401

NOAA Technical Report NMFS Circular 401

Fisheries and Fishery Resources of New York Bight

J. L McHugh March 1977

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atnnospheric Adnninistration

National Marine Fisheries Service

NOAA TECHNICAL REPORTS National Marine Fisheries Service, Circulars

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365. Processing EASTROPAC STD data and the construction of ver- tical temperature and salinity sections by computer. By Forrest R. Miller and Kenneth A. Bliss. February 1972, iv + 17 p.. 8 figs.. 3 app. figs. For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Of- fice, Washington, D.C. 20402.

.366. Key to field identificationofanadromous juvenile salmonids in 'he Pacific Northwest. By Robert J. MacConnell and George R. Snyder. January 1972, iv + 6 p., 4 figs. For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, D.C. 20402.

367. Engineering economic model for fish protein concentration processes. By K. K Almenas. L. C. Durilla, R. C Ernst. J. W. Gentry. M. B. Hale, and J. M. Marchello. October 1972, iii + 175 p., 6 figs., 6 tables. For sale bv the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office. Washington. DC. 20402.

,368. Cooperative Gulf of Mexico estuarine inventory and study. Florida: Phase 1. area description. By J. Kneeland McNulty, William N. Lindall. .Ir.. and James E. Sykes. November 1972, vii + 126 p.. 46 figs.. 62 tables. For sale by the Superintendent of Documents. U.S. Government Printing Office. Washington. D.C. 20402.

369. Field guide to the anglefishes (Pomacanthidae) in the western Atlantic. By Henry A. Feddem. November 1972, iii -t- 10 p.. 17 figs. For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Of- fice, Washington, D.C. 20402.

370. Collecting and processing data on fish eggs and larvae in the California Current region. By David Kramer. Mar>' J. Kalin, Elizabeth G. Stevens. James R. Thrailkill. and James R. Zweifel. November 1972, iv + 38 p.. .38 figs., 2 tables. For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, DC. 20402.

.371. Ocean fishery management: Discussion and research. By Adam A. Sokoloski (editor). (17 papers, 24 authors.) April 1973. vi + 173 p., 38 figs., 32 tables, 7 app. tables.

.377. Fishery publications, calendar year 1970: Lists and indexes. By Mary Ellen Engett and Lee C Thorson. December 1972. iv ■*■ .34 p.. 1 fig. For sale by the Superintendent of Documents. US Government Printing Office. Washington. DC. 20402.

378. Marine flora and fauna of the northeastern L'nited States. Protozoa: Ciliophora. By Arthur C. Borror. September 1973, iii + 62 p., 5 figs. For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office. Washington. DC. 20402.

379. Fishery publications, calendar year 1969: Lists and indexes. By Lee C. Thorson and Mary Ellen Engett. April 1973. iv -t- 31 p., 1 fig. For sale by the Superintendent of Documents. US. Government Printing Office, Washington, DC. 20402.

.380. Fishery publications, calendar year 1968: Lists and indexes. By Mary Ellen Engett and Lee C. Thorson. May 1973. iv -I- 24 p.. 1 fig. For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Of- fice. Washington. DC. 20402

381 . Fishery publications, calendar year 1967: Lists and indexes. By Lee

C Thorson and Mary Ellen Engett. July 1973, iv ■*■ 22 p.. 1 fig. For sale by the Superintendent of Documents. U.S. Government Printing Office. Washington. D.C. 20402.

.382. Fishery publications, calendar year 1966: Lists and indexes. By Mary Ellen Engett and Lee C Thorson. July 1973. iv + 19 p.. 1 fig. For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Priming Of- fice. Washington. D.C. 20402.

.383. Fishery publications, calendar year 1965: Lists and indexes By Lee C. Thorson and Mary Ellen Engett July 1973, iv ■(■ 12 p.. 1 fig. For sale bv the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office. Washington. D.C. 20402.

372. Fishery publications, calendar year 1971: Lists and indexes. By Thomas A. .\Ianar. October 1972, iv + 24 p., 1 fcg. For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.F. Government Printing Office, Washington. D.C. 20402.

384. Marine flora and fauna of the northeastern llnited States. Higher plants of the marine fringe. By Edwin T. Moul. September 1973. iii -t- 60 p.. 109 figs. For sale by the Superintendent of Documents. U.S. Govern- ment Printing Office. Washington, D.C. 20402.

374. Marine flora and fauna of the northeastern United States. Annelida: Oligochaeta. By David G. Cook and Ralph O. Brinkhurst. May 1973. iii + 23 p., 82 figs. For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office. Washington. D.C. 20402.

.385. Fishery publications, calendar year 1972: Lists and indexes. By Lee C. Thorson and Mary Ellen Engett. November 1973. iv -h 23 p.. 1 fig. For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Of fice. Washington, DC. 20402.

375. New Polychaeta from Beaufort, with a key to all species recorded from North Carolina. By John H. Day. July 1973. xiii + 140 p.. 18 figs.. 1 table. For sale by the Superintendent of Documents. U.S. Government Printing Office. Washington. DC. 20402.

386. Marine flora and fauna of the northeastern United States. P.vc- nogonida By Lawrence R. McCloskey. September 1973. iii + 12 p.. 1 fig For sale bv the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office. Washington. DC 20402.

376. Bottom-water temperatures on the continental shelf. Nova Scotia to New Jersey. By John B. Colton. Jr. and Ruth R Stoddard. June 1973. iii -f ,55 p., 15 figs.. 12 app. tables. For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, DC. 20402.

.387. Marine flora and fauna of the northeastern United States. Crustacea: Stomatopoda By Raymond B. Manning. February 1974. iii + 6 p.. 10 figs For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Govern- ment Printing Office. Washington, D.C. 20402.

Continued on inside bacit cover

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NOAA Technical Report NMFS Circular 401

Fisheries and Fishery Resources of New York Bight

J. L McHugh March 1977

WHOI

Coasta! Researc'i Center

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U.S. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

Juanita M. Kreps, Secretary

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

Robert M. White, Administrator

National Marine Fisheries Service

Robert W. Schoning, Director

PURCHASE ORDfil ^' l%li

For Sale by the Superintendent of Documents. U.S. Government Printing Office Washington. D.C. 30402 Stock No. 003-020-00129-7

The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) does not approve, rec- ommend or endorse any proprietary product or proprietary material mentioned in this publication. No reference shall be made to NMFS, or to this publication furnished by NMFS, in any advertising or sales pro- motion which would indicate or imply that NMFS approves, recommends or endorses any proprietary product or proprietary material mentioned herein, or which has as its purpose an intent to cause directly or indirectly the advertised product to be used or purchased because of this NMFS publication.

CONTENTS

Introduction 1

Sources of information 3

Total landings in New Jersey 4

Industrial fisheries 6

Atlantic menhaden 6

Industrial trawl fishery 7

Horseshoe crab 7

Alewives 8

Atlantic herring 8

Shrimps 9

Semi-industrial fisheries 9

Red hake and white hake 9

Silver hake U

Squids 12

Food Fisheries 13

American oyster 14

Bluefish 18

Atlantic sturgeon 18

Sea mussels 19

Tautog 20

American shad 20

Weakfish 21

Eels 22

White perch 23

Haddock 24

Atlantic cod 24

Atlantic croaker 25

Spot 26

Butterfish 27

Blue crab 28

Atlantic bonito 29

Spanish mackerel 29

Northern kingfish 30

Atlantic mackerel 30

Hard clam 31

Soft clam 32

Chub mackerel 33

Frigate mackerel 33

Scup 33

Black sea bass 34

Flounders 35

Summer flounder 35

Winter flounder 35

Yellowtail flounder 36

Little tunny 37

Surf clam 37

Bluefin tuna 38

Atlantic sea scallop 39

Atlantic bay scallop 40

American lobster 41

Swordfish 42

Striped bass 43

Conch 43

Northern puffer 44

Tilefish ; 45

Summary and conclusions 45

Acknowledgments 48

Literature cited 48

Figures

1 Middle Atlantic Bight showing New York Bight 2

2 New York Bight 3

Annual commercial landings of:

3 Fishes and shellfishes in New Jersey 1880-1975 4

4 Industrial fishes and shellfishes in New Jersey 1880-1975 4

5 Fishes and shellfishes used as human food in New Jersey 1880-1975 5

6 Red hake and white hake in New Jersey 1887-1975 10

7 Red hake and white hake in New York 1897-1975 10

8 Silver hake in New Jersey 1897-1975 11

9 Squids in New York and New Jersey 1888-1975 12

10 American oyster in New Jersey 1880-1975 17

11 Bluefish in New Jersey 1880-1975 18

12 Atlantic sturgeon in New York and New Jersey 1880-1975 19

13 Sea mussels, probably mostly blue mussel, in New Jersey 1891-1975 19

14 Tautog in New York and New Jersey 1887-1975 20

15 American shad in New Jersey 1880-1975 21

16 Weakfish in New Jersey 1880-1975 22

17 American and conger eel in New York 1887-1975 22

18 American and conger eel in New Jersey 1887-1975 23

19 White perch in New York and New Jersey 1887-1975 24

20 Haddock in New Jersey 1889-1975 24

21 Atlantic cod in New Jersey 1880-1975 25

22 Atlantic croaker and spot in New Jersey 1889-1975 25

23 Atlantic croaker and spot in New York 1888-1975 26

24 Butterfish in New Jersey 1889-1975 27

25 Blue crab in New Jersey 1880-1975 28

26 Atlantic bonito in New York and New Jersey 1880-1975 29

27 Northern kingfish in New York and New Jersey 1908-1975 30

28 Atlantic mackerel in New Jersey 1889-1975 31

29 Hard clam in New Jersey 1880-1975 31

30 Soft clam in New Jersey 1880-1975 32

31 Scup in New Jersey 1889-1975 34

32 Black sea bass in New Jersey 1887-1975 34

33 Flounders in New Jersey 1887-1975 35

34 Little tunny in New York and New Jersey 1889-1975 37

35 Surf clam in New Jersey 1901-1975 38

36 Bluefin tuna in New York and New Jersey 1901-1975 39

37 Scallops in New Jersey 1897-1975 39

38 American lobster in New Jersey 1880-1975 41

39 Swordfish in New York and New Jersey 1901-1975 42

40 Striped bass in New Jersey 1887-1975 43

41 Conch in New York and New Jersey 1926-1975 44

42 Tilefish in New Jersey 1933-1975 45

43 Historic landings of major species in the New York Bight area (New York and New Jersey). ... 47

Tables

Historic domestic commercial, recreational, and foreign marine fishery landings in the north and middle Atlantic regions including New York Bight.

1 Industrial fisheries. New Jersey 6

2 Searobins 8

3 Alewives 8

4 Atlantic herring .' 9

5 White hake 10

6 Red hake 11

7 Silver hake 12

8 Squids 13

iv

9 Food shellfishes. New Jersey 13

10 Food finfishes, New Jersey 14

11 All fish and shellfish species. New Jersey 15

12 All fish and shellfish species, New York 16

13 American oyster 17

14 Bluefish 18

15 Atlantic sturgeon 19

16 Sea mussels 19

17 Tautog 20

18 American shad 21

19 Weakfish 22

20 American eel 23

21 White perch 23

22 Haddock 24

23 Atlantic cod 25

24 Atlantic croaker 26

25 Spot 27

26 Butterfish 27

27 Blue crab 28

28 Atlantic bonito 29

29 Northern kingfish 30

30 Atlantic mackerel 31

31 Hard clam 32

32 Soft clam 33

33 Scup 34

34 Black sea bass 35

35 Summer flounder 36

36 Winter flounder 36

37 Yellowtail flounder, New Jersey and New York 37

38 Yellowtail flounder, north and middle Atlantic region of the United State 37

39 Surf clam 38

40 Atlantic bluefin tuna 39

41 Atlantic sea scallop 40

42 Atlantic bay scallop 40

43 American lobster 41

44 Swordfish 42

45 Striped bass 43

46 Conch 44

47 Northern puffer 44

48 Tilefish 45

49 Historic trends in domestic landings of major commercial fishery resources 46

FISHERIES AND FISHERY RESOURCES OF NEW YORK BIGHT^ '

J. L. McHUGH'

ABSTRACT

The history of total fish and shellfish landings in the two states (New York and New Jersey) that form the landward boundaries of New York Bight is a history of change. Resource after resource has produced maximum landings, then declined. Total landings dropped from about 315,000 metric tons in 1956 to about 23,000 in 1967 and have risen only moderately since that time. The rise and fall of the in- dustrial fisheries, mostly menhaden, was responsible for most of this decline, and this has masked trends in the food fisheries.

Altogether about 132 species or groups of species of fishes and invertebrates have been reported as landed in New Jersey or New York since 1880. Fifty of these are discussed and illustrated with figures and tables of landings.

Edible finfish species as a group reached peak landings in 1939 and declined fairly steadily to about one-third that level in the 19708. Molluscan and crustacean shellfish production reached two peaks, in 1950 and 1966, the second considerably higher than the first. This recovery of shellfish land- ings in 1966 would not have occurred were it not for the rapid development of the surf clam fishery in the 1950s.

The timing of the declines makes it clear that foreign fishing was not the cause, for foreign fishing probably could not have affected the fisheries of New York Bight before the mid-1960s. Actually, total catches of resources taken only by domestic fishermen have declined more sharply than total domes- tic catches of species shared with foreign fleets. Foreign fishing is but a symptom of the troubles of the domestic fisheries, some of which are imagined. The ills of the domestic fisheries are economic and sociopolitical, and they will not yield easily to scientific solutions.

INTRODUCTION

The coasts of New Jersey and New York form the western and northern boundaries of what is commonly known as New York Bight. The Bight has been defined as those coastal waters extending from Montauk Point, Long Island, N.Y. to Cape May, N.J. and out to the edge of the continental shelf (Figs. 1, 2). These waters have been an important fishing ground since the early days of the settlement of North America, and they still produce important quantities of fish and shellfish. In 1975 (National Marine Fisheries Service 1976) the two states produced a total marine commercial catch of about 82,000 metric tons with a landed value of $48.0 million. As will be evident later, this is considerably less than maximum historic landings but it is still substantial. To

'Parts of the analysis on which this paper is based were made under support of a fellowship with the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars. Washington, D.C., .July-August 1971. The work was completed and the paper written under support from the Marine Ecosystems Analy- sis Program (MESA) of the National Marine Fisheries Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, U.S. Department of Com- merce.

The historical review of marine fisheries in New York State is a re,sult of research sponsored by the New York Sea Grant Institute under a grant from the Office of Sea Grant, Nati<mal Oceanic and Atmospheric Ad- ministration, U.S. Department of Commerce.

•Contribution 000 of the Marine Sciences Research Center of the State University of New York. Stony Brook. N.Y.

'Marine Sciences Research Center, State University of New York, Stony Brook, NY 11794.

some extent the decline in commercial landings has been offset by an increase in the catch by saltwater sport fishermen. New Jersey ranked ninth by weight and fifteenth by value among the coastal states in commer- cial marine fishery landings in 1975, the latest year for which such figures are available; New York ranked seventeenth by weight but eleventh by value. Together, the two states accounted for about A% of total U.S. com- mercial landings by weight and about A.l'^c in landed value. There is also considerable foreign fishing and some domestic fishing in the area outside the 12-mile zone of domestic fishery jurisdiction. The foreign catch in sub- areas 5 and 6 of the International Commission for the Northwest Atlantic Fisheries (ICNAF) was nearly 800,000 metric tons in 1974, but in 1972 was more than a million metric tons. The recreational catch in the New York Bight area cannot be determined exactly, but it is probably about 90,000 metric tons, not including inver- tebrates. Reported recreational catches of finfishes in 1970, the latest year for which estimates are available, were about 121, .300 metric tons for the north Atlantic region (Maine to New York inclusive) and 111,700 met- ric tons for the middle Atlantic region (New Jersey to North Carolina inclusive).

The international fisheries are now under a reasonable degree of control. For example, ICNAF established quotas for subareas 5 and 6 in 1976 totalling 815,000 met- ric tons for 12 species or groups of species, but also placed a stringent additional constraint by setting a total allowable catch, all species combined, of 650,000 metric

Figure 1.— Middle Atlantic Bight (Cape Cod to Cape Hatteras) showing location of the area known as New York Bight and subareas 5 and 6 of the International Commission for the Northwest Atlantic Fisheries (ICNAF). Only part of division 5Y, which includes all of the Gulf of Maine, is shown. For all practical purposes it can be assumed that the fishing grounds end at the 200 m isobath, thus it is not important that the northern and eastern boundaries of subarea 5 and the eastern boundary of subarea 6 are not shown. The southern boundary of subarea 6 is just off the chart, at lat. 35°00T<.

tons. Domestic fisheries in the area, as will be illustrated in the species discussions to follow, are by no means un- der such rigid control. This applies particularly to the recreational fisheries, which essentially are uncon- trolled.

New York Bight is flanked on two sides by the greatest concentration of human population in North America. Some 17 million people live in the New York met- ropolitan region alone. Shipping in and out of the area is heavy, the waters and beaches are used extensively for recreation, including sport fishing, and the inner part of the Bight receives large quantities of domestic and in- dustrial wastes. The Bight also has been considered seriously as a site for deep-draft supertanker ports, off- shore air terminals, and offshore nuclear power plants. Exploratory drilling for petroleum in Baltimore Canyon Trough, off the New .Jersey coast, is under serious con- sideration. These issues, and recent intensified public

and official interest in environmental quality, have marked the Bight for special attention. As background for environmental studies and environmental manage- ment in the area, it is important to understand the his- tory of its marine fisheries and the present condition of the living resources on which these fisheries are based. An historical review of the marine fisheries of New York State has already been published (McHugh 1972a). The principal conclusions of that study were that the record of landings since 1880 provided a classic example of ineffective management and that the principal causes of the decline of commercial fishing in New York were sociopolitical and domestic, not directly related to foreign fishing. This report deals primarily with New Jer- sey fisheries. The opportunity has been taken, however, to bring the New York study up to date by considering landings and trends in the period 1971-75. The New Jer- sey study was part of the intensive investigation of New

7500

74 30

T'Cod

73 30

7300

72 30

72 00

Figure 2. — New York Bight showing most place names mentioned in the text. Other place names are in Figure 1.

York Bight presently being carried out by the Marine Ecosystems Analysis program (MESA) of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, U.S. Depart- ment of Commerce.

SOURCES OF INFORMATION

Commercial fishery landings in the New York Bight area are available back to 1880. An almost unbroken series of annual commercial landings is available for New Jersey and New York since 1929, but records prior to that time were intermittent. These have been published, usually about 2 yr in arrears, by the National Marine Fisheries Service and its predecessor agencies. New Jer- sey landings include catches from Delaware Bay and other coastal bays and lagoons. New York landings in-

clude catches from Long Island Sound and the impor- tant bays of the eastern end and south shore of Long Is- land. These waters are not included within the definition of New York Bight as far as the present MESA studies are concerned, but they do not now account for a very large part of total commercial landings in either state. New York landings from 1954 to 1969 inclusive were reported by statistical areas which apparently allow separation of ocean catches from those made in shel- tered inshore waters, but it is not clear whether landings reported from a statistical area represent catches made exclusively in those waters or landings at ports within the area. Although documentary proof does not exist, it is commonly believed that commercial fishery landings are larger than official records show. This is not unique to the New York Bight area. It probably is a common

phenomenon in most coastal areas, and arises from the practice prevalent in the commercial fisheries, es- pecially at smaller, less well-organized points of landing, to pay off in cash and keep no accurate records of the transaction.

No satisfactory historical record of marine sport fish catches exists for the area. Biologists of the two states have made various partial studies of saltwater sport fishing and these are useful in providing intuitive es- timates of the saltwater sport fisheries of the area as a whole. The national surveys of 1960, 1965, and 1970, con- ducted by the Bureau of the Census (Clark [1962]; Deuel and Clark 1968; Deuel 1973) included New Jersey and New York, but the estimates were for larger areas and catches for individual states were not reported. New Jer- sey is included in the estimate for the middle Atlantic area. New Jersey to Cape Hatteras inclusive. New York is included with the New England coastal states. Further subdivision would not provide useful estimates state by state because the national sample was too small (David G. Deuel, pers. commun.). Mohr' recently made es- timates of recreational finfish catches in New York waters from available data and McHugh (in press a) made rough estimates of recreational shellfish catches.

Foreign catches in the sector of New York Bight beyond 12 miles have been reported by ICNAF since 1966, when a new statistical subarea was established by that body, subarea 6, extending from Block Island Sound to Cape Hatteras. This subarea is further subdivided, and division 6A includes essentially the New York Bight area as it has been defined for MESA purposes (Fig. 1).

These statistics — domestic commercial and recreational, and foreign — have been collected from various sources and have been published in a compen- dium of available information (McHugh and Williams 1976). That publication contains an extensive bibliography, and the references are not repeated here.

