 140,279
Northern shortfin 128,016 125 127,891
squid
Atlantic herring 119,341 40 119,301
Hake, unclass. 116,102 25,380 90,772
Spiny dogfish 104,544 5 104,539
Atlantic cod! 26,023 9,995 16,028
White hake! 25,854 17,447 8,407
Longhorn sculpin 21,795 50 21,745
Other groundfish 13,080 - 13,080
Herring, unclass. 10,591 500 10,091
Blueback herring 9,461 4,000 5,461
Longfin squid 8,930 1,188 7,742
American plaice! 7,875 5,226 2,649
Monkfish 5,214 4,878 336
(goosefish)
Atlantic mackerel 4,249 3,374 875
Butterfish 3,482 3,274 208
Bluefish 3,323 3,253 70
Haddock! 2,938 157 2,781
Other fish 2,244 - 2,244
Winter flounder’ — 1,822 1,766 56
Yellowtail flounder! 1,429 1,391 38
Pollock! 1,234 947 287
Cusk 783 680 103
Porbeagle shark 770 770 -
Fourspot flounder 651 - 651
Squid, unclass. 639 37 602
Ocean pout 630 : 630
Sharks, unclass. 620 540 80
Flounder, unclass. 365 365 -
Witch flounder! 337 308 29
Redfish" 181 48 133
Atlantic halibut 113 113 -
Shortfin mako shark 60 60 -
Alewife 55 - 55
Northern searobin 38 - 38
Atlantic wolffish 33 33 -
American lobster 31 3 28
Sea scallops 24 11 13
Other shellfish 20 - 20
Windowpane 13 2 i
flounder!
Cunner 12 12 -
Scallops, unclass. 10 10 -
Summer flounder 1 - 1
Crab, unclass. 4 - 4
Total 6,237,461 5,105,249 1,132,212

T Regulated species.


Page 2

permit for each trip made during the experiment. (Weekly
permits were also issued for vessels making several
short trips during any one week.)

5. All vessels participating in the fishery were required to
complete detailed tow-by-tow logbooks during each
trip.

6. A selected sample of trips were assigned sea samplers.
Trips to include sea samplers were chosen at random.

7. Vessels selected to take a sea sampler were required to

do so. As a requirement to obtaining a permit, each

vessel agreed to provide reasonable accommodations
for a sea sampler and obtain suitable insurance coverage
for the sea sampler while aboard.

Vessels designated to take a sea sampler were required

to notify the appropriate NEFC representative of trip

departure date/time with enough advance notice to
allow sea sampler coverage to be arranged. Selected
vessels were not allowed to depart without a sea sampler

aboard unless notified by a NEFC representative that a

sea sampler was not available.

9. Arandomly selected sample of trips with no sea sampler
aboard were required to provide samples of by-catch
and/or discard species, generally from the last tow of the
trip.

10, Sea samplers aboard a vessel were allowed to designate
one tow during the trip in a specified area in an adjacent
10-minute square.

11. Sea samplers were required to monitor tows made
during different times of day and night.

12. Vessels were permitted to retain legal-sized regulated
species taken in the Experimental Fishery.

By not limiting the number of vessels or the area in
which the fishery operated, market conditions were al-
lowed to determine the appropriate number of trips made in
the fishery. However, with only one sea-sampled trip per
week scheduled, and no inspection of the catches from
other vessels in the fishery, the data and results concerning
the amount and size composition of the regulated species
by-catch were almost entirely dependent on accurate log-
book reporting. Consequently, results may have been com-
promised since vessels could fish outside the area of
whiting concentrations indicated from historical catches
and survey results, and it was possible for vessels to land
regulated species without reporting this catch in logbooks.
It was intended that this possible shortcoming in the design
be partially addressed by the use of random boardings and
inspections at sea, however, only one vessel was boarded
during the Experimental Fishery.

There was generally excellent cooperation in complet-
ing the detailed logbooks required for each vessel/trip.
Many vessel operators not only supplied the required data,
but also provided anecdotal information concerning vessel
operations and observations about the fishery.

DATA PROCESSING AND ANALYSIS

bd

Information from each trip during the Experimental

Fishery was monitored at the NEFC’s Woods Hole Labora-
tory to determine whether: (1) areal coverage of the experi-
ment was adequate to define a suitable area for a small-
mesh fishery, and (2) logbook information was consistent
with data obtained from sea samplers and weighout data.