Some species discussed in the present paper were not included in the New York study (McHugh 1972a).' To bring the two studies into agreement as a treatment of the fisheries of New York Bight as a whole, additional in- formation on the marine fisheries of New York State has been included where appropriate.

TOTAL LANDINGS IN NEW JERSEY

As in New York, commercial marine landings in New Jersey have been dominated most of the time by indus- trial fisheries, especially for menhaden. Therefore, the history of total landings in New Jersey is largely a his- tory of the menhaden fishery (Fig. 3). To analyze the record thoroughly, landings must be examined by

'Mohr, Peter Thomas. 1976. Marine Sport fisheries of New York State. A thesis presented in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Marine Environmental Sciences, State University of New York at Stony Brook.

An error in the introduction to that paper should be noted. On page 586 it was stated that surf clam landings dominate the New York catch. This is true for New York and New .Jersey combined, but the dominant species in New York landings is hard clam.

90 1900 to 20 30 40 SO €0

Figure .3.— Total annual commercial landings of fishes and shellfishes in New Jersey 1880-1975. The lower line shows menhaden landings. In this, as in other figures, broken lines have been used to connect years between which one or more years data are missing.

species. It is useful to examine total landings, but to do this intelligently the di^ta must be divided into two sub- sets, industrial fisheries and food fisheries (Fig. 4, 5). Trends in the food fisheries are easier to understand if finfisheries and shellfisheries are separated (Fig. 5).

The food shellfisheries as a whole show two principal periods of development. The early period, ending about 1953, was dominated by the oyster industry (Crassostrea LHrginica), although the trend in oyster production has been downward since the 19th century. The sharp rise in total shellfish production that began in the late 1950s came about mainly through the phenomenal develop-

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Figure 4.— Annual commercial landings of industrial fishes and shell- fishes in New Jersey 1880-1975.

FOOD SHELLFISH

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FOOD FINFISH

Figure 5. —Annual commercial landings of fishes and shellfishes used as human food in New Jersey 1880-1975. The isolated points in the up- per panel represent shellfish landings minus surf clam meats, to il- lustrate the point that if it had not been for development of the surf clam fishery shellfish landings would have shown a downward trend also.

ment of the surf clam industry {Spisula solidissima). The history of the shellfisheries in New Jersey is typical of the development of coastal fisheries everywhere, charac- terized by an early concentration on resources close to shore, followed by an extension of the fishery to ad- ditional species and to more distant waters.

The history of the finfisheries shows different trends: an apparent rise to peak production in the last two decades of the 19th century; apparently a drop of about 25^^ from 1904 to 1926, although records are not available for most years in this early period; a period of relatively high total landings from 1929 to 1949, as shorebound fisheries like the pound net fishery were superseded by the mobile and more efficient trawl fishery (Perlmutter 1959; Knapp in press); followed by a steady drop as the stocks of many species began to decline. The numbers of species in the catch also reflect these changes. In the first period 52 species or species groups' were listed, in the se- cond period 60, third period 80, and fourth period 67.

If the surf clam catch is omitted, the history of total food fish and food shellfish landings in New Jersey is similar to the history of food fishery landings in New York. Catches increased until early in the 20th century, dropped during the first 25 yr of the 20th century, rose again, and remained relatively high in the period 1930- 50, and then began a steady decline which apparently is still in progress. In New Jersey, as already mentioned

•^Some species were grouped in official statistics, e.g., drums, searobins, and some other categories like flounders, eels, and hakes were grouped in early statistics but separated later. For consistency it has been assumed that all species later listed separately were represented in early catches.

and as illustrated in Figure 5, the postwar decline in total food fish and shellfish production is masked by the rapid- ly increasing catch of surf clam, produced by a new in- dustry which began off the coast of Long Island after the second world war and soon shifted to the much more abundant surf clam resource off New Jersey. Except for the sea scallop industry, which is now much less produc- tive than it was 15 yr ago, this is the only important off- shore fishery for molluscan shellfish.

If total landings of food finfishes and food shellfishes in New York are separated (McHugh 1974), the similarity of trends in landings in the two states is even more ap- parent (Fig. 5). Postwar development of the surf clam in- dustry did not distort the trend of shellfish landings so much in New York State because the resource is ap- parently much less abundant off Long Island than it is off the New Jersey coast. Shellfish landings other than surf clam, represented by the unconnected points in the 1950s to 1970s in Figure 5, have declined irregularly but steadily since the 19th century in both states.

Food finfish landings in both states fall into four or five fairly distinct periods. Trends in New Jersey landings (Fig. 5) are not dissimilar to those in New York (McHugh 1974). The first two decades were characterized by rising catches, probably because the demand for fish was rising as the population grew, and fishing intensity increased in response. The causes of the decline in the second period probably were complex, partly economic and partly biological, a combination of maximum availability and fluctuation in abundance offish stocks and perhaps some local overfishing. The third period, extending from 1929 to about 1950, was a period of relative prosperity for the food fisheries generally in both states, which began with the development of the trawl fisheries (Pearson 1932), and was extended by the special circumstances of the sec- ond world war.

The coastal trawl fisheries, which began in the late 1920s, made available a much larger resource than could be exploited by shorebound fisheries like the pound net and haul seine industries. Domestic trawlers were able to follow migratory resources from Cape Hatteras, N.C. to Cape Cod, Mass. in all seasons. The growth of this fishery was one important cause, although not the only cause, of the decline of pound net fisheries along the coast (Knapp in press). The fourth period in the history of the food finfisheries covers the last two decades up to the present. The causes of the downward trend were com- plex, including lower prices for fish and rising costs of fishing in the postwar era, and declining abundance and probably overfishing of some species, although Reintjes and Roithmayr (1960) believed that, with the possible exception of black sea bass, most species in the Middle Atlantic Bight area were underutilized. In the last 10 yr, additional complications have been added by the growth of foreign fisheries off the northeastern coast of the United States. This development has completed a chain of events characteristic of the evolution of all fisheries. For reasons of efficiency and economics, the domestic trawl fisheries partially broke the bonds that tied the ear- ly fisheries so firmly to the shore (Knapp in press). But

the more efficient coastal trawlers still had constraints that linked them to the land. They had no means of processing their catch other than to ice it or freeze it, and since their carrying capacity was limited, they had to return to port at frequent intervals to unload. The large, highly flexible, self-contained fishing fleets of the dis- tant-water fishing nations, centrally controlled and capable of catching and processing any resource, edible or industrial, have reduced the possibilities for survival of some segments of the domestic fishing fleet, es- pecially if domestic fisheries continue to operate on the assumption that they can survive by holding to traditional methods of operation.

Despite the additional and serious problems that foreign fishing poses for domestic fisheries in the Middle Atlantic Bight, it is a dangerous oversimplification to blame all the troubles of the domestic fishing industry on "the Russians" (McHugh 1974; Williams 1975). This has been confirmed by Gates and Norton (1974), who viewed foreign fishing, along with other issues, primarily as symptoms rather than causes of the problems of the domestic fisheries. Smith (1975) reached essentially the same conclusion in a study of the otter trawl fishery of Oregon. The basic problems of our coastal fisheries are domestic, but most people tend to forget that the decline of many fisheries of New Jersey and New York, as in most other coastal states, began long before the postwar expansion of foreign distant-water fisheries began (Fig. 5). The basic problems are sociopolitical and economic, and these problems have made it virtually impossible for the United States to manage its coastal fisheries effec- tively. Almost without exception, we have been unable to establish viable management regimes for coastal fishery resources over which the United States has complete control. These include most of the shellfisheries, which with few exceptions harvest resources endemic to ter- ritorial waters, and even some migratory fishes like men- haden and striped bass, which apparently seldom, if ever, move beyond the 12-mile zone of fishery jurisdic- tion during their seasonal migrations. These matters have been discussed in detail by Knapp (in press) and Williams (1975).

INDUSTRIAL FISHERIES

As in the State of New York (McHugh 1972a), indus- trial fisheries, mostly for menhaden, have dominated the marine fisheries of New Jersey for most of recorded his- tory (Figs 3, 4). The principal difference is that, whereas menhaden landings in New York apparently were sub- stantial at times in the period prior to 1940, the men- haden industry in New Jersey was relatively minor before the second world war. The menhaden industry in the ear- ly days was traditionally based in New England, and this probably explains why it developed earlier in New York than in New Jersey.

Examination of Figure 4 suggests that the industrial fisheries of New Jersey can be divided into five fairly dis- tinct periods each dominated by a different species or

Table 1. — Average annual landings of industrial fishes and industrial shellfishes, including bait, in New Jersey for five major periods in the history of the industrial fisheries of the State. Weights in metric tons.

Species 1880-

-1926

1929-

-1952

1953-

-1962

1963-

■1970

1971-1975

Henhaden

10,

,165

41

.811

161,

,069

28.

,838

47.788

Horseshoe crab

1,

,014

920

167

47

•

Alewives

862

78

5

5

4

Sharks, sXates. and rays

28

71

9

7

2

Atlantic herring

14

630

244

116

88

Searobins

6

19

35

12

2

Round herring

5

•

Shrimp

3

38

9

1

1

Misc. industrial fishes

•

15

442

2

,246

16

Hujiunichog

2

Sandwoms

1

Bloodworms

1

Minnows

•

Miscellaneous bait

•

less than 0.5 metric ton.

group of species. Average annual landings of these and other industrial species are given in Table 1.

Atlantic Menhaden

In 1880 (Earll 1887) the menhaden, Brevoortia tyran- nus (Latrobe), industry dominated the fisheries of Sandy Hook Bay; five large factories for production of oil and meal were operating as compared with only one in New Jersey today. The fish were caught in pound nets and fykes, whereas today most of the menhaden catch is taken by purse seines. An important menhaden fishery operated also in the vicinity of Atlantic City, delivering catches to factories at Tuckerton and Great Egg Harbor. Large quantities of menhaden taken in haul seines and pound nets in this area were used directly as fertilizer for farm lands.

In 1880 (Mather 1887) menhaden applied directly to the soil provided fertilizer for extensive farm lands on Long Island. At the eastern end of Long Island, at least 16 menhaden factories were operating, some of them for- merly whaling bases. The menhaden resource was responsible for development of a rich agricultural in- dustry in the sterile, sandy soil.

One cause of the great postwar development of the At- lantic coast menhaden fishery was the decline of the sar- dine industry on the Pacific coast (McHugh 1969a). De- mand for fish meal as an ingredient of poultry rations was stimulated by rapid postwar growth of the poultry industry. Landings of menhaden in New Jersey and New York rose rapidly in the 1940s and 1950s, and in both states the catch remained high for about a decade. In New York landings fluctuated about a level of 40,000 metric tons, more or less, during this period of greatest development of the fishery. In New Jersey (Figs 3, 4) it was considerably greater. The peak postwar catch was about four times as great in New Jersey as in New York, but the period of relatively high catches began somewhat

earlier and therefore lasted longer in New York, probably because the industry was already established. Landings in both states dropped substantially in 1958. This was caused by a decline in abundance of the living resource, but catches rose again as the strongly dominant year class of menhaden hatched in 1958 (Henry 1971) reached an age at which it was most available to the fishery in the New York Bight area. The two peaks and the low point of landings in this period of greatest prosperity of the men- haden industry came in the same years, the peaks in 1956-57 and 1962 and the low in 1958, but maximum land- ings in New Jersey were recorded in 1956 and in New York in 1962.

The decline of the menhaden fishery in the New York Bight area (McHugh 1972a) was caused principally by intensive fishing in Chesapeake Bay. The Virginia purse- seine fishery, which once took mostly 2- and 3-yr-olds, by the late 1960s was taking mostly fish 1 and 2 yr of age, and few survived to migrate north at greater ages as many menhaden formerly did. The recent increase in menhaden catches north of Chesapeake Bay is reflected in New Jersey landings (Fig. 3), which have increased more than fourfold from the low point in 1970. The last menhaden factory in New York has not operated since 1969, and recent large catches in Long Island Sound were delivered to the single remaining New Jersey factory at Port Monmouth, or to New England, for processing.

At one time it was believed that the stocks of men- haden in the New York Bight area were distinct from those exploited in Chespeake Bay (June 1958; Suther- land 1963). If this is so, then the recent sharp increase in landings in the New York Bight area might have been made possible by release of energy formerly utilized by the southern stock when it was less heavily exploited and thus could migrate into the Bight in substantial num- bers. Recently, however, it has been concluded that At- lantic menhaden from Florida to New England belong to a single population (Dryfoos et al. 1973). This means that the recent local increase in abundance must have been related to the strong 1969 year class. Fishing effort drop- ped by 54'^f during the period of declining abundance of menhaden (Schaaf 1975), and this probably allowed in- creasing numbers of fish to survive to reach northern waters. The temporary increase in abundance, however, stimulated more intensive fishing. The prospect for the menhaden fishery is not bright, although Boone (1976) has reported that abundance of young menhaden in Maryland waters in 1975 was the second highest on record.

No significant harvest of menhaden has been reported by other nations fishing in the area. Grosslein et al. (1973)' have pointed out that the only serious possibility of major foreign catches would be in winter when the resource is concentrated off the Carolinas. They recom-

mended that the area be closed to foreign fishing at that time.

Industrial Trawl Fishery

In New York the rapid decline of menhaden catches after 1962 stimulated a search for alternate resources, and for a few years (1962-66) a substantial industrial trawl fishery developed (McHugh 1972a). At its peak in 1964 this fishery produced about 53,500 metric tons of unsorted and unidentified industrial fishes, which was almost as large as the greatest annual postwar landing of menhaden in New York, recorded in 1962. This catch un- doubtedly included substantial quantities of food fishes, although red hake, Urophycis chuss (Walbaum), probably was the major species by weight (Edwards and Lux 1958).

In New Jersey a similar industrial trawl fishery developed (Fig. 4), beginning in 1964 and ending in 1968, but landings were relatively small. The maximum reported catch was about 6,613 metric tons in 1966. The species composition of these landings has not been reported in detail (LoVerde 1969), but the greatest part of the industrial trawl catch (Table 2)» was searobins, Prionotus carolinus (Linnaeus) and P. evolans (Lin- naeus). These landings were not identified by species. Only 86 metric tons of searobins were reported as such in 1966 (Table 2).

Horseshoe Crab

The horseshoe crab, Limulus polyphemus (Linnaeus), industry at its recorded peak in 1929 produced about 2,600 metric tons of industrial raw material. Landings of horseshoe crab (or king crab, as it was called in early statistical publications) in New York were very small and infrequent, and minor catches were recorded only for 1887, 1888, and 1921. With this exception, horseshoe crab has been a unique commercial fishery resource of New Jersey and Delaware. The geographic range of the species is from Maine to Yucatan.

In New Jersey considerable quantities of horseshoe crab once were landed (Fig. 4). Cook (1857— in Shuster 1957) reported "immense numbers" taken in Delaware Bay for fertilizer. Shuster (1957) concluded that exten- sive use for fertilizer had much reduced the abundance of these animals. Maximum landings reported in the State of Delaware were 476 metric tons in 1892. Substantial landings were reported in New Jersey until the early 1940s. The subsequent decline of the fishery was caused mainly by forced closure of processing plants through public reactions to offensive odors (Eugene LoVerde pers. commun.). Shuster (1960) said that meal produced from horseshoe crabs has a protein content of 46%. Limulus also has been used as bait for eels and as food for poultry and hogs. The horseshoe crab is an estuarine

"Grosslein, M. D.. E. G. Heyerdahl, and H. Stern, .Jr. 1973. Status of the international fisheries off the middle Atlantic coast. Northeast Fish. Cent., Natl. Mar. Fish. Serv., Lab. Ref. No. 73-4, 117 p. [A technical reference document prepared for the bilateral negotiations of USA with USSR and Poland. |

in this, and most other tables, foreign catches are given only for those ICNAF statistical areas in which fishing might be expected to affect the domestic coastal fisheries of New York Bight (Fig. 1).

Table 2. — Estimated commercial and recreational catches of searobins in the north and middle Atlantic regions of the United States coast for the period in which recreational or foreign catch estimates are available. Weights in metric tons.

Domestic

Recreational

ICNAF

conimercial catch Me-NY NJ-NC

catch

Foreign catch

Me-mr NJ-SC

Year

NY

NJ

incl.

incl.

incl. incl.

^K

5Ze 6

1960

3

e

100

9

180 2,068

1961

3

1

99

1

1962

-

•

50

2

1963

5

9

66

43

1964

11

20

54

261

147

1965

33

-

153

83

1,841 1,727

1S66

19

86

127

299

98 1,279

1967

29

-

99

153

124 370

1968

25

3

173

49

20

1,110 7,872

1969

30

1

63

40

1.758

145

1970

34

-

97

18

2,341 6,735

-

-

1971

64

6

137

6

-

812

1972

20

1

98

1

64

173 3,520

1973

24

3

106

3

147

1,419 1,263

1974

19

*

124

•

52

783 1,296

1975

20

*

( 73)

♦

323

232 4B2

The national saltwater angling surveys for 1960, 1965, and 1970 did not give data by individual states. New York was included with the New England states and New Jersey with the other middle Atlantic states.

Foreign catches for 1975 are provisional. This species is included with the second tier quota for 1976.

Figures for 1975 in parentheses assume that unavailable landings in N.H., Conn,, and Del. equal the average of recent years.

- An unreported catch is possible.

Less than 0.5

Btric ton.

animal, and thus not strictly a resource of the open waters of New York Bight.

Alewives

hook and line. In other New Jersey streams lesser num- bers are taken by anglers (Paul Hamer pers. commun.). For some reason, this sport fishery has been ignored in the national surveys of saltwater sport fishing, perhaps because it takes place in fresh water. No estimates of the magnitude of this sport catch exist.

Relatively large catches of alewives have been taken recently by foreign fleets operating in the Middle Atlan- tic Bight (Table 3). This has been a matter of serious concern, especially to the fishing industry in Virginia, where the resource is still of major importance. Gross- lein et al. (1973, see footnote 7) confirmed that abun- dance inshore has been declining. Edwards (1975)'° stated that the biomass of alewives in the area from the Gulf of Maine to Cape Hatteras inclusive was about 8 million pounds (3,630 metric tons) in the period 1972-74, down from 87 million pounds (39,5(X) metric tons) in 1963-65. The fishery now is controlled under bilateral agreements with the major fishing nations.

Atlantic Herring

Maximum recorded landings of Atlantic herring, Clupea h. harengus Linnaeus, in New Jersey were in 1947 (Fig. 4). Landings have been declining irregularly since that time. One use for this resource was as animal food, but local markets have declined (LoVerde 1972). Most of

"Edwards. R. L. 197.5. Middle Atlantic fisheries: Recent changes in populations and the outlook. A paper presented at New York Bight meeting. New York City, November 1975, 20 ms p.

Table 3, — Estimated commercial catches of alewives in the north and middle Atlantic regions of the united States coast 1960-1975. weights in metric tons.

Alewife, Alosa pseudoharengus (Wilson), and blueback herring, A. aestivalis (Mitchill), were impor- tant species in the early fisheries along the Atlantic coast, but their importance in New Jersey in total weight landed declined fairly early in the 20th century (Fig. 4).' Alewives have been used as food fishes and as industrial fishes, but the demand as human food has been declin- ing, although less sharply in the area from Chesapeake Bay southward. There was apparently no attempt in New Jersey to use alewives as a substitute for menhaden in the 1960s as there was in 1966 in New York. Relatively large landings of alewives in New York in 1966 were caught by menhaden purse seiners (Lyles 1968) at- tempting to compensate for the declining menhaden resource.

Alewives are a popular recreational resource in certain areas during the spawning migration in spring. Where the species are abundant, as in certain Virginia rivers and in the Potomac, large quantities are taken by dip net as they migrate up rivers and streams. In the Delaware River at Trenton, considerable numbers are taken by

ICNAF

Domestic

commercial Me-SY

catch NJ-NC

Foreign catch

Year

SY

NJ

incl.

incl.

=^w

"e

6

I960

17

1

8,716

14,429

1961

15

8

10,272

13,580

1962

9

4,600

19,051

1963

1

6,137

19,348

1964

6

3,300

16,116

1965

10

4,728

23,198

1966

1,901

5

5,843

19,278

1967

4

3,323

22,198

5,531

981

1968

-

4

1,202

23,503

12

,805

B,430

1,075

1969

-

2

926

24,343

25

,132

541

10,476

1970

1

4

1,400

14,802

9

,628

4,222

6,053

1971

-

-

1,034

11,711

9,

,489

2,825

9.414

1972

*

7

1,815

10,595

2,

,762

4,761

4,975

1973

10

3

1,494

8,724

2,

,561

1,554

2,234

1974

•

5

1,578

9,639

962

1,213

2,8ie

1975

•

4

(2,462)

( 8,172)

632

1,801

1.342

The two species are similar in appearance and have not been listed separately in the statistics, but under the collective term alewives.

The national saltwater angling surveys for 1960, 1965. and 1970 did not include recreational catches of alewives.

Foreign catches for 1975 are provisional.

Figures for 1975 in parentheses assume that unavailable l.tndinqs in N.H., Conn., and Del. equal the average of recent years.

- An unreported catch is possible.

• Less than 0.5 metric ton.

the catch is taken in spring in pound nets, as herring are returning toward Georges Bank from wintering grounds south of New Jersey. In 1967 fishermen in New Jersey were experimenting with midwater trawls to catch this species (Lo Verde 1968), and it was anticipated that short- ages of menhaden and searobins would stimulate development of a herring fishery. Apparently these at- tempts were not successful. There was no sharp increase in herring landings in New Jersey in the late 1960s, as there was in New York in 1966.

Except for the large 1966 landings in New York, which reached nearly 3,000 metric tons, the Atlantic herring fishery there was much smaller than in New Jersey. At- lantic herring have been used in New York to make pickled herring for human consumption, but the local processor has had difficulty recently in obtaining raw material.

According to Grosslein et al. (1973, see footnote 7) the Soviet Union began the offshore herring fishery in 1961, attracted by two strong year classes produced in 1960 and 1961. Poland and other countries entered the fishery in 1966 and later, and landings reached a peak of 373,000 tons in 1968, then declined (Table 4). The stock declined sharply from 1964 to 1969. Catch quotas were first im- posed in 1972. The total allowable catch for 1976 is 69,000 metric tons. Total biomass in ICNAF subareas 5 and 6 combined in 1975 was estimated at 374,000 metric tons (Hennemuth 1975)," a considerable drop from the es- timate of 4 billion pounds (1.8 million metric tons) in the period 1963-65 (Edwards 1975, see footnote 10).

Table 4. — Estimated commercial and recreational catches of Atlantic herring in the north and middle Atlantic regions of the United States coast for the period in which recreational or foreign catch estimates are available. Weights in metric tons.

Domestic comniercial

catch

Recreational catch

ICNAP Foreiqn catch

Year

NY

NJ

He-NY incl.

NJ-NC incl.

He-NY incl.

NJ-NC incl.

52„ 5Z^

6

1960

89

147

70,246

152

-

-

1961

74

96

26,318

101

67,550

1962

29

94

71,813

99

151.421

1963

39

69

70,126

77

97,102

544

1964

70

137

28,739

148

130,758

191

1965

126

113

34,152

208

136

-

39,778

1,913

1966

2,906

136

32,618

177

135,629

2,767

1967

67

24

31,165

524

213,449

4,104

1968

44

99

41,716

122

39,505 231,835

29,000

1969

60

168

31,170

197

46,375 206,366

52,166

1970

26

182

30,064

187

-

-

9,223 196.407

39,653

1971

7

33

33,944

1,150

10,403 207.796

40,530

1972

12

92

39,743

409

6,591 149,697

15,120

1973

9

52

26,009

233

14,309 169.673

13,726

1974

7

157

32,402

200

4,894 128.865

12,381

1975

56

100

(36,060)

(117)

1.179 135,624

4,701

The national saltwater angling surveys for 1960, 1965, and 1970 did not give data by individual states. New YorX was included with the New England states and New Jersey with the other middle Atlantic states.

Foreign fleets caught an additional 72,330 metric tons of Atlantic herring in 196S from Division 5Z which cannot be assigned to 5Ze or 5Zw.

Foreign catches for 1975 are provisional. The total ICNAF 1976 quota for Atlantic herring in subareas 5 and 6 was 67,000 metric tons.

Figures for 1975 in parentheses assume that unavailable landings in N.H., Conn,, and Del. equal the average of recent years.

- An unreported catch is possible.

Shrimps

New York and New Jersey have had small shrimp fisheries, but both appear to have collapsed. In New York, landings of shrimp were reported for the period 1921 to 1940 inclusive, with a maximum of about 72 met- ric tons in 1931. In New Jersey the peak year on record was 1929, with a reported catch of about 203 metric tons. No landings were reported in New Jersey from 1966 to 1971 inclusive, but small amounts were recorded in 1972 and 1973. In New York no landings were listed from 1942 to 1971 inclusive, but in 1972 a total catch of about 11 metric tons was reported. According to LoVerde (pers. commun.) these landings were grass shrimp, Palaemonetes pugio Holthuis or P. vulgaris (Say), which are used as bait by sport fishermen. Recorded commer- cial landings probably do not reflect the total catch.

New York Bight lies outside the commercially viable ranges of the two important Atlantic coast shrimp resources used as human food. The commercial shrimp of the Gulf of Maine, Pandalus borealis KrcSyer, apparently does not come south of Marthas Vineyard. Two of the three commercial species of Penaeus, P. aztecus Ives, brown shrimp, and P. setiferus (Linnaeus), white

shrimp, have been recorded as far north as Massachusetts and Fire Island, N.Y. respectively (Wil- liams 1974), but have not supported commercial fisheries north of North Carolina. Another shrimp of potential commercial importance off New York and New Jersey is Dichelopandalus leptoceras (Smith), which occurs in Long Island Sound as well as on the outer continental shelf (Wigley 1960).

SEMI-INDUSTRIAL FISHERIES

Some species are used as industrial and human food resources, as alewives and Atlantic herring sometimes have been. Quantities allocated to either purpose vary considerably, depending upon the market, availability of other food and industrial species, and other con- siderations. Red hake and silver hake are examples. Among the invertebrates, squids are used partially for in- dustrial purposes, although industrial use of squids is for bait rather than fish meal or animal food. Clams often are used as bait also, but the sport fisherman sometimes harvests his own, and this part of the catch does not enter commercial channels.

"Hennemuth. R. C. 1975. Fisheries and renewable resources of the northwest Atlantic shelf. Paper presented at .Symposium on Effects of Enerjjy-Related Activities on the Atlantic Continental Shelf, Brook- haven National Laboratory, November 197.5. 10 ms p.

Red Hake and White Hake

Red hake (also called squirrel hake or ling), Urophycis chuss (Walbaum), is somewhat similar in its dis-

tribution, migrations, and life history to silver hake. It is used to some extent as human food, but in New England usually over 90'^'r of the catch is used for industrial pur- poses (Grosslein et al. 1973, see footnote 7). In New Jer- sey only about I0'"c of the catch is used as animal food, the remainder as human food (Eugene Lo Verde pers. common.). Limited markets sometimes force buyers to limit the amounts they will purchase. A single stock of red hake occupies the Middle Atlantic Bight, most abun- dantly between Cape Cod and Hudson Canyon. Red hake on Georges Bank belong to a distinct and separate stock (Grosslein et al. 1973, see footnote 7). Red hake and white hake, Urophycis tenuis (Mitchill), (Table 5) vir- tually were unutilized until the early 1940s, when war- time shortages of animal protein created a strong de- mand (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 1945). Greatest landings in New Jersey, as in New York, were made dur- ing and just following the second world war (Figs. 6, 7). Landings dropped abruptly after 1947, rose somewhat in the middle 1950s, and have fluctuated about a level less than 500 metric tons for the last 20 yr. Landings in New York followed a somewhat similar pattern, but at lower levels than in New Jersey (Fig. 7). This increase may have been stimulated by increased demand for fish dur- ing and immediately after the war. Landings probably were considerably higher in the middle 1960s than statis- tics indicate, for the brief upsurge in landings of un- sorted and unidentified industrial species in New York (McHugh 1972a) probably was composed mainly of red hake, as was the industrial trawl catch in New England

Table 5 .--Estimated cotnmercial catches of white hake in the north and middle Atlantic regions of the United States coast 1960-1975. weights in metric tons.

Domestic

commercial

catch

Fc

ICNAP reiqn catch

Year

NY

NJ

Me-NY

incl.

NJ-NC incl.

"e ^

1960

20

2,591

34

1961

46

2,316

49

1962

49

2,546

52

1963

51

2,781

54

1964

26

3.111

26

1965

20

2,704

21

1966

22

1,603

22

1967

15

1.255

15

16

1968

14

1,261

14

-

80

1969

5

1.158

5

-

36

1970

10

1,844

10

79

177

1971

20

2,619

20

4

187 105

1972

17

2,999

17

-

191

1973

28

2.471

28

-

101 4

1974

26

3.780

26

-

196

1975

22

(3,520)

(22)

-

129

Recreational catches were included with red halce (squirrel hake) if any taken.

Foreign catches for 1975 are provisional. This species is included with the second tier quota for 1976.

figures for 1975 in parentheses assume that unavailable landings in H.H. , Conn., and Del. equal the average of recent years.

- An unreported catch is possible.

• Less than 0.5 metric ton.

(Edwards and Lux 1958). As already noted, the indus- trial trawl fishery off New Jersey took mainly searobins, but small quantities of red hake may have been included.

The fishery for white hake is relatively minor (Figs. 6, 7). The two species were not separated in statistics prior to 1933 in New Jersey and 1937 in New York. Recently, white hake landings in both states have been very small (Table 5) as are foreign catches. It is probable that some white hake are included in red hake landings.

Foreign fleets began to take red hake in the middle At- lantic region in 1963 (Table 6). In 1966 they caught over 60,000 metric tons, which was almost double the greatest total U.S. catch of this species. Domestic landings drop- ped sharply in 1966, but although foreign catches have

WHrTE HAKE

«80 90 t900 10 20 30 40 50 60 70

Figure 6.— Annual commercial landings of red hake and white hake in New Jersey 1887-1975.

WHITE HAKE

SO

O

z 5

RED AND WHITE HAKE

90 1900 10 20 90 40 90 60 70

Figure 7.— Annual commercial landings of red hake and while hake in New York 1897-1975.

10

Tible 6 —estimated commercial and recreational catches of red hake in'the north and middle Atlantic regions of the united States cc.-\st for the period in which recreational or foreign catch estimates are available, weights in metric tons.

Domestic

Recreational

ICNSF

c

OTTunercial ca

tch

catch

Foreiqn ca

tch

Me-NY

NJ-NC

He-SY

NJ-NC

Year

NY

NJ

incl.

incl.

incl.

incl.

=^v,

^^e

6

1960

190

464

3,609

474

159

159

1961

207

482

3,486

494

1962

207

349

2,678

374

1963

294

349

2,670

375

3

205

770

1964

302

285

1,692

298

3

588

8

372

1965

303

307

1,509

326

400

235

58

572

11

745

1966

180

396

671

409

82

900

25

722

1967

236

331

395

342

38

422

14

884

1968

158

185

158

192

6,833

4,536

1

865

1969

115

178

520

182

40,928

4,237

4

099

1970

128

276

721

282

-

410

4,881

1,815

850

1971

117

323

629

336

11,578

5,858

9

510

1972

182

345

938

366

19,148

39,206

15

328

1973

153

507

699

523

22,257

24,592

15

626

1974

93

405

775

418

9,766

9,423

11

603

1975

113

403

(978) (406)

1,077

14,948

10

137

The national saltwater angling surveys for 1960, 1965, and 1970 did not give data by individual states. New York was included with the New England states and Hew Jersey with the other middle Atlantic states.

Foreign catches for 1975 are provisional. The total ICNAF 1976 quota for red hake in subareas 5 and 6 was 42,000 metric tons.

Figures for 1975 in parentheses assume that unavailable landings in N.H., Conn., and Del. equal the average of recent years.

- An unreported catch is possible.

been greatly reduced, domestic commercial landings have not improved because markets are limited.

Red hake and some other species spend winter and ear- ly spring offshore at the outer edge of the continental shelf. There they have been subject to foreign fishing. Ac- cording to Edwards (1968) the fishing fleet of the USSR had been taking the available surplus prior to the spring inshore migration, and this had serious effects on domes- tic fisheries for the species. This led to bilateral agreements with the Soviet Union and Poland under which, among other things, these nations agreed not to fish for red hake and other species in zones at the edge of the shelf between 1 January and 15 April (U.S. Depart- ment of State 1970a, 1970b, 1973a, 1973b). These zones (Fig. 1) include the entire offshore boundary of New York Bight. Later, a somewhat similar agreement was con- cluded with Romania (U.S. Department of State 1973c). The total allowable catch of red hake for 1976 in ICNAF subareas 5 and 6 combined has been set at 42,000 metric tons. The estimated standing crop in 1975 is 117,000 met- ric tons (Hennemuth 1975, see footnote 11) down sharply from the period 1963-65 when the standing crop was about 694 million pounds or 315,000 metric tons ac- cording to Edwards (1975, see footnote 10).

Red hake also is of growing importance as a saltwater sport fish in the area. Reintjes and Roithmayr (1960) reported that the species ranked fifth in numbers caught in the party and charter boat fisheries of New Jersey in 1954, exceeded only by scup, black sea bass, weakfish, and bluefish. The national saltwater angling surveys es-

timated that in the area from New Jersey to Cape Hat- teras inclusive the sport catch of red hake almost tripled from 1960 to 1970, from 350,000 to 900,000 pounds (159 to 408 metric tons).

Silver Hake

Silver hake or whiting, Merluccius bilinearis (Mit- chill), has been an important commercial species in the New Jersey area since the 1920s (Fig. 8). Most of the catch is taken in otter trawls. Landings in New Jersey, as in New York (McHugh 1972a), were high in the 1940s, dropped sharply in the late 1940s, and stayed relatively low for several years. Landings in both states have risen since the early 1950s, but have fluctuated widely, per- haps partly from differences in recruitment (ICNAF 1973), but also because markets are limited and variable. The 1971 year class was strong and stock size was ex- pected to increase in all divisions of ICNAF subareas 5 and 6. New York landings of silver hake have been somewhat less than in New Jersey, but the major trends have been similar.

Graham (1968) pointed out that although silver hake was the most abundant groundfish on New England Banks, the U.S. market could absorb only a small part of the potential harvest at that time. He stated that total domestic landings had decreased since the peak in 1957 and concluded that the catch was controlled by economic forces. This is reflected in widely variable prices paid to fishermen in New York and New Jersey as well (McHugh 1976)," and in limits placed by buyers on the amount of hake they would accept.

From Nantucket Shoals through the middle Atlantic area, there is a single stock of silver hake which migrates to deep offshore waters at about 150 fathoms (273 m) in winter and moves inshore to depths less than 50 fathoms (91 m) from spring to fall (Grosslein et al. 1973, see foot- note 7). Relative abundance of this stock declined rapid- ly after 1965, but strong year classes in 1971 and 1972 were expected to increase abundance in 1973-74. Estimated maximum sustainable yield of this stock is 69,000 metric tons. The U.S. share of the quota for 1973

'■McHugh. J. L. 1976. Trends in fish prices in the New York Bight area. Manuscript in preparation.

Figure 8.— Annual commercial landings of silver hake in New Jersey 1897-1975.

11

was 25,000 tons, of which New Jersey landed 2,928 and New York 876 metric tons.

Estimated total maximum sustainable yield for ICNAF subareas 5 and 6 combined is about 150,000 met- ric tons. Total allowable catch for 1976 has been set at 103,000 metric tons. The estimated standing crop in 1975 was about 43% below the level required to produce the maximum sustainable yield (Hennemuth 1975, see foot- note 11).

Silver hake and other species important to domestic fishermen concentrate at the edge of the continental shelf in winter and early spring. Bilateral agreements with the USSR and Poland (U.S. Department of State 1970a, 1970b) provide protection for the species from 1 January to 15 April, when they are particularly vul- nerable to fishing (Fig. 1).

The decline in silver hake landings in the New York Bight area after World War 11 probably had economic causes. New Jersey fishermen apparently were unable to compete with the much larger New England fishery (LoVerde 1966), especially in Massachusetts and Maine. Most of the New Jersey catch is made in winter and spring, when higher priced species are scarce in the area. Taylor et al. (1957) suggested that general warming of coastal waters from the 1920s into the 1950s might have been responsible for the drop in silver hake landings in New York and New Jersey, which was especially noticeable in pound net catches. Low prices for silver hake have been a recurrent problem. Another com- plication has been that silver hake are used for indus- trial purposes as well as for human food. Since 1949 (Grosslein et al. 1973, see footnote 7) the proportion of the total U.S. catch of silver hake used as industrial fish has varied from 22 to 78%, the greatest percentages as- sociated with the largest catches.

Silver hake apparently is not a major recreational species in the Middle Atlantic Bight (Table 7), but in 1970 it ranked among the first 10 species taken by party boats in New York Bight (Buchanan 1972).

Squids

Squids have never been of major importance in coastal fisheries of the United States. Rathjen (1973) identified the two most abundant species in this area as long-fin- ned squid, Loligo pealei (Lesueur), and short-finned squid, Illex illecebrosus (Lesueur). Both are taken by domestic commercial fisheries in the New York Bight area, although most of the catch probably is Loligo. In New Jersey and New York most of the catch is taken by otter trawls.

Maximum landings reported in New Jersey were about 750 metric tons in 1939 (Fig. 9). Landings have been ir- regularly downward since that time (Table 8). Two major peaks occurred in New York landings, at about 750 met- ric tons in 19.39 and about 660 metric tons in 1962. In the United States squids are used mostly as bait, but cer- tain ethnic groups, especially in large cities like New York, value them as food. The highly variable landings. like those of silver hake, probably are related more to

Table 7, — Estimated conmercial and recreational catches of silver hake in the north and middle Atlantic regions of the United States coast for the period in vihich recreational or foreign catch estimates are available. Weights in metric tons.

Dooiestic commercial catch

Recreational

catch

ICNAF

Foreign ca

tch

Year

NY

HJ

He-1« incl.

NJ-HC incl.

He-Wf

incl.

NJ-NC incl.

6

1960

1

630

1.733

48.639

1.983

821

980

1961

1

192

1.670

43.805

1.883

1962

1

235

1,774

45.569

2,099

41.900

1963

1

074

1.547

40.336

1.686

103.697

4.191

1954

1

417

1.484

41.185

1.560

167.308

16.889

1965

1

514

1.692

35.706

1.750

1.902

814

281,431

17.728

1966

911

2.050

38.941

2.068

121.373

92.924

1967

1

762

2.565

28.934

2.610

70.005

18,626

1968

1

502

1.834

34.040

1.861

15

881 28.914

15.082

1969

949

1.735

18.650

1.765

50

428 16.478

7.184

1970

463

1.489

18.667

1.518

299

651

8

857 20.667

3.414

1971

480

1.790

13.267

1.958

11

577 54,143

7.785

1972

1

193

2.468

9.440

2.478

21

345 76.633

8.148

1973

876

2.925

16.387

2.933

46

936 56.509

12.081

1974

887

3.185

10.185

3.202

43

535 64.081

7.693

1975

1

179

2.933

(16.240X2.945)

11

181 58.427

22.211

The national saltwater angling surveys for 1960, 1965, and 1970 did not give data by individual states. New York was included with the New England states and New Jersey with the other middle Atlantic states.

Foreign catches for 1975 are provisional. The total ICHAF

1976 quota for silver hake in subareas 5 and 6 was 103,000 metric

tons.

Figures for 1975 in parentheses assume that unavailable landings in N.H.t Conn., and Del. equal the average of recent years.

O 7 S 6

90 BOO O 20 30 40 50

Figure 9. — Annual commercial landings of squids in New York and New Jersey 18S8-1975.

variable demand and price than to fluctuating abun- dance.

Japanese trawlers began fishing long-finned squid in the Middle Atlantic Bight about 1969 and started ex- perimental trawling for the short-finned species in 1972 (Rathjen 1973). Fleets of several other nations now take considerable quantities.

Edwards (1968) estimated that the standing crop of

12

Table 8. --Estimated commercial catch of squids in the north and middle Atlantic regions of the United States coast 1960-1975. Weights in metric tons.

Table 9. — Average annual commercial landings of food shellfishes in New Jersey for five major periods in the history of the commercial food shellf isheries of the State. Weights in metric tons.

Domestic commercial catc>

_

ICNAF Foreiqn catch

Species

lBBO-1901

1904-1926

1929-1949

1950-1970

1971-1975

He-NY

NJ-NC

Year

NY

NJ

incl.

incl.

5Z„

52e

6

American oyster

Hard clam

5, 1,

,300 ,712

4

,292 654

3^

,513

1, 317

539

1960

470

SO

1.417

223

1

,129

1,214

898

1961

538

263

1,092

434

Blue crab

413

102

423

411

996

1962

660

247

1,784

373

Soft clam

268

166

444

55

35

1963

396

361

1.613

507

Mussels

146

2B6

2

•

2

1964 1965

457 442

171 206

709 823

296 334

American lobster

65

147

202

423

544

1966

562

190

798

396

48

Scallops

9

5

107

283

172

1967

350

282

1.175

565

6

Sea scallop

241

165

1968

442

184

1,277

405

112

1.

619

Bay scallop

42

7

1969

241

170

1.116

358

3,

,724

3,

398

Squids

187

391

199

311

1970

184

160

680

365

6,

,000

9,

,000

Surf clam

1

19

151

10,651

11

,786

1971

141

93

943

289

,921

7,

,769

10,

,371

conch

B

96

55

1972

347

187

1,000

315

,116

21,

,456

21,

,841

Rock crab

10

7B

1973

244 437

265 584

1.398 1,725

356 723

11,

,123 ,459

23 22

.804 ,295

20,

25,

,139 ,289

Red crab

3

1974

* Less than 0,

,5 metric tons.