Tow-by-tow logbooks from each trip were forwarded
to Woods Hole for data entry and audit. A microcomputer-
based data entry system was designed and implemented
which allowed for very rapid entry and preliminary analy-
sis of the data. Summaries of each trip were produced and
examined, and at the end of each month, each vessel’s
summaries were forwarded to its operator.

Analysis of the data included the determination of: (1)
the area in which the fishery took place, (2) the seasonality
of the fishery, (3) the impact of the fishery on regulated
species, (4) species composition of the by-catch, (5) catch
composition by mesh size, and (6) size composition of the
landings and discards.

Determination of the location of the small-mesh fish-
ery in the large-mesh zone was completed through a spatial
analysis of the logbook data and a comparison of this data
with historical trends in the fishery. Each tow was plotted
as soon as logbook data were available, and the monthly
whiting catch was summarized by 10-minute square and
plotted to define the area where the Experimental Fishery
was being conducted.

The seasonality of the fishery was defined through an
analysis of daily and weekly CPUE indices and weekly
discard rates. Catch per unit effort was defined as whiting
caught (in pounds) per hour fished. Discard rates (the
proportion of the total catch discarded at sea) were calcu-
lated for regulated species and for all species combined.

‘We evaluated the likely past and present impact of this
small-mesh fishery on regulated species in terms of the
quantity and size composition of the regulated species by-
catch based on an analysis of historical catch statistics
during July-September from the Georges Bank area.
Commercial landings data for each regulated species for
1982-87 were used to represent current conditions in the
Georges Bank fishery. NEFC research vessel bottom trawl
data from summer surveys during 1977-81 represented a
period of higher overall abundance of regulated species on
the bank. Survey data were used for the earlier period since _
comprehensive detailed landings data do not exist for many
species prior to 1982.

Landings data were collected from the commercial
fishery through the standard NEFC weighout system.
Landings from all vessel classes and mesh sizes combined,
originally reported by quarter-degree square (30! latitude
by 30' longitude square), were allocated to 10-minute
squares (10' latitude by 10' longitude) based on detailed
catch information obtained from vessels interviewed by
NEFC port agents at dockside [after Wigley (1987)].

To examine the effects of the Experimental Fishery on
separate size categories of the regulated species, we subdi-
vided monthly landings into ‘large’ and ‘small’ using
market categories (i.e., landings from the smallest catego-


Page 16

Appendix Table 1. Market categories and minimum legal lengths used to define age categories in distribution plots

Commercial Catch Minimum Legal
Size from
Large - Small Survey

Atlantic cod Whale Scrod 19 in (49 cm)!
Large Snapper
Market
Steaker (dressed)
Unclassified

Haddock Large Scrod 19 in (49 cm)!
Unclassified Snapper

Pollock. Large (round/drawn) Small(round) 19 in (49 cm)!
Steaker
Unclassified
(round/drawn)

Silver hake Large (round) Smali(round) 7 in (18 cm)
King (round)
Unclassified
(round/dressed)

White hake Large (round/dressed) Small (round/dressed) — 15 in (38 cm)
. - Medium (round/dressed) -
Unclassified

Redfish Large Small 8 in (20 cm)
Unclassified

Winter flounder Medium Peewee 11 in (27 cm)!
Large Small
Large/mix
Lemonsole
XLarge
Unclassified

Witch flounder Medium Peewee 14 in (36 cm)!
Large Small
Jumbo
Unclassified

Yellowtail flounder Large Small 12 in (31 cm)!
Unclassified

American plaice Medium Peewee 12 in (31 cm)!
Large ~ Small
Jumbo
Unclassified

Windowpane flounder —_ Unclassified 11 in (27 cm)

Atlantic herring Unclassified 9 in (23 cm)

‘Minimum legal sizes (Maltispecies FMP, 50 CFR Part 651, Section 651.23).