1975

258

427

(1,140)

(520)

,454

13

,291

28,

,900

The national saltwater angling surveys for 1960, 1965, and 1970 did not include recreational catches of invertebrates.

Foreign catches for 1975 are provisional. The total ICNAF

1976 quota for squids in subareas 5 and 6 was 74,000 metric tons

Figures for 1975 in parentheses assume that unavailable landings in K.H., Conn., and Del. equal the average of recent years.

Loligo was 700 million pounds (about 318,000 metric tons). Grosslein et al. (1973, see footnote 7) estimated conservatively that the average biomass in the Middle Atlantic Bight is 50,000 to 100,000 tons. The greatest catch on record, domestic and foreign, was about 57,000 metric tons in 1973. Grosslein et al. also concluded that the current rate of exploitation probably is below max- imum sustainable yield (although the 1973 catch of over 57,000 metric tons was near the lower limit of their es- timate and about 50% of their upper limit). These authors were more concerned about the effects of in- cidental catches of species like silver hake, scup, butter- fish, summer flounder, sea bass, and red hake, which are important to U.S. coastal fishermen. If the conservative estimates of squid standing crop are reasonably ac- curate, concern about the squid resource might also be warranted. The 1976 quota placed on the squid catch in ICNAF subareas 5 and 6 combined by international agreement is 74,000 tons.

FOOD FISHERIES

Trends in landings illustrated in Figure 5 have led to the assumption that the history of New Jersey's com- mercial fisheries can be divided into five relatively dis- tinct periods. Tables 9 and 10 have been based on this as- sumption. These five periods were: 1) an initial period in which catches of major species were high, or were rising to a peak (1880-1901); 2) a period (1904-26) in which catches of most species apparently were reduced, and in which only 4 yr of landings were collected; 3) a period of relative prosperity (1929-49), characterized by develop- ment of the trawl fisheries, and in the middle and late

1940s by the stimulating effects of wartime shortages of animal protein; 4) a decade of rapidly declining catches of almost all species except surf clam and striped bass (1950-70); and 5) a recent 5-yr period of increasing abun- dance and increased catches of several formerly impor- tant species. Consideration of the following discussions by species will make it clear that this division into five periods, although it is a useful generality, oversimplifies the dynamic aspects of the fisheries of New Jersey, as it did for New York (McHugh 1972a). In each period, land- ings of individual species rose and fell, as the resources upon which the fisheries were based varied in abun- dance from natural causes or from fishing, or were more or less available to the fishing fleets for a variety of reasons. Nevertheless, the five periods recognized ap- pear to provide a simplified view of the evolution of the fisheries by gears, fishing grounds, and the economics of the industry, as has been explained already.

The illustrations are based entirely on reported domes- tic commercial fishery landings. This is because es- timates of domestic recreational catches of marine resources are available only for 3 yr: 1960, 1965, and 1970 and because sport catches and foreign catches have not been reported by waters of individual states. In discus- sions of individual species, however, available infor- mation on recreational and foreign fisheries has been given due consideration.

The food fisheries of New Jersey have been dominated by American oyster and hard clam until recently. Since the late 1940s surf clam has been the major species (Tables 9, 10). Important finfishes in the 19th century were American shad, bluefish, weakfish, black sea bass, Atlantic sturgeon, and Atlantic cod. More recently, food fish landings have been dominated by scup, summer flounder, silver hake, and butterfish. But commercial catches of some important species have increased and decreased from time to time for various reasons and some species have become important to sport fishermen, so

13

Table 10. --Average annual commercial landings of major food fishes in New Jersey for five major periods in the history of the commercial food finfisheries of the State, weights in metric tons.

Species

1860-1901

1904-1926

1929-1949

1950-1970

1971-1975

American shad

4.073

914

919

323

72

Bluefish

2,733

844

598

388

451

Weak fish

2,653

5.822

3,091

528

1,440

Black sea bass

979

1,044

1,217

147

306

Atlantic

sturgeon

676

49

4

5

6

Atlantic cod

614

899

1,246

405

82

Flounders

388

749

1,356

2,204

1,708

Sunnner

1,173

2,072

1,325

Winter

64

74

51

Yellowtail

34

45

324

Witch

5

12

3

American

plaice

S

♦

•

Eels

309

135

111

45

97

American

40

94

Conger

5

3

Butterfish

217

1.060

1,489

755

418

White perch

209

72

35

40

44

Striped bass

159

29

53

147

225

American bonito

121

362

212

18

1

Scup

74

1,000

2,711

4,155

1,899

Croaker and

spot

63

1,032

1,462

58

95

Croaker

839

1,306

37

87

Spot

193

156

21

8

Carp

52

147

82

38

29

Hakes

24

209

429

316

420

Red hake

289

397

White hake

27

23

Silver hake

21

1.656

2,309

1,430

2,661

Atlantic

mackerel

5

382

1,631

234

537

Atlantic bluefin

tuna

50

22

337

799

Tilefish

4

25

252

individual flounder catches do not agree with total flounder catch in the period 1929-1949 because flounders were not recorded by species prior to 1937. In the period 1971-1975 some unclassified flounder catches are included in the total flounder catch.

* Less than 0.5 metric ton.

that commercial landings as an index of total catch exag- gerate declines. Growth of saltwater sport fishing also has introduced difficult sociopolitical complications.

Some of the changes in abundance or availability of food fishes as indicated by trends in commercial landings can be explained with some confidence, but much of the interpretation is speculative at best. Scientists generally are much more aware of the complications and uncer- tainties than laymen are, and less likely to be sure about the causes of variations in the catch. When they are reasonably certain, scientists are likely to view the situa- tion differently than laymen do, and when scientists are uncertain, they are less likely to take sides or to make simplified assertions. This tends to exacerbate, rather than alleviate, objective appraisal of the situation and rational interpretation and solution of problems. One way of putting it is to say that, for the most part, in fish- ery management the democratic process leads to identifi-

cation of the wrong problems and the wrong solutions (McHugh 1972b).

Recreational fisheries in marine coastal waters of the United States have clearly increased in importance, es- pecially as growing prosperity and leisure time have provided opportunities for recreation. However, sport fishing was a popular pastime in certain areas in the 1880s also (Earll 1887; Mather 1887). On the New Jersey coast Barnegat Bay and Atlantic City were favorite sport fishing centers, and it was reported that recreational fishermen gave so much of their catch to local residents that markets for commercial catches were poor. Sport fishing was also popular at many points on Long Island. Mather (1887) in fact included recreational and subsis- tence catches in his estimates of the New York catch, which means that his figures are not comparable with later statistics.

Recreational fishing without a doubt has competed significantly with commercial fishing for the available stocks of some species in coastal waters. Declines in com- mercial catches of some resources may have been balanc- ed by increased catches by recreational fishermen. Ex- istence of substantial sport fisheries for some species greatly complicates the problem of obtaining adequate information for management, and for establishing effec- tive management measures if a scientific basis for management is available. Gathering reasonably ac- curate statistics on recreational catch and effort, and en- forcement of regulations on saltwater sport fishing, will be extremely difficult and costly. But, even in the ab- sence of sport fishing, e.g., as in the Pacific sardine and Atlantic menhaden fisheries, it has not been possible to prevent overfishing. Moreover, in many domestic marine commercial fisheries it is questionable whether reasonably accurate statistics have been gathered, or ever will be possible, under our permissive democratic system of government.

Because it illustrates rather nicely the evolution of coastal fisheries and the inability of government to manage harvesting of common-property or open-access fishery resources, the ensuing discussion by species has been arranged chronologically in terms of the decade in which New Jersey landings of each resource reached a maximum. Within each decade the resources are ar- ranged in descending order of importance by maximum weight landed. The order of discussion follows the order of arrangement of species in Table 11, but the table also includes all species or groups of species that have been reported at any time as landed in New Jersey. Only about one-third of these species have been selected for discussion. For comparison, a similar table by decades is given for New York (Table 12).

American Oyster

Historically. American oyster, Crassostrea virginica (Gmelin), has been one of the most important fishery resources of the Middle Atlantic Bight, whether its im- portance is reckoned by weight or by value. Value ex- pressed in dollars is not a good criterion because the real

14

Table 11 . --Maximum historic conmercial landings of all fish and shellfish species reported for New Jersey. Species are arranged chronologically by the decade in which maximum landings were reported, and in descending order by weight within each decade. This is the order in which species discussions have been arranged.

Maximum

landings

in metric tons

McUCimum

landings

in metric tons

American oyster

8

318

1887

Bluefish

4

214

1890

Atlantic sturgeon

1

670

1888

Sheepshead

28

1887

Pike or pickerel

14

1888

Mussels

1

143

1897

Carp

356

1897

Yellow Derch

227

1891

Taotog

131

1897

Suckers

64

1897

Black bass

5

1892

American shad

6

364

1901

Weak fish

5

431

1901

Alewives

1

688

1901

Unclassified eels (probably mostly American eel)

618

1901

White perch

577

1901

Atlantic tomcod

120

1901

catfish and bullheads

117

1901

Haddock

103

1901

Drums

103

1904

Round herring

60

1904

Striped mullet

43

1901

Rainbow smelt

4

1904

Available records show no peak catch in this period.

1921-1930

Atlantic cod

3,529

1930

Horseshoe crab

2.589

1929

Shrimp

203

1929

Unclassified sharks

90

1930

Black drxim

31

1921

Hickory shad

13

1921

Minnows

8

1930

Cusk

5

1929

Haqfish-^

3

1930

1931-1940

Atlantic croaker

3,342

1935

Butter fish

2,613

1939

Blue crab

2,200

1939

Squids

751

1939

Atlantic bonito

682

1940

American eel

123

1937

Spanish mackerel

107

1931

Northern kingfish

72

1939

King mackerel

68

1937

Crayfish

46

1938

Pollock

46

1938

Red snapper

25

1937

Cero

23

1937

Sandworms

13

1935

Mummichog

12

1933

B loodworms

11

1935

Grouper

10

1937

Crevalle

3

1933

Atlantic silverside

3

1931-32

Pig fish

2

1931

Pompano

2

1935

Atlantic mackerel

8.648

1949

Silver hake

4,189

1945

Bed hake

2,536

1947

Atlantic herring

2,446

1947

Hard clam

2,307

1950

Soft clam

1,474

1948

Chub mackerel

1,474

1948

Spot

595

1943

Harvestfish

162

1943

Skates and rays

146

1942

White hake

143

1943

Atlantic wolffish

86

1948

Frigate mackerel

77

1944

American plaice

15

1943

Gizzard shad

10

1948

Ocean pout

8

194 3

Pilotfish

8

1949

Pinfish

7

1944

Red drum

7

1942

Silver perch

4

1945

Grunts

3

1150

Atlantic menhaden

220.552

1956

Scup

7,080

1953

Black sea bass

4,176

1952

Summer flounder

3.678

1958

Little tunny

328

1952

Unclassified food fishes

287

1951

Searobins

124

1959

Goose fish

35

1951

Conger eel

21

1953

Amber jack

3

1957

Surf clam

19,584

1966

Unclassified industrial fishes

6.607

1967

Bluefin tuna

1,3 98

1970

Sea scallop

860

1965

American lobster

832

1970

Sword fish

454

1965

Striped bass

452

1964

Conch

238

1963

Winter flounder

199

1966

Bay scallop

171

1964

Northern puffer

73

1963

Rock crab

36

1969

Witch flounder

25

1967

Yellowtail flounder

588

1971

Tilefish

434

1975

In addition, the following species produced maximum landing; (1929). dolphin (1930). periwinkles (1932). cunner (1935), Amei 1942). razor clam (1947). tarpon (1962. 1968). redfish (1963).

of I metric ton or less: Atlantic salmon (1901. 1904)1''. jewfish (1929). wahoo ican sand lance (1935). banded rudderfish (1937). angelfish (1940). cobia (1940, and white marlin (1965).

1^/ This may have been a misprint for hogfish.

2/ Atlantic salmon was virtually eliminated by 1800. The maximum catch obviously predates the statistical series from which these figures were drawn

15

Table 12."Maxi[Dum historic coinnerclal landings of all fish and shellfish species reported for New York State, Species are arranged chronologically by the decade in which maximum landings were reported, and In descending order by weight within each decade.

Maxiinunt landings in metric tons Year

Species

Maximum

landings

in metric tons

Atlantic menhaden

American shad

-'131,059 ( 98,159)

1880 (1904)

1921-1930 (cont.)

Soft clam

i'1.546

1860

t 716)

(1890)

Unspecified eels (probably mostly American eel)

791

1889

Blue crab

Minnows

256

1888

Searoblns

227

1888

Atlantic toncod

140

1890

White perch

114

1887

Striped mullet

87

1889

King mackerel

64

1890

Tautog

83

1889

Spanish maclterel

35

1690

Sheepshead

10

1890

Horseshoe crab

10

1887

Atlantic sturgeon

194

1897

Pike or pickerel

4

1891

American oyster

9,108

1904

Bluefish

5.177

1904

Weakfish

5.059

190B

Mussels

3,708

1908

Suckers

99

1901

Tidewater silverside

90

1908

Catfish and bullheads

79

1901

Skates and rays

76

1918

Striped killifiah

64

1901

Miscellaneous bait

30

1908

Sunf ish

6

1901

Available records show no peak catch in this period.

Haddock Tilefish Spot Carp

Sword fish Bloodworms Sandworms Hickory shad Rainbow smelt

Atlantic cod Winter flounder Butterf ish Squids Pollock

7.720

1926

1.199

1929

198

1926

192

1921

147

1929

34

1929

26

1929, 1930

10

1921

4

1929

3.974

1938

3.067

1938

2,380

1939

745

1939

350

1933

1951-1960

Red fish

Atlsmtic croaker

Chub mackerel

Shrimp

Sand shrimp

Bluefin tuna

Cusk

Witch flounder

Horthem kingfish

Atlantic halibut

American sand lance

Banded rudderfish

Yellow perch

Red snapper

Grouper

Yellowtail flounder Hard clam Surf clant Silver hake Sea scallop Atlantic mackerel Northern puffer Red hake White hake

Unclaaalf led food fishes Atlantic bonlto Conch

Conger eel Atlantic sllvereide Ocean pout American plaice Frigate mackerel Striped anchovy Little tunny Gooeef ish

Unclassified sharks Atlantic wolffish

Scup

Sunoner flounder

Black sea bass

American eel

Catfish and bullheads

184

1939

183

1940

135

1940

72

1931

71

1940

67

1938

61

1932

40

1937

37

1940

24

1933

17

1932

16

1940

13

1937

2

1938

2

1938

391

1942

686

1947

940

1946

686

1943

180

1950

663

1947

065

1945

576

1946

369

I'M 3

240

1949

227

1941

173

1943

138

1944

136

19''.r)

131

194 3

78

1944

73

1943

72

1950

45

1949

42

1944

16

1943

13

1946

4

1946

6

495

1958

1

932

1956

1

267

1951

16S

1951

32

1951

1961-1970

Unclassified industri fishes

al

53

486

1964

Atlantic herring

2

905

1966

Alewives

1

899

1966

Bay scallop

449

1962

crayfish

89

1967

Razor clan

7

1967

1971-1975

American lobster

812

1971

Striped bass

75<»

1973

In addition, Che following species produced maximum landings of I metric ton or 1926). pllotfish (1926), drums (1926, 1932. 1933), rock crab (1929. 1930). pigfish (1943). white marlin (1945), dolphin (1948. 1949). and crappie (1952. 1956).

less; Atlantic salmon (IWliK cero (1901). pompano (1921 (1932). red drum (1937), black drum (1939. 1942). blue runn

U Estimated landings in New York In 1880 included figures on recreational and ^uhsistence catches, and thus probably are exaggerated in comparison with figures for later years, and possibly also for New Jersey. When peak landings of a specie.'^ fell In 1880 the next highest year is given in parentheses.

2/ Atlantic salmon was virtually eliminated by 1800 The maximum catch ohuiouslv i>rcdaies the stfltisiical series from which these figures were drawn.

16

value of the dollar changes with time. A study based on standard dollars is in progress (McHugh 1976, see foot- note 12) but for purposes of this discussion the relative importance of oyster and other species will be expressed in weight landed. By this criterion, maximum oyster production in New Jersey has been exceeded only by At- lantic menhaden, surf clam, and Atlantic mackerel (Table 11). This comparison is not completely parallel, however, because oyster landings have been expressed in weights of meats, shells excluded (Table 13), whereas menhaden and mackerel have been reported as weight in the round (live weight).

In the 1880s (Earll 1887) a fairly important oyster in- dustry operated as far up Plaritan Bay as Keyport and Perth Amboy. Oyster fisheries also were important in Newark Bay. Along the ocean coast of New Jersey, Shrewsbury was a well-known oyster producing area, us- ing seed transplanted from Keyport. The center of oyster production in New Jersey at that time, however, was in Delaware Bay at Maurice Cove. Oysters were abundant in all suitable places in Delaware Bay and the estuary to at least 50 miles up the Bay from Cape May, even in deep water, and in various bays along the ocean coast of New Jersey.

In New York waters in the 1880s (Mather 1887) the oyster industry was concentrated at the western end of Long Island, especially in Little Neck and Oyster bays on the Long Island Sound side and Jamaica, Sheepshead, and Great South bays on the south shore. Bluepoints and Rockaway oysters were already well-established trade names. At the eastern end of Long Island oyster produc- tion was small, although some experimental plantings were being tried. Most seed oysters came from bays along the Connecticut shore, but some local sets were ob- tained. Generally, however, setting was unreliable in New York waters. Seed planted in Hempstead Harbor was imported from the south. The relatively important oyster industry of Little Neck Bay obtained its seed from the East River, which is now badly polluted. In most bays along the north shore of Long Island, planting grounds were leased to oystermen by the towns, but in Little Neck Bay there was no such arrangement. There, planters staked out grounds although they had no legal claim, but according to Mather these appropriated rights were respected. In contrast, in Oyster Bay, where the Town leased grounds to private planters, some refused to pay rental fees and defended their claims by force.

Oyster production in New Jersey, as in New York, has been dropping irregularly but steadily since records have been kept (Fig. 10). Landings were variable, but ap- parently highest, in the period up to 1931. Some of the short-term fluctuations in oyster production during this period undoubtedly were in response to economic con- ditions, for in the absence of unusual and catastrophic environmental conditions the crop can be held on the bottom for sale when prices are favorable. This could ac- count for the rather wide fluctuations in reported land- ings in the period 1880-1936. In New Jersey, as in New York (McHugh 1972a), the oyster industry prospered from the early 1930s to the early 1950s. The similarity is

T.ible 13. --Estimated commercial landings of American oyster in the north and middle Atlantic regions of the United States coast 1960-1975. Weights of meats in metric tons.

North

Atlantic reqton

Middle Atlantic region

Year

He-NY

incl.

NY only

NJ-NC incl.

NJ only

1960

594(5

826)

368(3

603)

13,005(127.455)

76 ( 744)

1961

563(5

512)

358(3

505)

13.536(132.653)

499(4.886)

1962

464(4

543)

331(3

241)

10.222(100.176)

705(6.913)

1963

384(3

760)

179(1

752)

8.856( 86.790)

234(2.291)

1964

185(1

all)

97 (

950)

10.872(106.550)

498(4.876)

1965

245(2

399)

91 (

891)

10.255(100.498)

237(2.321)

1966

266(2

605)

80 (

783)

10.295(100.890)

316(3.094)

1967

193(1

889)

46(

451)

12,430(121,815)

466(4.563)

1968

169(1

645)

79 (

773)

11.088(108.664)

598(5.865)

1969

166(1

626)

97 (

950)

10.722(105.071)

481(4.710)

1970

322(3

153)

236(2

311)

11.769(115.332)

303(3.006)

1971

439(4

298)

353(3

4 56)

12.312(120.659)

385(3.770)

1972

541(5

297)

505(4

945)

12.137(118.945)

777(7.617)

197 3

671(6

580)

631(6

139)

11.922(116.840)

633(6.208)

1974

976(9

.565)

705(6

.909)

12.141(118.982)

458(4.496)

1975

996(9

.761)

956(9

.369)

10.385(101.774)

441(4.322)

The national saltwater angling surveys for 1960. 1965. and 1970 did not include recreational catches of invertebrates.

Live weights are given in parentheses for comparability with ICNAF statistics.