BT Us 5. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE? 1990--700-031--0000%


Page iv

List of Figures —

1. Fishery’ statistical reporting areas in the Georges Bank region ..

2. Location of monthly catches of whiting from the Experimental Fishery
summarized by 10-minute square

3. Distribution of whiting from the commercial fishery and research vessel
bottom trawl surveys .....

4. Daily CPUE of whiting during July (first 30 days of fishery)....... 12

5. Weekly whiting CPUE and discard rates (all species combined) ..... 12

6. Size composition of the whiting landings and discard

12

7. Size composition of the Atlantic cod landings and discard...

8, Size composition of the red hake landings and discard .. :

9. Comparison of landings data between tow-by-tow logbooks and NEFC
weighouts for each port (vessels combined) participating in the Experimental Fishery



Page 9

Table 7. Catch statistics (Ib) for mesh sizes used in the 1988 Catch Landings
Experimental Whiting Fishery and the percentages of landed __
versus discarded catch Species 1987 1988 1987 1988
Mesh Percent Whiting 95.6% 80.2% 98.6% 96.6%
(in) Landings Discards Total Landed Discarded Regulated Species = 4.8 A. ABO
All Species
The area of the “clean” fishery was confined to the
1-38 249,192 33,940 283,132 88.0 12.0. northwestern edge of the bank, with an optimal window
2 349,569 28,095 377,664 92.6 14 being the area defined by the fishery during August (see
2-1/4 651,532 105,590 757,122 86.1 = 13.9 Figure 2). In this area, consistently high catch rates were
2-3/8 362,319 57,071 419,390 86.4 13.6 attained with relatively low by-catch levels.
2-1/2 346,713 155,587 502,300 69.0 31.0 The optimal period for the fishery to take place as
2-3/4 149,375 24,201 173,576 86.1 13.9 defined in the experiment was from about the third week of
41, B 20050 sense oreo. at ie July through September. During this 10-wk period, whit-
4 31,427 5,682 37109 847 153 ing CPUE averaged 3,581 lb/hr, while the discard rate for
42 1, 432 1 5,829 27.261 419 581 all species was about 14.5 percent and the rate for regulated
species was only 0.4 percent. Prior to the third week in July,
Total 5,105,249 1,132,212 6,237,461 818 18.2 catches of. whiting were sporadic and very low with high
levels of discard, primarily spiny dogfish and red hake.
Whiting Only During the last several weeks of the fishery, while whiting
CPUE remained fairly constant, discard rates soared to an
1-3/8 248,150 - 248,150 100.0 - average of 30 percent (primarily Atlantic herring, squids,
2 345,800 805 346,605 998 = 0.2 skates, and red hake). The timing of the fishery could
2-1/4 617,350 13,465 630,815 97.9 2.1 possibly be adjusted to account for temperature irregulari-
me en 10. 1 65 apes we 3 6 ties causing shifts in the timing of whiting spawning,
2.3/4 148,425 23000150425 987 13 «however. ,
3 2,479,800 41,765. 2,521,565 983 17 The mandatory logbook system was relatively suc
3-18 348,100 3,500 351,600 99.0 1.0 cessful in collecting detailed tow-by-tow data. A compari-
4 30,000 100 30,100 99.7 03 son of catch and landings data from sea-sampled and non-
4-1/2 9,795 421 10,216 95.9 41 sea-sampled trips indicated that there was good correspon-
dence between the two data sets. However, the analysis of
Total 4,931,725 72,821 5,004,546 98.5 15 landings data from logbooks compared with NEFC weigh-
out data indicated that while overall correspondence was
Regulated Species very good, regulated species landings were 36.5 percent
lower in the logbooks than reported in the weighout data
138 784 2,560 3344 234 766 base. This may have been due to the low level of catches
aan twa An ots 568 pes of regulated species. While there were some large discrep-
238 “15 " "15. 100.0 : ancies in the percentage differences between the two col-
2172 1,049 5,825 6874 153 847 lection systems, they were probably due to small errors
2-3/4 100 85 185 541 459 summed over the 4-mo period of the fishery. Further
3 12,715 13,691 26,406 482 518 analyses of data currently available and possibly collected
3-18 395 921 1,316 300 70.0 from future fisheries using mandatory logbooks will be
4 327 44 371 881 119 required to determine sources of error of landings estimated
4-1/2 661 61 722 916 8.4 at sea.
Total 37,287 30,419 67,706 55.1 44.9

' §.1/2 inch mesh net with 4-inch liner.
* Scottish seine.

primarily red hake, made up a much higher percentage of
the catch than in 1987 while the percentage of regulated
species catches and landings were comparable in both
years. A summary of the two fisheries follows:

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

The authors would like to‘express their gratitude to the
following individuals for their collective effort in the 1988
whiting experiment. Without diligent data collection and
monitoring in each of the major New England ports, this
experiment would not have been possible. Fishery Report-
ing Specialists April Valliere and Susan Murphy (Pt. Ju-
dith, Rhode Island), Lori Lathan (Newport, Rhode Island),
Greg Power and Bill Trusewich (Portland, Maine), and


Page 11

~~
gaa
oo ee
Road
Pe ‘ 8
Ms
yan co
Tr
a
68
Tone/Yeor
O si: 2
Silver Hake B 2.1 - 100
July 1982-1987 Landings. a > 100
~~
Ces a
Tons/Year
a t- Ss
Siver Hoke Balle
> 100
——
Nuebers/Tear
Boies
g Juvenile Sitver :
Summer Survey Distibution = 83 1
Tons/Teor
o 1- S
Oo si- Bo
@ 2.1 - 100
a > 100

Figure 3. Distribution of whiting from the commercial fishery and research vessel bottom trawl surveys.


TABLE OF CONTENTS

Executive Summary
Introduction
Historical Background
Methods .....
Operational Plan
Data Processing and Analysis
Results ..
Mesh Size Analysis
Location of Whiting
Seasonality ....
Impact on Regulated Species
Size Composition of the Catch .....

Comparison of Logbook Landings Data with Weighout Data
Discussion ......
Acknowledgements .
References Cited ..

BROMAANUNVAAWYNER EH S

a

List of Tables

1. Vessels participating in the 1988 Experimental Whiting Fishery ....

2. Summary statistics for the 1988 Experimental Whiting Fishery
3. Summary of catch statistics (Ib) from logbook data for the 1988 Experimental Whiting Fishery .... 5

4. Weekly statistics from the 1988 Experimental Whiting Fishery ....

5. Summary of discards (Ib) by week, including discard rate of all species and regulated
species only, in the 1988 Experimental Whiting Fishery

6. Percentages of landings, discards, and total catch, the amount of effort expended, and whiting
landings per hour by mesh size in the 1988 Experimental Whiting Fishery ....

7. Catch statistics (Ib) for mesh sizes used in the 1988 Experimental Whiting Fishery and the
percentages of landed versus discarded catch

8. Catch (1b) of regulated species by port from the 1988 Experimental Whiting Fishery

9. Size composition of the landings and discards of primary species caught in the 1988

Experimental Whiting Fishery .... . 14
10. Comparison (percent of total) of sea-sampled versus non-sea-sampled catches in the 1988

Experimental Whiting Fishery ..... . 15
11. Comparison of landings (1b) statistics obtained from tow-by-tow logbooks with landings reported

from NEFC weighout system and percent difference (logbooks vs. weighouts) in the 1988

Experimental Whiting Fishery ..... ~ 15
Appendix Table 1, Market categories and minimium legal lengths used to define age categories

in distribution plots . 16

Page iii




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Page 10

& ~~
7
Po fa]
- Q
Pounds Pounds
B ael > B ind: 188
Whiting Catch ® 25001 - $0000 Whiting Catch 6 seco 2 25008
31 uy Q $0001 5 09000 +31 August 8 so001 - 199900
~~
7
a
2 ee to00 a
: 1 = 10000
Whiting Catch B oi = Seoo0 Wiiting Catch B 25001 = See
1-30 September 2 ‘50001 ; 400500 +31 October H so001 - 00000

Figure 2. Location of monthly catches of whiting from the 1988 Experimental Whiting Fishery summarized by 10-minute square.

Don Mason (Gloucester, Massachusetts), provided day-to-
day monitoring of the fishery, distributed permits, and
collected logbooks. John Mahoney, John ‘Ace’ Nelson,
Allen Usinger, Don Mason, Greg Power, Bill Trusewich,
Scott McNamara, and Brian O’Gorman provided observer
coverage. Pete Colosi and Dave Crestin of the NERO’s

Fisheries Management Division assisted in preliminary
planning and permit preparation. Otis Jackson of the
NEFC’s Data Management Support Staff provided assis-
tance in developing the data entry system, and with Joe
Idoine of the Population Dynamics Branch, provided the
basic programming for the species distribution plots.