S 5

°4k

1880 90 1900 10

Figure 10.— Annual commercial landings of American oyster in New Jerse.v 1880-1975.

interesting, because in New York the oyster industry is privately controlled, either on leased bottom or on grounds owned outright, whereas in New Jersey the State controls seed production. In New Jersey, production of oyster meats remained fairly steady for nearly 20 yr, from about 1932 to 1953. The rather sharp collapse in the late 1950s was caused by disease, Minchinia nelsoni (Haskin et al. 1966), formerly known as MSX. This organism also is believed to be present on some Long Island oyster beds (Merrill and Tubiash 1970). Mjst oyster production in New Jersey now comes from Delaware Bay, hence can- not be attributed to the region defined here as New York Bight. Recently (Harold Haskin, pers. commun.), suc- cessful setting has increased the supply of seed oysters, and there is some hope that production will improve. Whether the industry has learned any lessons that will allow it to improve oystering practices and avoid the con- ditions that led to the decline remains to be seen. Recovery from the low point in 1960, when only about 76 metric tons of meats were produced in New Jersey, has been hampered by periodic closure of the Delaware River

17

seed beds by the State, poor quality of oysters, con- tinued heavy mortality, and competition from other states (LoVerde 1965-72).

In New York also, production of oyster meats dropped sharply in the early depression years of the 1930s, but soon recovered, and remained fairly steady until 1950. Subsequently, weights of meats produced dropped sharply to an historic low, as happened in New Jersey in the late 1950s. Most of the decline of the oyster industry in New York has been attributed not to disease, but to a massive invasion of sea stars, Asterias forbesi (Desor), a serious shellfish predator. Through application of scien- tific culture techniques the industry in New York has shown substantial recovery, from an all-time low of 46 metric tons of meats in 1967 to almost 1,000 tons in 1975 (Table 13).

Bluefish

Landings of bluefish, Pomatomus saltatrix (Lin- naeus), in New Jersey have followed a pattern similar to that in New York. Reported commercial catches were highest at about the turn of the century and the trend has been fairly steadily downward, with resurgences in the early 1930s and recently (Fig. 11). Bluefish is notably variable in abundance, but the reasons for these fluc- tuations are not known. It is probable that, in common with other highly migratory pelagic oceanic fishes, bluefish respond to changes in oceanographic conditions and are not always available on their inshore summer feeding grounds in constant proportion to their total abundance.

Bluefish was an abundant species in the 1880s in the New York Bight area, Mather (1887) said that it was in- creasing in abundance at that time. The species also was important recreationally.

Bluefish is a popular sport fish in New York Bight and estimated catches are much greater than commercial catches. Thus, the decline in abundance suggested by commercial landings may be more apparent than real. Table 14 shows that recreational and commercial catches of bluefish have been increasing since 1960. Although sport catch estimates are not available by states, the recreational catch is apparently much larger than the commercial catch. This is probably true despite the general view that sport catches may be exaggerated and

Table 14 .--Estunated commercial and recreational catches of bluefish in the north and middle Atlantic regions of the United states coast for the period in which recreational or foreign catch estimates are available. Weights in metric tons.

Recreational

ICNRF

Domestic ccnmercia «e-OT

1 catch NJ-NC

catch

Foreign catch

Me-NY NJ-NC

Year

NY

NJ

incl.

incl.

incl. incl.

5Z^ 5Z^ 6

1960

188

201

212

544

5,040 11,726

1961

229

210

265

692

1962

344

496

424

1,199

1963

316

374

399

1,057

1964

306

246

394

660

1965

470

395

611

810

28,715 7,219

1966

424

458

539

947

1967

250

228

345

693

1968

262

347

366

916

1969

508

309

670

829

1970

726

483

988

1,032

22,753 22,553

1971

550

444

834

1.046

6 17

1972

455

368

684

1,477

2 16

1973

640

403

868

2,722

196 6

1974

484

455

728

3,132

14 68 17

1975

404

581

(639)

(3,090)

86

leeo 90

Figure II.— Annual commprcial landings of bluefish in New Jersey

I8S0-I97.'5.

The national saltwater angling surveys for 1960, 1965, and 1970 did not give data by individual states. New York was included with the New England states and New Jersey with the other middle Atlantic states .

Foreign catches for 1975 are provisional. This species is included with the second tier quota for 1976.

Figures for 1975 in parentheses assume that unavailable landings in N.H., Conn., and Del. equal the average of recent years.

- An unreported catch is possible.

commercial catches underestimated. Bluefish is the most important saltwater sport fish in the Bight, in total num- bers and weight of the catch.

Bluefish have not been reported in foreign catches in the area until recently. In 1972 it was reported that foreign fleets took 18 metric tons in ICNAF subarea 5. In 1973, in division 5Z, 196 metric tons were reported as caught by foreign fleets, and 6 tons in subarea 6; in 1974 the total catch in subareas 5 and 6 was 99 metric tons. Bluefish are sometimes taken in domestic commercial trawl catches off southern New England in winter, and unusual numbers were taken in the Chesapeake winter trawl fishery in the winters of 1970 and 1971 (Grosslein et al. 1973, see footnote 7). They also are occasionally, al- though rarely, taken in scientific groundfish surveys at depths to about 275 m (Grosslein et al. 1973, see foot- note 7). There is little doubt that bluefish have been un- usually abundant recently and it is not surprising that they have been caught in places and by gears that usual- ly do not take significant numbers, if any. It seems un- likely that the domestic bluefish fisheries are sig- nificantly affected by foreign fishing.

Atlantic Sturgeon

The history of sturgeon fisheries around the world is a history of early great abundance, followed very soon by virtual collapse of the fishery. In New Jersey average an- nua! landings of Atlantic sturgeon, Acipenser oxyrhyn- chus Mitchill, were about 1,600 metric tons for the 3 yr 1887 to 1889 inclusive. The succeeding 7 yr of record from

18

1890 to 1908 inclusive produced an average catch of only about 175 metric tons per year, and although small catches have been reported up to the present time, they have not exceeded 12 metric tons since 1908 (Fig. 12). Shortnose sturgeon, A. brevirostrum Lesueur, also may appear in the catch.

New York landings of sturgeon apparently have never been as large as in New Jersey, probably because the State has only one major coastal river, whereas New Jer- sey borders on two. The greatest New York catch on record was 1897, about 194 metric tons. Subsequent land- ings have been small, about the same magnitude as in New Jersey. The rapid early decline in abundance may have had the same cause as in the Great Lakes (Hark- ness and Dymond 1961), where destruction of the resource was deliberate, as many fishermen killed stur- geon to avoid damage to gill nets set for other species. In

:l

18

■ ,/]

12

o 10

N. J

a

S B

z 2

0

,

V - •■ - ,_^

New Jersey the decline occurred before 1890 (Fig. 12). It testifies to the remarkable resilience of fishery resources that sturgeon has been able to avoid extinction from at- trition by incidental and probably some illegal catches, water pollution, and other effects of man's activities, and that small catches continue to this day (Table 15). Short- nose sturgeon is fairly abundant in the Hudson River (W. L. Dovel pers. commun.).

Sea Mussels

At least two species of sea mussel, belonging to the genera Mytilus and Modiolus, have been harvested com- mercially in the New York Bight region. The major species is the blue or edible mussel, Mytilus edulis Lin- naeus. Landings in New Jersey have never been very large (Fig. 13), nor have they been in New York, except /or a catch of almost 4,000 metric tons of meats reported in 1908. The maximum catch in New Jersey was about 1,144 metric tons in 1897 (Fig. 13), but in most years land- ings have been much smaller than this. During the sec-

Figure 13.— Annual commercial landings of sea mussels, probably mostly blue mussel, in New Jersey 1891-1975.

Figure 12.— Annual commercial landings of Atlantic sturgeon in New York and New Jersey 1880-1975.

Table 16. --Estimated cewmercial landings of sea mussels, probably mostly blue mnssel. in the north and middle Atlantic regions of the United states coast 1960-1975. Weights of meats in metric tons.

Table 15 .--Estimated commercial landings of Atlantic sturgeon in the north and middle Atlantic regions of the United States coast 1960-1975. Weights in metric tons.

North Atlantic

region

Middle

Atlant

ic region

Year

He

-NY incl.

NY or

ly

NJ

-NC incl.

NJ only

1960

15

7

27

3

1961

11

4

37

7

1962

13

5

38

9

1963

10

2

31

6

1964

14

5

35

6

1965

8

3

68

7

1966

12

7

52

e

1967

10

5

29

4

1968

9

5

33

4

1969

10

5

74

3

1970

12

6

30

e

1971

7

3

49

5

1972

5

2

82

5

1973

e

I

45

8

1974

6

3

53

5

1975

(4)

2

(32)

6

North Atlantic region

Middle Atlant

ic region

Year

Me-HY incl

NY only

NJ-NC incl.

NJ only

1960

231( 807)

6(

22)

-

-

1961

287(1,006)

8(

29)

-

-

1962

269( 941)

12(

43)

-

-

1963

364(1,273)

34 (

lie)

-

-

1964

145( 507)

57(

199)

•( 1)

•( I)

1965

217( 761)

134 (

469)

•( 1)

*( 1)

1966

247 ( 866)

52(

183)

8(29)

8(29)

1967

365(1,276)

13(

44)

-

-

1968

317(1,111)

94 (

329)

-

-

1969

505(1,769)

306(1

,071)

-

-

1970

303(1,060)

91(

318)

-

-

1971

307(1,074)

144 (

505)

-

-

1972

352(1.232)

225(

788)

-

-

1973

511(1,788)

311(1

088)

-

-

1974

359fl,256)

219(

766)

3(10)

3(10)

1975

427(1.496)

48 (

168)

7(24)

7(24)

No recreational or foreiqn catches of sturgeon were reported.

Figures for 1975 in parentheses assume that unavailable landings in N.H., Conn., and Del. equal the average of recent years.

The national saltwater angling surveys for 1960, 1965. and 1970 did not include recreational catches of invertebrates.

Live weights are given in parentheses for comparabilitv with ICNAF statistics,

- An unrecorded catch is possible.

* Less than 0.5 metric ton.

19

ond world war, landings in both states rose, especially in New York, as mussels were sought as a source of Vitamin A, but this use was soon ended by development of syn- thetic vitamins. There is a small but steady demand by certain ethnic groups which appreciate the fine flavor of mussels, and these landings have increased somewhat recently (Table 16). If demand were greater, it is almost certain that by wise management of harvesting the natural resource, or by mariculture, the yield could be in- creased considerably.

Tautog

100 75 50 25

V)

i 0

u ISO a:

i '"

100 76 50 25

J^-

.--^

^

./•x^'VWs'V^^.

Tautoga onitis (Linnaeus), tautog, is of minor com- mercial importance in the New York Bight region, but of considerable recreational importance (Table 17), es- pecially in the region from New York north. Earll (1887) did not mention tautog as an important species in New Jersey in the 1880s, but Mather (1887) listed it among important species in Long Island Sound. The species is listed by ICNAF under the category "Other ground- fish," but this probably is to accommodate the U.S. catch, for the species is not known to move in significant numbers beyond 12 miles from the coast (Bigelow and Schroeder 1953). Commercial catches in New York and New Jersey apparently have been declining in the long run (Fig. 14). New Jersey commercial landings have almost always been larger than in New York except recently.

Tautog is a relatively nonmigratory coastal species with specialized habitat preferences. Commercial catches are taken mostly by pots and traps in New Jer-

Table 17. — Estljnated conunercial and recreational catches of tautog in the north and middle Atlantic regions of the united States coast 1960-1975. weights in metric tons.

North Atlantic

region

Middl

e Atlantic reaion

Year

Commercial Bee Me-ffY NY incl. only

reational Me-NY incl.

Commercial Recreational NJ-NC NJ NJ-NC incl. only incl.

1960

55

5

4,790

21

12

4,454

1961

46

5

17

15

1962

50

4

29

24

1963

51

4

26

25

1964

47

9

18

17

1965

42

12

5,014

19

16

69

1966

79

35

9

8

1967

57

37

9

9

1966

65

39

9

8

1969

55

19

6

5

1970

63

35

7,090

10

9

735

1971

55

22

6

6

1972

57

18

14

14

1973

56

22

11

10

1974

59

25

14

10

1975

(95)

50

(16)

15

The national saltwater angling surveys for 1960, 1965. and 1970 did not give data by individual states. New York was included with the Now England states and New Jersey with the other middle Atlantic states.

Figures for L97S in parentheses assume that un.ivailable landings in N.H., conn., and Del. equal the average of recent years.

Figure 14. — Annual commercial landings of tautog in New York and New Jersey 1887-1975.

sey, pound nets in New York, incidental to catches of other species. There is no evidence that the resource is in poor condition. Catches in the middle Atlantic area appear to be extremely variable, as might be expected with a species near the southern limit of its range.

American Shad

Once one of the most popular food fishes of the Atlan- tic coast, American shad, Alosa sapidissima (Wilson), has declined to relatively minor importance in the New York Bight area.

In upper New York Bay and Newark Bay as well as in the Hudson, one of the most important fisheries in the 1880s was for American shad. Demand for shad in this area, and prices, were said to have declined because the fish had oily flavors (Mather 1887), but shad also were said to be less abundant than formerly. A few shad were caught even in some bays along the south shore of Long Island.

The history of commercial landings in New Jersey is similar to the trend in New York, although landings in New Jersey have been considerably higher. This is un- derstandable, because most shad taken in New York waters come from the Hudson River, while New Jersey fishermen can fish in two major rivers, the Hudson and the Delaware. Most of the time more than half the weight of shad landed in New Jersey comes from the Hudson. In New Jersey, as in New York, commercial shad landings have shown two major peaks, one at the turn of the cen- tury and one in the 1940s (Fig. 15). The decline from about 1900 to the 1920s was caused by overfishing, water pollution, and construction of dams, but overfishing was believed to be the principal cause (U.S. Fish and Wild- life Service 1945). The increase which began about 1935 and reached a peak in the 1940s, in New York as well as in New Jersey, was caused by the management program in the Hudson River, which, by reducing fishing effort, allowed more fish to reach the spawning grounds. In part, the second peak was generated by the second world war, when regulations were relaxed to increase the supply of protein. A similar maximum in the 1940s shows in Con- necticut shad landings also. The subsequent drop in

20

h

,•1

- /' ''

fe5

- --^

S2

:/' ^-..^^ vX

Figure 15.— Annual commercial landings of American shad in New Jersey 1880-1975.

catches probably was the result of overfishing during the war, as had been concluded for the New York fishery (Burdick 1954). But continued declines in catches of shad in New York waters apparently had economic rather than biological causes and this probably also was true for New Jersey. The condition of the shad resource of the Hudson River and the circumstances leading to the continued decline of the fishery in New York have been examined in detail by Medeiros (1975). In the Delaware Bay area, as in the Hudson River, fishermen say that shad prices reach their peak in the Philadelphia market before the Delaware River run begins. Low prices often force fishermen to stop fishing before the run hits its peak (Eugene LoVerde pers. commun.).

American shad has become a popular sport fish. Reported catches are about as large as commercial

Table 18. — Estimated commercial and recreational catches of American shad in the north and middle Atlantic regions of the united States coast 1960-1975. Weights in metric tons.

North Atlantic

reqion

Middle Atlant

Commercial NJ-NC NJ incl. only

-ic reqion

Year

Commercial Me-NY NY incl. only

Recreational Me-NY incl.

Recreational NJ-NC incl.

1960

386

190

-

i.aia

355

-

1961

386

138

2.059

287

1962

324

110

2,340

218

1963

239

92

1,984

201

1964

209

64

2,159

195

1965

233

60

656

2,663

178

1,476

1966

163

37

2,070

110

1967

394

51

1,839

113

1966

156

57

2,088

109

1969

153

62

2,025

85

1970

133

4B

284

2,863

89

1,919

1971

64

33

1,480

46

1972

119

47

1,701

119

1973

65

(40)

1,601

65

1974

(135)

(40)

1,038

55

1975

(55)

(40)

( 763)

55

The national saltwater angling surveys for 1960, 1965, and 1970 did not give data by individual states. New Yorlt was included with the New England states and New Jersey with the other middle Atlantic states

Recreational catches of shad were not recorded in 1960.

In 1973 a foreign catch of 308 metric tons of American shad was reported in subdivision 5ze. No other foreign catches have been reported, but incidental catches are probable.

Shad landings for N.Y. are incomplete after 1972. It was assumed that about 40 metric tons were landed in each of the last three years.

Figures for 1975 in parentheses assume that unavailable landings in N.H,, Conn., and Del. equal the average of recent years.

catches (Table 18). Commercial catches show substan- tial declines since 1960, but sport catch estimates are less revealing. Estimates for shad were not given in the 1960 sport fishing survey. Estimates for 1965 and 1970 show an increase in shad catches in the middle Atlantic region and a drop in the North Atlantic. But the combined fig- ures suggest a relatively stable sport catch, which may mean that recreational fishermen are taking an increas- ing share of the total shad catch. Present concern about PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyls) in the Hudson River will affect recreational and commercial fisheries.

A foreign shad catch of 308 metric tons was reported in division 5Ze in 1973. Incidental catches are occasionally made by domestic trawlers operating close to shore.

Weakfish

Cynoscion regalis (Bloch and Schneider) was a popular food fish in the early fishery. In the 1880s weakfish was taken in Upper New York Bay in fykes and gill nets, and was one of the principal species from May to November along the northern New Jersey seacoast and in Delaware Bay (Earll 1887). In New York waters weakfish was an important recreational as well as a commercial species in Long Island Sound (Mather 1887). At the eastern end of Long Island weakfish was said to be more abundant in the 1880s than the 1870s. It also was an important sport and commercial species along the south shore and at the western end of Long Island. Commercial landings in New Jersey apparently remained relatively high for more than 30 yr, beginrting about 1897. The trend in commercial catches has been downward since about 1921 (Fig. 16), but the catch has been highly variable, as is characteris- tic of most fishes of coastal waters, and the three major dips in New Jersey landings, in 1926, 1933, and 1940, were followed rather quickly by major recoveries, al- though the general trend was downward. Perlmutter (1959) found that in the period 1930-49 weakfish on the average was the second most important food fish in com- mercial catches in the area from New York to Virginia. McHugh and Bailey (1957) showed that, over the period 1929 to 1946 inclusive, weakfish was more than three times as abundant in Virginia waters in 1936 as in 1933 and 1940, and that by 1946 abundance was less than one- seventh of the peak year 1936.

For nearly two decades no substantial recovery in abundance followed the low year 1950. In 1964 (LoVerde 1965) large numbers of young weakfish appeared off the southern New -lersey coast, and small weakfish, mostly too small to market, were abundant for the next few years. In 1969, this strong year class or year classes began to appear in the fishery, and commercial and recreational catches have been increasing more or less steadily in New Jersey and New York waters, as they have been in the Middle Atlantic Bight generally. Weak- fish are said to have returned in abundance to Delaware Bay about 3 yr before abundance increased along the ocean coast of New Jersey (Paul Hamer pers. commun.), but this is reflected neither in commercial landings in

21

I- S3

.;

Figure 16. — Annual commercial landings of weakfish in New Jersey

1880-1975.

and that declining catches in the 1950s and 1960s represented a real decline in abundance. Two things suggest, this and lack of effective management measures suggest that the present period of abundance probably will be temporary.

Weakfish, a coastal species, migrates north and south but does not move far offshore. There is no record of foreign catches.

Eels

that State nor in landings for the entire middle Atlantic region (Table 19). According to Boone (1976) the recent increase in abundance of weakfish along the coast was caused by a strong year class born in 1969. He reported another dominant year class in 1975. As might be ex- pected of a species of southern origin, weakfish landings in New York almost always have been substantially less than in New Jersey. Young weakfish recently have been taken in the Hudson River (W. L. Dovel pers. commun.). Recreational catches of weakfish in the two statistical regions that meet at New York Bight have been es- timated to exceed the commercial catch and the in- crease in sport catches has been relatively greater (Table 19). It is reasonable to conclude that recreational fisher- men probably are taking an increasing share of the total catch and that the resource has increased in abundance recently from natural causes. Thus, the apparent down- ward trend in total abundance may not be real, and the decline in commercial catches probably has been offset by increased recreational catches. Nevertheless, it is clear that this resource fluctuates widely in abundance,

Table 19. --Estmated conmercial and recreational catches of weakfish in the north and middle Atlantic regions of the united States coast 1960-1975. weights in metric tons.

North Atlantic region

Middle

Atlantic

region

Came He-NY incl.

rcial WY only

Recreational Me-NY incl.

Conmerci

al

Rec

reational

Year

NJ-NC incl.

NJ only

NJ-NC incl.

I960

42

40

241

1,748

239

1,502

1961

25

24

1.965

190

1962

27

22

2.102

295

1963

40

39

1.558

151

1964

26

25

1.997

247

1965

35

33

205

2,282

271

S22

1966

12

12

1,597

156

1967

15

14

1,324

207

1968

30

29

1.858

242

1969

59

53

2.026

84 5

1970

144

134

746

3,181

889

6,368

1971

671

580

4,390

398

1972

868

830

6,298

442

1973

657

575

6,685

162

1974

884

647

5.669

218

1975

(620)

620

(7.293)

982

The national saltwater angling surveys for 1960, 1965, and 1970 did not give data by Individual states. New YorX was included with the New England states and New Jersey with the other middle Atlantic states.

Figures for 1975 in parentheses assume that unavailable landings in N.H.. Conn., and Del. equal the average of recent years.

Two species of eel have been taken in the commercial fisheries of New York and New Jersey, American eel, Anguilla rostrata (Lesueur), caught mostly in pots or traps in estuaries, and conger eel. Conger oceanicus (Mitchill). Conger eel is taken incidentally in otter trawls fishing for other species, and a few are caught in pots.

American eel was not mentioned by Earll ( 1887) as im- portant along the northern New Jersey coast, but in the southern region of New Jersey the species was caught in pots, and also in winter with spears. In New York (Mather 1887) American eel was one of the most impor- tant commercial species in bays along the south shore and western end of Long Island, and in New York Har- bor. American eel also was taken along the north shore of Long Island. It is obvious that American eel was much more important in the fisheries of the 1880s than it is to- day.

American eel is the more important species in weight landed. Catches of this species in New York have fluc- tuated considerably and the trend has been slightly downward since landings by species were first recorded in 1935 (Fig. 17). However, recorded catches of eels, probably mostly American eel, were considerably higher in the period 1887 to 1891 inclusive, with an average an- nual reported catch of about 677 metric tons. Trends and levels of catch have been about the same in New Jersey, but landings in that State increased in the 1960s (Fig. 18). Landings of conger eel in both states have dropped to insignificant levels since the 1940s.

CONGER EEL

0

2r

A

AMERICAN EEL

'■/.i\/Ayv>..A_A.

7 u °6

\

/

1880 90 1900 O 20 30 40 SO 60 70

Kigure 17. — Annual commercial landings of American and conger eel in New York 1887-1975.

22

Except with certain ethnic groups, eel is not a popular seafood in the United States. The resource in the New York Bight area probably is underexploited. Some enter- prising fishermen have discovered markets for eel in Europe (Anon. 1972) and this probably accounts for re- cent rises in landings in both states. Potential markets also exist in Japan (Folsom 1973).

Substantial catches of American eel have been reported in the saltwater sport fisheries (Table 20). The estimated catch is substantially larger in the north At- lantic region than the middle Atlantic. Recently, con- siderable quantities of small American eel have been sold as live bait in New Jersey (Paul Hamer pers. commun.).

American eel has not been reported in foreign catches in the Middle Atlantic Bight, but conger eel is taken.

CONGER EEL

AMERICAN EEL

t 7

UJ

3 6

v.-

..,-A.,

90 1900 O 20 30 40 50 60 70

Figure 18.— Annual commercial landings of American and conger eel in New Jersey 1887-1975.

Table 20. — Estimated commercial and recreational catches of American eel in the north and middle Atlantic regions of the United States coast 1960-1975. Weights in metric tons.

North Atlantic req

ion

Middle

Atlantic reqion

Year

Conmercial He -NY NY incl. only

Recreational Me-NY incl.

Commercial BJ-NC NJ incl. only

Recreational NJ-NC incl.

1960

164

104

675

227

19

232

1961

149

97

217

14

1962

108

59

182

10

1963

145

92

295

11

1964

122

79

292

122

1965

170

120

1

494

501

42

354

1966

129

77

418

65

1967

131

67

543

60

196B

169

64

523

53

1969

149

76

628

113

1970

148

61

1

436

806

94

336

1971

173

73

B28

47

1972

126

67

502

119

1973

99

50

391

105

1974

101

42

1,057

98

1975

(132)

44

(909)

100

The national saltwater angling surveys for 1960, 1965, and 1970 did not give data by individual states. New York was included with the New England states and New Jersey with the other middle Atlantic states .

Figures for 1975 in parentheses assume that unavailable landinas in N.H., Conn., and Del. equal the average of recent years.

White Perch

White perch, Morone americana (Gmelin), a close relative of striped bass, is anadromous. Unlike striped bass, which makes extensive coastal migrations after it has reached an age of about 2 yr, white perch does not migrate far from its home stream. The species was men- tioned by Mather (1887) as being caught in bays along the south shore of Long Island. It apparently was not an important commercial species in the New York Bight area in the 1880s, but white perch undoubtedly was taken by recreational fishermen. Commercial landings apparently were greatest about the turn of the century (Fig. 19), but the catch then fell off to much lower levels. Since the middle 1930s, however, the catch has fluc- tuated between 20 and 110 metric tons, interrupted periodically by declines of short duration, as can be ex- pected of an estuarine species. In the 1960s most of the catch in New Jersey was taken in haul seines, gill nets, fykes, and hoop nets; and most of it was landed, and presumably caught, in counties bordering on the ocean coast.

Commercial landings of white perch in New York were apparently considerably smaller than in New Jersey un- til about the middle 19.30s (Fig. 19). Since that time land- ings in both states have been relatively small. New Jer- sey landings on the average exceeding those in New York somewhat, as would be expected of a species which has its center of distribution to the south (Table 21).

Recreational catches of white perch have been much larger in the middle Atlantic than the north Atlantic

Table 21. — Estimated commercial and recreational catches of white perch in the north and middle Atlantic regions of the United States coast 1960-1975. weights ih metric tons.

North Atlantic region Commercial Recreational Me-NY NY Me-NY incl. only incl.

Middle

Atlantic region

Year

Commercial NJ-NC NJ incl . only

Recreational NJ-NC incl.

1960

10

8

386

826

26

2,984

1961

10

7

996

34

1962

23

6

1,310

44

1963

47

12

933

29

1964

82

62

614

36

1965

38

17

64

970

42

4,652

1966

40

28

1,355

71

1967

43

37

1,006

54

1968

46

39

1.211

72

1969

46

30

1,366

41

1970

98

75

15

1.011

35

5,712

1971

77

48

1,079

11

1972

61

25

783

48

1973

56

47

596

64

1974

98

58

500

46

1975

(44)

37

(528)

50

The national saltwater angling surveys for 1960, 1965, and 1970 did not give data by individual states. New York was included with the New England states and New Jersey with the other middle Atlantic states.

In 1970 recreational catches of white perch were included in the general category "perches."

Figures for 1975 in parentheses assume that unavailable landings in N.H., Conn., and Del, equal the average of recent years.

23

V

A=

leSO 90 1900 10 aD 30 40 so 60 70

Figure 19.— Annual commercial landings of white perch in New York and New Jersey 1887-1975.

area. The northern limit of the species range is about Cape Cod. In the middle Atlantic area, sport catches, like commercial catches, apparently have been in- creasing since 1960 (Table 21).

No foreign catches of white perch have been reported, although occasional small catches have been reported in the domestic trawl fishery. These catches almost cer- tainly were made close to shore.

Haddock

sociated with warming of northwest Atlantic waters in the first half of the present century (Taylor et al. 1957). It is possible that early landings in New Jersey represented an extreme southward extension of the range of the species when coastal waters were on the average cooler. The brief peak of landings at the turn of the century probably was taken in a handline or setline fishery off- shore in winter, primarily directed at Atlantic cod. Most, if not all, of New York landings probably came from Nantucket Shoals and South Channel.

Haddock has been a relatively important sport fish in the north Atlantic region, especially in the middle 1960s when the species was particularly abundant (Table 22). It was not sufficiently important from New Jersey south to warrant separate listing in the national surveys of salt- water sport fishing.

Haddock has been one of the most important species in the New England trawl fishery and ICNAF has paid special attention to this species. Strong year classes of 1962 and 1963 on Georges Bank provided initial impetus for movement of foreign fleets to Georges Bank and southward. This quickly led to overfishing of the had- dock resource, and the catch is now stringently regulated by quota. The total allowable catch in ICNAF subareas 5 and 6 for 1976 has been set at 6,000 metric tons.

New Jersey and New York are south of the normal region of major abundance of haddock, Melanogrammus aeglefinus (Linnaeus), although the species does strag- gle as far south as Cape Hatteras in deep water and can be taken off New York and New Jersey in winter. Had- dock was not mentioned by Earll (1887) or Mather (1887) as a component of the fisheries in the 1880s. Maximum landings reported in New Jersey were about 100 metric tons in 1901 and landings have been very small or zero for the last 65 yr (Fig. 20). Landings of haddock have never been high in New York relative to New England land- ings, but have been much higher than New Jersey. The maximum recorded for New York was 7,727 metric tons in 1926. New York landings were relatively high in the 1920s, low in the early 1930s, and high from 1938 to 1946 (McHugh 1972a). Smith (1915) mentioned South Chan- nel (between Georges Bank and Nantucket Shoals) as an important fishing ground for haddock early in the 20th century. Royce et al. (1959) posulated an abundance of haddock on Nantucket Shoals in the late 1920s, and this coincides with peak haddock landings in New York State. In the early 1930s haddock on Nantucket Shoals retreated to Georges Bank, and this was thought to be as-

. - .\«,

Table 22 .--Estimated commercial and recreational catches of haddock in the north and middle Atlantic regions of the United States coast for the period in which recreational or foreign catch estimates are available, weights in metric tons.

Domestic commercial catch

Recreational catch

ICNSP Foreign catch

year

NY

NJ

Me-HY incl.

NJ-NC incl.

Me-SY incl.

NJ-NC incl.

5^v, "e

6

1960

37

53,841

•

766

-

77

1961

27

60.600

*

133

1962

37

60,895

-

4.595

1963

40

56,232

1

10.696

1964

21

60,555

•

17.574

1965

6

60,733

*

9

694

-

97.539

1966

10

60,005

1

68.3S6

107

1967

12

44,664

*

16.730

-

1968

6

32,043

•

430 14.619

42

1969

9

20,788

-

14 5.707

-

1970

3

12,196

*

1

147

-

5 2.880

-

1971

7

9.779

•

123 3.404

-

1972

-

5.328

-

11 1.853

-

1973

•

3,768

1

28 2.526

-

1974

-

3,731

•

145 1.749

2

1975

•

(7.330)

-

1.424

-

Figure 20.— Annual commercial landings of haddock in New Jersey 1889-197,5.

The national saltwater angling surveys for 1960, 1965, and 1970 did not give data by individual states. New York was Included with the New England states and New Jersey with the other middle Atlantic staCes.

Foreign catches for 1975 are provisional. The total ICNAF 1976 quota for haddock in subareas S and 6 was 6,000 metric tons.

Figures for 1975 in parentheses assume that unavailable landings in N.ll., Conn., and Del. equal the average of recent years.

- An unreported catch is possible.

• Less than 0.5 metric ton.

Atlantic Cod

New -Jersey, like New York, is near the southern limit

24

of the range of Atlantic cod, Gadus morhua Linnaeus, and domestic commercial catches have been relatively small and variable (Fig. 21).

■./ V\-^^

90 1900 10 20 30 40 50 60 70

Figure 21.— Annual commercial landings of Atlantic cod in New Jer- sey 1880-1975.

In the 1880s in New Jersey a small winter cod fishery operated within 6 miles of shore, using handlines and longlines (Earll 1887). This fishery probably was respon- sible for the brief peak in haddock landings in the late 1800s and early 1900s. New York also had an offshore winter cod fishery in the 1800s (Mather 1887). At this time New York City was already a major point of landing for fish and shellfish from as far away as New England. Atlantic cod was the major species at 9.25 million pounds (about 4,000 metric tons).

Most of the Atlantic cod catch is taken from Novem- ber to March inclusive, and little or nothing the rest of the year. The trend of landings has been down since 1930,

Table 23, --Estimated commercial and recreational catches of Atlantic cod in the north and middle Atlantic regions of the United States coast for the period in which recreational or foreign catch estimates are available. Weights in metric tons.

Domestic commercial catch

Recreational catch

ICNAF Foreign ca

tch

Year

NY

HJ

He- NY incl.

NJ-NC incl.

Me-NY incl.

NJ-NC incl.

52w

^^e

6

1960

453

1.613

16

444

1,872

11

426

2

590

19

1961

529

1,091

19

657

1,477

278

1962

467

673

20

400

878

7

849

1963

400

502

18

499

632

13

049

1964

234

128

17

405

171

12

840

196S

166

75

16

253

99

13

144

421

26

923

1966

112

7

17

027

18

41

069

75

1967

207

24

20

106

33

23

592

3

1968

165

78

22

209

116

454

27,334

74

1969

204

56

26

009

74

627

20,296

248

1970

172

85

24

054

89

16

188

104

235

10,439

179

1971

194

62

24

517

26

1,148

10,600

103

1972

107

19

20

956

22

1,146

10,344

163

1973

151

39

22

717

40

1,715

10,892

114

1974

210

153

26

272

156

673

8,149

132

1975

195

140

(24

500)

(147)

151

8,610

222

The national saltwater angling surveys for 1960, 1965, and 1970 did not give data by individual states. New York was included with the New England states and New Jersey with the other middle Atlantic states.

Foreign catches for 1975 are provisional. The total ICNAF 1976 quota for Atlantic cod in subareas 5 and 6 was 43,000 metric tons.

Figures for 197 5 m parentheses assume that unavailable landings in N.H., Conn., and Del. equal the average of recent years.

although there was a brief upsurge in the late 1950s and early 1960s as cod showed up in greater abundance in local waters. Landings in New York are made throughout the year, although most of the catch is taken in winter. An extensive review of the cod fisheries and life history of the species has been published by Jensen (1972).

Estimates of recreational catches of cod have been of the same order of magnitude as domestic commercial catches (Table 23) in the north Atlantic and the middle Atlantic regions. In New York Bight the sport fishery for cod is largely a winter fishery (Buchanan 1972; Jensen 19741, although catches also are made in spring and fall.

Foreign catches of cod reached a ma.ximum in ICNAF division 5Z in 1966 and subsequently have fallen off to about 25''f of the 1966 level (Table 23). Catches in sub- area 6, like domestic commercial and recreational catches, have been relatively small. In the New York Bight area, the cod catch appears to be shared about equally by domestic commercial fishermen, sport fisher- men, and foreign fishermen. The total allowable catch in ICNAF subareas 5 and 6 for 1976 has been set at 43,000 metric tons.

Atlantic Croaker

In the New York Bight area croaker, Micropogon un- dulatus (Linnaeus), is near the northern limit of its geographic range. In New Jersey (Fig. 22) the species was recorded in commercial catches from 1897 to 1975, but the period of major landings was from the middle 1930s to mid-1940s. The annual weight landed during this period was more than 10 times the New York catch. Commercial landings have been reported in New York only for the period 1926-46 inclusive (Fig. 23) plus a small catch in 1973, with peaks at about 150 metric tons in 1929 and 1930 and 183 metric tons in 1940. In Vir-

-' 'v\/. A V. ■„>

1.

ATLANTIC CROAKER

\

"v. -^ .. J

< 3 5

ATLANTIC CROAKER AND SPOT COMBINED

. V..-A^ .. .. ■/

1880 90 1900 K) 20 30 40 50 60 70

Figure 22.— Annual commercial landings of Atlantic croaker and spot in New Jersey 1889-1975.

25

O

K »-

S!s

(o 0

UJ

52

-^Z^

ATLANTIC CROAKER

ATLANTIC CROAK£R AND SPOT COMBINEO

IS80 90 1900

20 30 40 50

60 ?D

Figure 23. — Annual commercial landings of Atlantic croaker and spot in New York 1888-1975.

ginia, where croaker once was extremely abundant, relative abundance was lowest in 1931, highest in 1939 and 1943, and had dropped virtually to zero by 1945 (McHugh and Bailey 1957). This undoubtedly was a period of unusual abundance of croaker, and a period of heavy exploitation also (Perlmutter 1959), which may ac- count at least partially for the sharp drop in landings after World War II. Croaker also are notoriously variable in abundance, and the magnitude of such fluctuations would be expected to be greatest at the extremes of the geographic range. Recent rising commercial catches in New Jersey and an isolated landing in 1973 in New York, the first reported since 1946, are suggestive of local in- creases in abundance. In Maryland phenomenally suc- cessful croaker spawnings have been reported in 1974 and 1975 (Boone 1976), after two decades of virtual spawning failures. This may presage continued improvement in local catches of croaker.

Atlantic croaker was mentioned neither by Earll (1887) nor by Mather (1887) as a species taken in New Jersey and New York fisheries in the 1880s. The desirability of croaker as a food fish was not recognized widely at that time. Either circumstance, temporary low abundance, or lack of demand could account for the apparent absence of Atlantic croaker from the New York Bight area at that time.

According to the national saltwater angling surveys the recreational catch of Atlantic croaker now is con- siderably larger than the commercial (Table 24). This catch plus attrition from incidental catches in various commercial gears may be responsible for continued small commercial landings.

Croaker is essentially a species of shallow coastal waters. June and Reintjes (1957) found that it was the fifth most important species in weight landed in the in- shore otter trawl fishery off Delaware Bay in the period 1946-53, but it ranked only 11th in the offshore fishery. The inshore fishery operates within the 15-fathom (28 m) curve, the offshore fishery out to the edge of the con- tinental shelf. The species has not been recorded in

foreign catches but it is possible that small incidental catches could be made.

Table 24. — Estimated coimercial and recreational catches of Atlantic croaker in the middle Atlantic region of the United States coast 1960-1975. weights in metric tone.

Cocnnercial

Recreational

NJ-MC

NJ

Nj-nc

Year

incl.

only

incl.

1960

3,002

4

3,352

1961

2.242

26

1962

1,348

2

1963

1.089

-

1964

1.026

-

1965

1,491

-

2,152

1966

1,239

-

1967

729

-

1968

548

-

1969

649

-

1970

424

•

1,737

1971

551

-

1972

2,084

•

1973

2,611

17

1974

3,510

20

1975

(7,483)

401

The national saltwater angling surveys for 1960, 1965, and 1970 did not give data by individual states. New Yorlt was included with the New E^ngland states and New Jersey with the other middle Atlantic states.

The only catch of Atlantic croaker reported in New York in this period was a commercial catch of less than one metric ton in 1973,

Figures for 1975 in parentheses assume that unavailable landings in N.H., Conn., and Del, equal the average of recent years.

- An unreported catch is possible.

• Leas than 0.5 metric ton.

Spot

Spot, Leiostomus xanthurus Lacepede, does not extend as far south as Atlantic croaker. Earll (1887) men- tioned spot as important off the southern part of New Jersey in the 1880s, but not in the north. The species was not mentioned in Mather's (1887) account of New York fisheries. In New Jersey spot went by the quaint name "Cape May Goodies."

Landings of spot in New Jersey have been much smaller than croaker landings. The maximum recorded catch was about 600 metric tons in 1943 (Fig. 22). The species also is variable in abundance, but the magnitude of fluctuations in landings has been somewhat less than for croaker, and fewer years of no landings have been recorded. A slight increase in commercial landings in New Jersey in 1975 is suggestive of increased abun- dance.

In New York spot have appeared in commercial land- ings for more years than croaker and maximum land- ings have been somewhat greater, 198 metric tons in 1926 and 190 in 1943 (Fig. 23). Spot have not been reported in commercial landings in New York since 1957. Boone (1976) reported that abundance of young-of-the- year spot in Chesapeake Bay in 1975 was the greatest on

26

record, but that a massive winter kill may have reduced this dominant year class drastically.

This is an important recreational species in the mid- dle Atlantic region (Table 25). The reported catch in 1970 was nearly 10,000 metric tons, considerably greater than any commercial catch on record.

Table 25.— Estunated commercial and recreational catches of spot in the middle stlantic region of the United States coast 1960-1975. Weights in metric tons.

Commercial

Recreational

Year

NJ-NC incl.

NJ only

incl.

1960

3,190

*

3,225

1961

1.474

-

1962

1,631

•

1963

1,091

-

1964

2,033

*

1965

1,209

-

2,214

1966

1,020

-

1967

3,402

*

196B

1,242

-

1969

1,163

3

1970

3,618

*

9,785

1971

778

1

1972

3,139

•

1973

7,989

4

1974

3,586

5

1975

(4,703)

27

The national saltwater angling surveys for 1960, 1965, and 1970 did not give data by individual states. New York was included with the New Eaigland states and New Jersey with the other middle Atlantic states.

No domestic commercial or recreational catches of spot were reported north of New Jersey from 1960 to 1975 inclusive. Unreported catches are possible.

Figures for 1975 in parentheses assume that unavailable landings in N.H., Conn., and Del. equal the average of recent years.

- An unreported catch is possible.

* Less than 0.5 metric ton.

Spot favor even shallower waters than croaker. The species was a minor component of inshore otter trawl catches off Delaware Bay from 1946 to 1953 inclusive (June and Reintjes 1957) but was not reported in off- shore catches. It is not likely to be taken by foreign fishermen.

Although it is subject to much the same environmen- tal stresses and fishing pressures as croaker, spot has shown no downward trend in abundance in the Middle Atlantic Bight as a whole, as croaker and many other coastal species have. Commercial landings have declined in New Jersey and New York and this apparently has not been balanced by increased sport catches, although in the middle Atlantic region the recreational catch was up sharply in 1970 (Table 24). Why spot has survived stresses in some areas that have driven many other species with similar habits to historically low levels of abundance is unknown.

Butterfish

The pattern of butterfish, Peprilus triacanthus (Peck)

f leeo 90

Figure 24.— Annual commercial landings of butterfish inTJew Jersey 1889-1975.

landings in New Jersey (Fig. 24) has been similar to that for New York (McHugh 1972a). Neither Earll (1887) nor Mather ( 1887) mentioned the species as occurring in New York Bight catches in the 1880s. A maximum was reach- ed about 1940 in both states at levels of about 2,500 met- ric tons each. Landings dropped to a minimum about 1950, rose sharply immediately thereafter, and have trended downward ever since. Peaks in 1951 in New Jer- sey and in 1952 in New York were produced almost en- tirely by increased catches in otter trawls. This suggests that a relatively strong year class moved up the coast farther offshore than usual and that it reached New York waters a year later than New Jersey. This might have been a wave of older fish from a strong southern contin- gent. Colton (1972) reported that coastal water tem- peratures were higher than average at that time. He also concluded that butterfish respond to temperature change by shifting their range north or south.

Most butterfish landed in New Jersey are caught in otter trawls. In the period 1946 to 1953 inclusive June

Table 26. — Estimated commercial catches of butterfish in the north and middle Atlantic regions of the United States coast 1960-1975. Weights in metric tons.

Domestic commercial

catch

ICNAF Foreign catch

Year

NY

NJ

Me-NY incl.

NJ-NC incl.

5Z„ 5Z^

6

1960

834

1,063

3,315

1,671

1961

764

1,070

2,652

1,987

1962

730

958

3,533

1,794

1963

523

626

3,248

1,366

1,779

111

1964

484

539

1,785

1,164

169

316

1965

348

536

1,013

2,097

732

17

1966

269

669

806

1,882

3,865

-

1967

508

595

1,125

1,293

1,407

908

1968

442

330

930

703

948

648

3,513

1969

346

754

924

1,332

8,813

702

3,623

1970

237

441

563

1,229

1,203

916

6,906

1971

160

565

694

898

655

612

4,906

1972

187

224

365

380

556 1

298

3,720

1973

303

468

956

578

3,027 3

576

11,213

1974

362

444

1,243

1,453

3,192 3

006

4,087

1975

562

388

(1,438)

(521)

1,854 1

514

4,968

The national saltwater angling surveys did not include recreational catches of

for 1960, 1965, and butterfish.

1970

Foreign catch included with

es for 1975 are provisiona the second tier quota for

1. This species 1976.

is

Figures for 1975 in parentheses assume that unavailable landings in N.H., Conn., and Del. equal the average of recent years.

- An unreported catch is possible.

27

and Reintjes (1957) found that the species was more im- portant in the offshore trawl fishery off Delaware Bay than inshore. Although butterfish will bite on small hooks, there is no significant recreational catch.

Butterfish is a semipelagic species not readily available to conventional gears like otter trawls, pound nets, or other gears traditionally used by U.S. fisher- men. Edwards (1968) estimated that only about 3% of the standing crop was being harvested in the period 1963- 65. Thus, declines in landings in New Jersey and New York up to that time could not have been caused by over- fishing. From 1964 on, however, foreign catches in ICNAF subareas 5 and 6 have increased (Table 26), and it is possible that the resource is now fully utilized (R. L. Edwards pers. commun). Foreign catches in the early and middle 1960s probably were substantially larger than reported, for it is known that butterfish were dis- carded in some quantities by some vessels. Foreign fleets now take substantially larger quantities than the domes- tic fishery. Like scup, red and silver hake, and other species, butterfish is particularly vulnerable to fishing in winter and early spring at the edge of the continental shelf.

Blue Crab

Blue crab, Callinectes sapidus Rathbun, was abun- dant in coastal waters of the New York Bight area in the 1880s (Earll 1887; Mather 1887). The species supported commercial, subsistence, and recreational fisheries in most bays along the coasts of New Jersey and New York. It apparently was scarce at that time in some bays along the north shore of Long Island, but abundant in others, such as Huntington Bay. Blue crab also was abundant in New York harbor, but even in those days, nearly a cen- tury ago, fishermen described a coating of "coal tar" on the water and complained of oily flavors of blue crab and some fishes. Possibly for this reason, no commercial blue crab fishing was conducted in that area (Mather 1887).

Blue crab ranges along the east coast of North America from Nova Scotia to Texas in the Gulf of Mexico, and supports or has supported fisheries from southern New England to Texas. Chesapeake Bay has traditionally been the center of commercial production and landings north of Maryland have been relatively small and variable. Maximum commercial landings reported for New Jersey were slightly over 2,000 metric tons in 19.39, but this was unusual, and since 1940 New Jersey land- ings have fluctuated about a level less than 500 metric tons and dropped to a low of less than 100 metric tons in 1968 (Fig. 25). Recently, however, various observers have noted increased abundance of blue crab from Delaware to Connecticut inclusive. This has been reflected in a sharp increase in commercial landings in New Jersey, from a low point of 61 metric tons in 1968 to 1,319 metric tons in 1975 (Table 27); this is the second largest commercial catch on record for the State.

Although it is eagerly sought by recreational crabbers wherever it is abundant, and sport catches probably are substantial, blue crab usually has been ignored in salt-

yV

Figure 25.

-Annual commercial landings of blue crab in New Jersey

1880-1975.

Table 27. — Estunated commercial landings of blue crab in the north and middle Atlantic regions of the United States coast 1960-1975. Weights in metric tons.

Horth Atlantic

region

Middle Atlantic

region

Year

Me-

NY incl.

NY only

NJ-NC incl.

NJ

only

1960

2

*

40,571

703

1961

2

*

41,909

319

1962

1

-

46,476

753

1963

•

-

39,221

406

1964

•

-

47,022

263

196S

*

-

50,078

426

1966

-

-

53,214

313

1967

-

-

44,421

213

1968

-

-

34,296

61

1969

-

-

38,225

286

1970

«

-

41,810

253

1971

*

-

42,095

530

1972

-

-

41,734

658

1973

-

-

33,145

1

,177

1974

1

1

39,252

1

,302

1975

-

-

(34,450)

1

,319

The national saltwater angling surveys for 1960, 1965, and 1970 did not include recreational catches of invertebrates.

Unrecorded convnercial catches of blue crab were made in New YorX in 1975 (see text).

Figures for 1975 in parentheses assume that unavailable landings in N.H., Conn., and Del. equal the average of recent years.

- An unreported catch is possible. • Less than 0.5 metric ton.

water sport fishing surveys. Levenson (1971) found that blue crab was important in recreational fisheries of Hempstead Bay, Long Island. In numbers caught, blue crab ranked fifth in importance from 1966 to 1968 in- clusive, exceeded only by winter and summer flounder, bluefish, and northern puffer. This was a period of low abundance in the New York Bight area, if commercial landings are a valid criterion (Table 27).

As already mentioned, Earll (1887) noted the recreational importance of blue crab in New Jersey coEtstal bays. Some idea of the intensive effort directed toward catching this resource is given by the statement that some 600,000 to 700,000 recreational crabbers over 18 yr operate in New Jersey tidal waters (Paul Hamer pets. commun.). Lane and Carlson (1968) observed that blue crab had not been of commercial importance in Connecti- cut waters since the 1930s, and linked the decline and

28

recent recovery of crab stocks with the decline and recent recovery of eelgrass beds.

Blue crab is an estuarine and coastal species, not caught far from shore north of Cape Hatteras. It is not reported in foreign catches and is not likely to be taken by foreign fleets in the Middle Atlantic Bight.

It is interesting to speculate on the reasons for the re- cent increase in abundance of blue crab in the New York Bight area. It has increased in abundance in coastal bays of New York State in the last few years, and in 1974 a small commercial catch was reported for the first year since 1961. Commercial catches were made in 1975 also, although none was recorded in official statistics. In Great South Bay, for example, clam rakers at times took sub- stantial incidental blue crab catches, as much as 10-12 bushels per day (John MacNamara pars, commun.). Blue crab is notoriously variable in abundance in Chesapeake Bay, which produces most of the Atlantic coast catch, and it would be expected to be even more variable at the northern end of its geographic range. In Chesapeake Bay, despite wide variations in abundance from time to time, the trend of landings has been upward since 1890 (Mc- Hugh 1969b). It has been suggested that this has been the result of a real increase in abundance which might have been caused by increased nutrient supply in the es- tuaries. In the Middle Atlantic region, commercial land- ings showed a similar upward trend from 1931 to the 1950s, with much wider fluctuations, presumably of natural origin, but this was followed by a sharp and fairly steady decline from 1957 to a very low level in 1970 (Mc- Hugh 1972a). It was suggested that if the early rise were indeed stimulated by nutrient enrichment, the sharp decline in the late 1950s and the 1960s in this more dense- ly populated section of the coast could contain a warning. Under no circumstances could a continued increase in nutrients be expected to present favorable conditions to the blue crab resource indefinitely, and the danger is heightened by the growing loads of industrial wastes, in- cluding heavy metals and pesticides, that go along with increased population. Crabs, being much more closely related morphologically and physiologically to insects than fishes are, can be expected to respond more readily to certain insecticides (Butler 1966). The unanswered question then arises: Is the recent sharp increase in abundance of blue crab in the New York Bight area a transitory phenomenon, or has the ban on DDT and other organophosphates had some effect?

Atlantic Bonito

In New Jersey and New York Atlantic bonito, Sarda sarda (Bloch), has been taken almost entirely by pound nets. In common with other highly mobile pelagic fishes of the high seas it is caught erratically in fixed coastal gears (Fig. 26). The sharp decline in landings after the second world war probably was related mainly to the decline of the ocean pound net fishery. Landings in New York have shown generally the same pattern of fluc- tuations but the catch usually has been less than in New Jersey.

-A-J\.

1880 90 1900

Figure 26.— Annual commercial landings of Atlantic bonito in New York and New Jersey 1880-1975.

Recreational catches of bonito usually have been larger than commercial catches, sometimes by an order of mag- nitude, but sport catches also have been highly variable (Table 28).

Table 28 .--E<stijnated commercial and recreational catches of Atlantic bonito in the north and middle Atlemtic regions of the United States coast 1960-1975. Weights in metric tons.

North

Atlantic

region

Middle Atlantic reqion

Commerc

ial Recreational

Commercial

Recreational

Me-NY

NY

Me-NY

NJ-NC

NJ

NJ-NC

Year

incl.

only

incl.

incl.

only

incl.

1960

53

29

327

27

20

468

1961

33

12

29

19

1962

62

30

13

10

1963

68

IB

28

25

1964

20

3

9

3

1965

43

6

39

23

37

1966

5

1

9

8

1967

13

3

5

4

1968

22

12

16

15

1969

92

8

1

1

1970

63

7

2

•

128

1971

29

3

•

•

1972

18

1

1

•

1973

33

2

2

•

1971

44

3

1

1

1975

(74)

17

(1)

1

The national saltwater angling surveys for 1960, 1965, and 1970 did not give data by individual states. New York was included with the New England states and New Jersey with the other middle Atlantic states.

Figures for 1975 in parentheses assume that unavailable landings in N.H., Conn., and Del. equal the average of recent years.

- An unreported catch is possible.

• Less than 0.5 metric ton.

The species has not been reported separately in foreign catches in the Middle Atlantic Bight, and it can be con- cluded that it is not an important species in those fisheries. In the Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea, the average annual catch of bonito in the period 1963 to 1972 inclusive has been about 10,260 metric tons (Miyake et al. 1973).

Spanish Mackerel

Scomberomorus maculatus (Mitchill), Spanish mack- erel, is primarily a southern fish. In the 1880s (Mather 1887) it was taken in the ocean off the eastern end and

29

south shore of Long Island, but although described as once plentiful, was scarce by 1880. Earll (1887) did not mention catches off New Jersey. The major commercial fishery is south of Cape Hatteras. Spanish mackerel, a schooling fish, makes annual migrations northward in summer. Modest commercial landings have been re- ported in New Jersey and New York, and as might be expected of a species of southern origin these landings were usually higher in New Jersey. Maximum recorded landings in New Jersey were about 107 metric tons in 1931, and 35 metric tons in New York in 1890. Since the middle 1940s catches in both states have been negligible. Since 1960 maximum landings in the middle Atlantic region (N.J. to N.C. inclusive) were 120 metric tons in 1970, less than 1 ton of which was reported from New Jersey.

Spanish mackerel is a popular sport fish where it is abundant. Reported recreational catches in the middle Atlantic region were 429 metric tons in 1970 and 76 tons in 1965. Commercial catches in the same area in the same years were 120 and 87 metric tons respectively.

This is a coastal species, unlikely to be taken by foreign fishermen. The life history is not well under- stood. Fluctuations in landings suggest that the species varies widely in abundance or availability, or both.

Northern Kingfish

Menticirrhus saxatilis (Bloch and Schneider), northern kingfish, is more important in the New York Bight area as a recreational than as a commercial species (Table 29). Maximum commercial landings in New Jer- sey were about 70 metric tons in 1939, and in New York about 35 metric tons in 1940. It is caught mostly by trawls fishing near shore and by pound nets.

In the sport fishery in the surf along the south shore of Long Island, Briggs (1962) found that northern kingfish was the dominant species from 1956 to 1960. According to later studies (Briggs 1965, 1968), it had become somewhat less abundant in New York waters. The species is a seasonal visitor, arriving in New York Bight in spring and leaving in fall. Like many seasonal mi-

Table 29. — Estimated conanercial and recreational catches of northern kingfish in the north and middle Atlantic regions of the united States coast 1960-1975. Weights in metric tons.

Horth

Atlantic reqion

Hiddle Atlantic

reqion

Coamercial

Recreational

Conanercial

Recreational

He-NY

NY

He-NY

NJ-NC

NJ

NJ-NC

Year

incl.

only

incl.

incl.

only

incl.

1960

1

1

363

470

15

713

1961

2

1

776

10

1962

2

1

670

22

1963

1

1

531

5

1964

5

5

565

10

1965

3

2

108

653

10

606

1966

4

3

379

7

1967

4

4

397

4

196B

10

9

335

6

1969

6

5

405

4

1970

22

21

1.568

306

4

1,090

1971

21

21

233

3

1972

7

7

324

3

1973

*

*

207

1

1974

1

*

153

•

1975

(*)

•

1109)

1

20 30 40 50 60 70

Figure 27.

-Annual commercial landings of northern kingfigh in New York and New Jersey IMS-IS?.").

The national saltwater angling surveys for 1960, 1965, and 1970 did not give data by individual states. Now York was included with the New England states and New Jersey with the other middle Atlantic states.

Figures for 1975 in parentheses assume that unavailable landings in N.H., Conn., and Del. equal the average of recent years.

• Less than 0.5 metric ton.

grants from the south its local abundance is highly variable (Fig. 27). This variability was noted also by Mather (1887) who described northern kingfish as less abundant in New York waters in 1880 than formerly.

In recreational fisheries along the New Jersey coast in 1952 and 1953 (June and Reintjes 1957), northern king- fish varied in importance. In numbers of fish caught it ranked about fifth in the surf fishery, fourth in the char- ter boat fishery, and sixth in the party boat fishery. In the surf fishery in Delaware in 1952 it ranked third.

No catches have been reported by foreign fleets. It is not likely that this shallow-water coastal species would be taken far out on the continental shelf. In the period 1946 to 1953 inclusive it was a minor species in the in- shore trawl fishery off Delaware Bay but not listed in the offshore fishery (June and Reintjes 1957).

Atlantic Mackerel

The pattern of commercial mackerel. Scomber scom- brus Linnaeus, landings in New Jersey (Fig. 28) has been similar to that in New York, with catches relatively large in the 1940s, very small in the 1950s and early 1960s, and increasing moderately in the last 10 yr. In most years. New Jersey landings have been substantially higher than New York. The sharp drop in the late 1940s was caused primarily by a sudden drop in abundance or availability (Hoy and Clark 1967). In the last few years, most of the New Jersey catch has been taken in otter trawls, most of the New York catch in pound nets. Increasing catches in the last decade, despite substantial declines in numbers

30

(A

i 3

<

52

Figure 28.— Annual commercial landings of Atlantic mackerel in New Jersey 1889-1975.

of otter trawls and pound nets licensed in both states, reflect an increase in abundance of mackerel, as pointed out by Edwards (1968). Taylor et al. (1957) concluded that temperature was a major factor governing fluc- tuations in mackerel landings, but their argument is not very convincing. The domestic commercial fishery for mackerel is now relatively unimportant (Table 30) because demand is relatively poor. Despite the greater popularity of Atlantic mackerel as a food fish a century ago it was not mentioned by Earll (1887) or Mather (1887) as taken in the New York Bight area in the 1880s. New Jersey and New York combined presently receive 10-20'"p of total domestic commercial landings.

As would be expected from the known geographic dis- tribution of Atlantic mackerel, sport catches are larger in the north Atlantic region (Table 30). The recent in- crease in abundance is reflected in recreational catches

Table 30.— Estimated conmiercial and recreational catches of Atlantic .mackerel in the north and middle Atlantic regions of '»%™i"^."J'" coast for the period in which recreational or foreign catch estimates are available. Weights in metric tons.

Domestic

Recreational catch

ICNAF Foreign catch

Year

NY

HJ

Me-NY incl.

NJ-NC incl.

HO-NY NJ-NC incl. incl.

5Z

w

=^e

6

1960

64

79

1,079

317

4,581 377

1961

36

114

1,068

298

1962

38

10

863

78

111

1963

36

46

1,192

83

843

293

1964

74

143

1,842

304

533

94

1965

41

294

1,475

439

3,168 417

2

437

53

1966

132

248

2,090

636

5

455

1.252

1967

163

182

3,356

509

12

,691

6,295

1968

368

304

2,927

527

21

127

26,246

3,268

1969

223

134

3,781

260

38

742

25,259

43,176

1970

167

593

2,914

721

18,816 13,267

37

203

66,204

101,030

1971

228

444

1,331

504

38

592

64,621

231,491

1972

247

685

1,610

713

62

614

133,859

185,865

1973

147

524

1,276

539

159

201

155,006

65,153

1974

146

351

654

407

50

076

100,574

142,348

1975

162

679

(738) (1

,049)

46

998

119,109

82.611

The national saltwater angling surveys for 1960, 1965^ '"1^''° t.^ ""^ give data by individual states. New Yorli was included with the New England states and New Jersey with the other middle Atlantic states.

Foreign catches for 1975 are provisional. The total I™AF 1976

quota for Atlantic mackerel in subareas 5 and 6 was 254,000 metric tons.

Figures for 1975 in narentheses assume that unavailable landings in N.H., conn., and oel. equal the average of recent years.

in 1970, especially in the middle Atlantic region. Atlan- tic mackerel is important seasonally in certain ocean sport fisheries in New York Bight (Buchanan 1972). This increased resource now is being exploited very heavily, mostly by foreign fleets, and according to Grosslein et al. (1973, see footnote 7) may be overfished.

Hard Clam

Trends in hard clam, Mercenaria mercenaria (Lin- naeus), landings in New Jersey have been similar in their major features to those in New York.

Hard clam was an important resource in most areas around the coasts of Long Island in the 1880s (Mather 1887) but apparently not in New Jersey, because the species was not mentioned by Earll (1887). Reported land- ings in both states were relatively high in the last two decades of the 19th century, dropped sharply and stayed relatively low until the 1930s, rose to maxima in the late 1940s and early 1950s, dropped sharply again, and sub- sequently rose in the 1960s (Fig. 29). In New Jersey the recent rise in landings reached a peak in 1967 and catches have been dropping since. In New York, landings began to drop after 1971, but 1975 was a record year. Ex- perienced clam diggers on Great South Bay believe that clam abundance has decreased and that the resource is already overharvested. Total catches in New York have been holding up and were slightly higher in 1975 than in 1971, mainly because numbers of clammers have in- creased substantially (Table 31). In Rhode Island, once a major producer of hard clam, landings have declined to less than 20''o of the maximum harvest of about 5 mil- lion pounds (2,300 metric tons) in 1955.

The sharp decline in New Jersey hard clam landings in the 1950s was caused at least in part by closing of cer- tain polluted shellfish areas. The problem culminated in an outbreak of hepatitis in 1961, which affected the shell- fish industry seriously through loss of public confidence (Dewling et al. 1972). The subsequent rise in the middle and late 1960s has been attributed to an improvement in public confidence and hence demand, increased abun- dance in some areas, depuration, and opening of some grounds previously closed by pollution. Most hard clam production in New Jersey comes from

^

I

1^

" '1 ■'■ '

V\

£

^ \- '\

*.

'/ \

^

V

1 •

1

\ A

fe

',

: V

V

V/1 Aa

o 1

z

*- - A

1

fj

^ rX

AJ

V

I

"■--v

90 1900

20 30 40 50

Figure 29.— Annual commercial landings of hard clam in New Jersey

1880-1975.

31

Table 31 --Estimated coronercial landings of hard clam in the north and middle Atlantic regions of the united States coast 1960-1975. Heights of meats in metric tons.

Year

North Atlantic region He-NY incl. HY only

Middle Atlantic region

NJ-HC incl.

NJ only

1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975

4.052128.773) 4,080(28,970) 3,882(27.559) 4,217(29.943) 4.083(28,992) 4.161(29.545) 4.424(31.411) 4.520(32.092) 4,353(30,908) 4.635(32,908) 4,778(33,922) 5,023(35,661) 4.435(31.489) 3.858(27.389) 4,081 (28,975) 4,450(31,595)

1,763(12,520) 1,946(13,819) 2,194(15,578) 2,409(17,103) 2,451(17,401) 2,698(19,153) 2.985(21.196) 3,205(22,757) 3.169(22,501) 3,409(24,204) 3,586(25,460) 3.878(27.531) 3.856(27.375) 3,287(23.338) 3.642(25,856) 3,932(27,914)

2,405(17,075) 2,303(16,351) 1.831(13.003) 2.160(15.336) 2.428(17.238) 2.394(16.997) 2.361(16.762) 2,510(17,819) 2,391(16,975) 2,426(17,224) 2,188(15,535) 2,262(16,060) 1.852(13,151) 1,699(12.059) 1.641(11.651) 1.384( 9.828)

1.158(8.222)

765(5.434)

607(4.313)

718(5.101)

859(6,101)

849(6,030)

1,213(8,611)

1,306(9,272)

1,158(8,222)

1,027(7,293)

1,169(8,300)

1,112(7,895)

996(7,073)

859(6,101)

790 (5,609)

735(5,218)

The national saltwater angling surveys for 1960, 1965, and 1970 did not include recreational catches of invertebrates. Recreational catches of hard clam probably are substantial.

Live weights are given in parentheses for comparability with ICNAP statistics .

the bays of the outer coast. In the early days, Raritan and Sandy Hook bays were important clamming grounds, but the entire area is now closed for shellfish harvesting except in Sandy Hook Bay and adjacent waters, where a special permit is needed. Since 1900, landings in New Jersey have been roughly half the volume produced in New York. In 1975 New Jersey produced only 735 metric tons of meats compared with 3,932 metric tons in New York.

Although both states, or local communities in these states, have sponsored programs to transplant clams from polluted to clean waters, management of the hard clam resource has been primarily negative management. That is, waters over shellfish beds are monitored to assess water quality, and grounds are closed when fecal coliform counts reach certain levels. There is reason to believe that commercial landings are underestimated, and in both states there are substantial unrecorded recreational and subsistence clam fisheries. Programs to assess the magnitude of standing crops, recruitment, and removals by natural mortality and harvesting are badly needed. Clams and other nonmigratory resources should be considered the most valuable living marine resources of a state because management of such resources does not require cooperation from adjacent states or other nations. If the state or local community desires to main- tain the resource in healthy condition and to manage the harvest for maximum yield, it has the power to do so. This is not possible with migratory resources. Therefore, if management of living marine coastal resources is to succeed, coastal states like New Jersey and New York should demonstrate their good intentions, and establish model fishery management programs, by concentrating first on their valuable estuarine shellfish resources. The

Town of Islip on Long Island, which shares with the State of New York control over some 22,000 acres of bottom in Great South Bay, recently has started such a research and management program. A cooperative program with adjacent towns also is under consideration. Several other towns on Long Island have shellfish management programs in various stages of development.

In Great South Bay, N.Y., and possibly also in the coastal bays of New Jersey, recent increases in abun- dance of blue crab may have reduced the supply of hard clam. Crabs, especially blue crab, are serious predators of clams, and this may account for indications of reduced recruitment of young clams in the past few years.

Soft Clam

In the 1880s soft clam, Mya arenaria Linnaeus, was abundant in most bays of the New Jersey coast and around Long Island (Earll 1887; Mather 1887). From past experience it was recognized that the resource was highly variable in abundance, as it is today. Except for the period prior to the beginning of the 20th century, trends in soft clam landings in New Jersey have been generally similar to those in New York except for 1947 and 1948, when landings rose sharply in New Jersey (Fig. 30). From a level below 100 metric tons of meats per year in the ear- ly part of the century landings rose in the 1930s and remained relatively high until the late 1940s, then dropped abuptly and have fluctuated about a very low level ever since (Table 32). In the 1930s and 1940s land- ings in both states rose well above the levels of the 1920s, then fell off in the 1950s to even lower levels.

New England has traditionally been the major producer of soft clam, but production there fell off after 1940 and this stimulated production in states farther south. However, neither in New Jersey nor New York have land- ings reached levels comparable to Maryland, where the fishery began in the 1950s, probably because Maryland has a much greater area of bottom suitable for this species, and also because Maryland allows more ef- ficient harvesting methods. In face of the reduced supply in New England and continued demand for soft clam it is likely that continued attrition will hold the resouce in the New York Bight area at a relatively low level of abun- dance. Although there is no positive evidence one way or the other, it is possible that the resource has been over-

16

-\--''

Figure .30.

30 40 50 60 70

-Annual commercial landings of soft clam in New Jeney 1880-1975.

32

Table 32. --Estimated commercial landings of soft clam in the north and middle Atlantic regions of the United States coast 1960-1975. Weights of moats in metric tons.

North

I Atlantic reqion

Middle Atlantic

reqion

Year

MB-NY

incl.

NY only

NJ-NC incl.

NJ only

1960

1.345(

5,2441

69(269)

2.547( 9.941]

20 ( 781

1961

1.2011

4.684)

65(253)

2,139( 8.350)

10( 39)

1962

i,ie3(

4.614)

42(164)

3.078(12.016)

8( 31)

1963

1,307(

5 . 097 )

45(175)

3.118(12.172)

7( 27)

1964

1.290(

5,031)

82(320)

3.713(14.492)

10( 39)

1965

1,541(

6,009)

93(363)

3.587(14.001)

15 ( 58)

1966

2,012(

7,848)

128(499)

3.394(13.248)

35(136)

1967

2,028(

7.910)

120(468)

2.427( 9,473)

49(191)

1968

2,130(

8.308)

92(359)

2,574(10,046)

41(160)

1969

2,495(

9.729)

87(339)

3,620(14,130)

32(125)

1970

2.997(11,690)

33(129)

2,853(11,138)

30(117)

1971

3.001(11.706)

70(273)

2,737(10,682)

21( 82)

1972

2.844(11.093)

43(168)

912( 3,561)

26(109)

1973

3.350(13.065)

47(183)

295( 1,150)

8( 31)

1974

2,751(10.729)

46(179)

846( 3,299)

39(152)

1975

3,006(11.722)

28(111)

556( 2,169)

77(299)

The national saltwater angling surveys for 1960. 1965, and 1970 did not include recreational catches of invertebrates.

Live weights are given in parentheses for comparability with ICNAF statistics.

harvested in the New York Bight area. Soft clam is known to be much more susceptible to the effects of water pollution than hard clam is, thus pollution also could be a cause. Even if the resource recovers in New England it may be difficult to compete against the less costly Maryland industry which permits harvesting with fiydraulic dredges (Merrill and Tubiash 1970).

Chub Mackerel

Like several other active pelagic fishes of the high seas, chub mackerel. Scomber japonicus Houttuyn, appears infrequently and erratically in domestic commercial land- ings. Most of the catch is taken in pound nets, and land- ings in New Jersey have been somewhat greater than in New York. The period of greatest landings in both states (up to 600 metric tons in New Jersey) was in the early 1940s which appears to lend some credence to the relative accuracy of statistics for the two states. The actual catch probably is much larger than the recorded catch, because this species often is taken with Atlantic mackerel and reported as such.

In saltwater sport fishing surveys chub mackerel is not listed separately, but is included with Atlantic mackerel. It is assumed that the recreational catch of chub mackerel is not large. The species is not listed in ICNAF catches.

Frigate Mackerel

Frigate mackerel, Auxis spp.," has never been a major commercial species in the New York Bight area. It is dis-

"Probably Auxis thazard (Lacepede) and A. rochei (Risso).

cussed here because, according to official statistics, it was recorded in commercial fishery landings only for a short period and because the record of landings is remarkably similar for New Jersey and New York. Max- imum reported catches were about 75 metric tons in each state. Almost all the catch was taken in pound nets.

Frigate mackerel was first recorded in New Jersey land- ings in 1932 and in New York in 1931. The latest catches recorded were for 1951 in New Jersey and 1949 in New York. Catches in each state show three peaks, in the mid- 1930s, early 1940s, and late 1940s. The species may have been included with unclassified food fishes prior to the 1930s.

Two possible explanations of the relatively brief ap- pearance of frigate mackerel in New York Bight landings are suggested. Either the species was unusually abun- dant in the period from about 1932 to 1950, so that it spread beyond its usual geographic range, or oceanographic conditions during that period were such that this pelagic oceanic species came closer to shore than usual. Frigate mackerel also were recorded briefly in pound-net landings in Massachusetts and Rhode Is- land at about the same time. Arnold (1951) reported large numbers in the vicinity of Point Judith, R.I. in 1949, as well as other warm water species.

Frigate mackerel has not been listed in saltwater sport fish catches. The species is included in the ICNAF category "Other fish," but landings have not been reported separately. It is assumed that the foreign catch is negligible. The species was not listed by Bigelow and Schroeder (1953) or by Hildebrand and Schroeder (1928), which suggests that it is an infrequent visitor.

Soup

Scup, Stenotomus chrysops (Linnaeus), was not men- tioned by Earll (1887) as an important species in the fisheries of New Jersey in the 1880s. However, it was listed by Mather (1887) as important at the two ends and along the south shore of Long Island. Mather noted that scup had decreased in abundance, but by 1880 was in- creasing again. Earll did mention sheepshead, Archosar- gus probatocephalus (Walbaum), a closely related species, as being caught off the coast of New Jersey. This species, once abundant enough off New York to have a bay named after it, now is scarce north of Cape Hat- teras.

As in New York (McHugh 1972a), scup was the leading species by weight in New Jersey food fish landings for a considerable period. It ranked first by weight from 1948 to 1965 inclusive except for 2 yr: 1949, when an unusually large catch of Atlantic mackerel was made (Fig. 28) and mackerel ranked first; and 1956, when scup was less abundant for a period (Fig. 31). The reduction in abun- dance in the mid-1950s may not have been as great as the drop in commercial landings would make it appear. Fishermen may have turned in that period to the higher priced summer flounder, which at that time was tem- porarily abundant. Scup ranked first or second by weight of all food finfishes landed in New Jersey for 23 con-

33

IT

1i

4

O

ui

Q

§2 -

Figure 31. —Annual commercial landings of scup in New Jersey 1889- 1975.

secutive years, 1948 to 1970 inclusive. In New York scup was first by weight for 19 yr, from 1948 to 1966 inclusive.

The recreational catch is substantial, especially along the coasts of New Jersey and Long Island, but the com- mercial catch is larger (Table 33). In the last few years, including 1974, sport fishermen have been reporting scup as abundant in coastal waters, especially off New York. Reported commercial landings seem to support this view. There is evidence that the fish off New York and north- ward belong to a separate stock from those that come seasonally to the New Jersey coast (Neville and Talbot [1964]; Paul Hamer pers. commun.).

Wide fluctuations in abundance have been typical of the scup resource since the early days of the fishery (Neville and Talbot [1964]). Although no detailed study of the evidence is available for the period since 1933, it is assumed that the sharp drop in New Jersey landings

Table 33. — Estimated commercial and recreational catches of scup in the north and middle Atlantic regions of the united States coast for the period in which recreational or foreign catch estimates are available. Weights in metric tons.

Domestic commercial catch

Recreational catch

ICNAF Foreiqn catch

Year

NY

HJ

Me-NY incl.

MJ-NC

incl.

Me-NY incl.

NJ-NC incl.

^==w

"„

6

1960

5,663

6,201

9,906

12,392

6

066

1

443

1961

5,468

6,209

9,635

11,468

1962

4,852

6,749

8,973

12,991

1963

4.222

5,774

8.746

10,224

3

191

1,231

1964

3,765

3,879

8,269

9,159

-

459

1965

3,419

4,126

6,620

7,611

4

604

1

925

1

371

718

1966

1,849

1,967

6,154

6,681

257

566

1967

1,492

1,823

4,810

4,146

347

549

1968

1,271

1,552

3,954

2,757

536

1,224

469

1969

742

1,642

1,672

3,074

177

30

278

1970

552

1,414

2,114

2,454

1

041

965

132

51

108

1971

599

917

2,145

1,690

148

74

773

1972

598

1,655

1,923

2,261

551

205

891

1973

1,317

1,347

3,160

1,734

507

200

1,076

1974

1,648

2,740

3,901

2,986

136

51

769

1975

1,738

2.843

(1.760)

(3,174)

62

292

318

The national saltwater angling surveys for 1960, 1965, and 1970 did not give data by Individual states. Now Yorit was included with the New England states and Now Jersey with the other middle Atlantic states.

Foreign catches for 1975 are provisional. This species Is included with the second tier quota for 1976.

Figures for 1975 in parentheses assume that unavailable landings in N.H.. Conn., and Del. equal the average of recent years.

- An unreported catch is possible.

from 1953 to 1956 and the subsequent rise to a maximum in 1962 was caused by a real decline in abundance, al- though it is possible that variations in oceanographic conditions could have reduced the availability of the resource to fishermen. The appendix figure in Neville and Talbot shows a similar drop in the Chesapeake region. A similar, but much less pronounced, drop shows in the record of commercial scup landings in New York. Foreign catches of scup are relatively small, but the stocks of scup in this region have recently been so small that even incidental foreign catches may place sig- nificant stresses on the resource. The species migrates close inshore in spring and remains in coastal waters and bays until fall, then moves southward along the coast and spends the winter in relatively deep water at the edge of the continental shelf (Neville and Talbot [1964]). Bilateral agreements with the USSR and other nations which prohibit fishing at the edge of the shelf in winter and early spring were designed to protect the remaining scup resource as well as other species. Grosslein et al. (1973, see footnote 7) expressed the view that, since scup is particularly vulnerable to foreign trawling at the edge of the shelf in winter and spring, the existing area closed to fishing in winter and early spring should be main- tained or even expanded.

Black Sea Bass

The historic pattern of landings of black sea bass, Centropristis striata (Linnaeus), in New Jersey (Fig. 32) is remarkably similar to New York landings (McHugh 1972a). Catches were relatively low until the mid-1940s. reached a peak early in the 1950s, and dropped sharply and fairly steadily thereafter. On the average. New Jer- sey landings have been three to four times as great as New York landings. Most of the domestic commercial catch is made in pots (inshore) and otter trawls (off- shore). A brief review of the fishery along the Atlantic coast of the United States was published by Frame and Pearce (1973). They concluded that the decline in the 1960s was primarily a drop in trawl catches. They drew no conclusions about the reasons for the decline. It is sur- prising that neither Earll (1887) nor Mather (1887) men- tioned black sea bass as an important species in the 1880s in the New York Bight area.

A

v-^'V^'

1880 90 1900 K) 20 30 40 50 60 TO

Figure 32.— Annual commercial landings of black sea bass in New Jersey 1887-1975.

34

Black sea bass is an important sport fish in the New York Bight area (Table 34). The estimated recreational catch usually has exceeded the domestic commercial catch. Total recreational catches in the north and mid- dle Atlantic regions have declined since 1960, despite an increase in numbers of sport fishermen.

Black sea bass has not been recorded in foreign catches in the area except for about 1,500 metric tons in 1964 in ICNAF division 5Z, This may have been an error in recording. It is possible that incidental catches are made, especially in winter when the species has moved to deeper water. Grosslein et al. (1973, see footnote 7) believed that the resource is vulnerable to foreign trawlers, especially when the water is unusually warm in winter.

Table 34 .--Estimated commercial and recreational catches of black sea bass in the north and middle Atlantic regions of the united States coast for the period in which recreational or foreign catch estimates are available, weights in metric tons.

Domestic

Recreational

ICNAF

commercial catch

catch

Foreign catch

Me-NY

NJ-NC

Me-NY NJ-NC

Year

NY

NJ

incl.

incl.

incl. incl.

5Z„ 5Z^ 6

1960

238

1,001

379

2,781

675 4,722

1961

142

679

262

2,496

1962

238

1,189

340

3.799

1963

262

1,276

334

3,707

1964

227

996

313

3,241

1,494

1965

173

973

233

3,742

957 3,215

1966

100

436

151

1,962

1967

50

370

75

1,984

1968

30

245

54

1,567

1969

31

178

50

1,523

1970

32

140

66

1,438

279 3,043

1971

25

134

52

849

1972

20

192

59

956

1973

48

315

97

1,337

1974

44

353

136

1,490

1975

59

533

(200) (1,950)

The national saltwater angling surveys for 1960, 1965, and 1970 did not give data by individual states. New Yorlc was included with the New England states and New Jersey with the other middle Atlantic states.

The one record of a fairly large foreign catch is questionable. Incidental catches of black sea bass are suspected, but no other catch has been specifically reported.

Figures for 1975 in parentheses assume that unavailable landings in N.H.. Conn., and Del. equal the average of recent years.

Flounders

The major species of flounder in New Jersey landings has been summer flounder, Paralichthys dentatus (Lin- naeus). Winter flounder, Pseudopleuronectes america- nus (Walbaum), more abundant to the northward, and much more important in the New York fishery, has never contributed much to New Jersey landings (Fig. 33). Yel- lowtail flounder, Limanda ferruginea Storer), was of no great importance in New Jersey until the 1970s, when scarcity of other species and better prices encouraged south New Jersey trawlers to fish heavily for yellowtail (LoVerde 1971, 1972).

Flounders were among the most important finfishes taken in coastal bays in the 1880s (Mather 1887) but were

S05 = 0

°05

o ? 0

SUMMER FLOUNDER

WINTER FLOUNDER _l I 1_

YELLOWTAIL FLOUNDER — 1 I I

.. .A

FLOUNDERS - ALL SPECIES COMBINED

f^-

1880 90 1900 10 20 30 40 50 60 70

Figure 33. — Annual commercial landings of flounders in New Jersey

1887-1975.

considered to be much less abundant than formerly. The species were not listed separately until the 1930s. Floun- ders apparently were not highly regarded as food fishes in the early days (Mather 1887).

Summer flounder. — As in New York, flounder land- ings in New Jersey were not listed separately until 1937. However, since landings of other species in New Jersey probably were negligible before that date, historic land- ings of all species combined (Fig. 33) probably were predominantly summer flounder landings. The history of the fishery is similar to that in New York, with peak catches in the 1950s and a sharp decline thereafter. Peak landings were higher in New Jersey than in New York, but the recent decline in New Jersey has been much sharper. A moderate increase has taken place since 1969 (Fig. 33). Most of the catch is made in otter trawls.

Estimated sport catches of summer flounder have been about equivalent to the domestic commercial catch in the mid-Atlantic region, but 5-10 times the domestic commercial catch in the north Atlantic region (Table 35). Recreational catches dropped 25-30% from 1965 to 1970.

Catches of summer flounder reported by foreign fleets have been small. The species does, however, migrate off- shore to deeper waters in winter where it concentrates at the edge of the continental shelf from Hudson Canyon to Cape Hatteras (Grosslein et al. 1973, see footnote 7). It could be vulnerable to offshore trawling at that time.

Winter flounder. — Winter flounder is a minor com- mercial species south of New York. It usually inhabits relatively shallow waters near shore, and the ban on

35

Table 35 —Estimated coroierclal and recreational catches of summer flounder in the north and middle Atlantic regions of the United States coast for the period in which recreational or foreign catch estimates are available, weights in metric tons.

Doneatic Recreational ICNAF

ccBimercial catch catch Foreign catch

He-NY NJ-HC Me-NY NJ-NC

Year BY NJ incl. incl. incl. incl. 52^ 5z^ 6

1960 1.139 2.882 4,397 5,167 18,285 5,616

1961 1,054 2,736 3,932 4,870

1962 721 2,154 2,806 4,208

1963 592 2,016 1,910 4,266

1964 841 1,665 1,836 3,713

1965 1,112 1,642 1,582 5,025 8,676 4,756 22

1966 1.119 1.737 1,466 4,914 31

1967 691 1,377 1,436 4,429 72

1966 552 970 815 3,291 31 4 -

1969 260 578 428 2,610 245 19 30

1970 409 891 555 3,465 5,266 3,512 21 4 11

1971 495 839 675 3,571 497 346 61

1972 500 640 659 3,920 127 266

1973 628 1,403 1,168 6,432 19 3 -

1974 1,126 1,587 3,032 8,679 - " "

1975 1,466 1,957 (3,1651(9.136) '

The national saltwater angling surveys for 1960, 1965, and 1970 did not give data for individual states. New York was included with the New England states and New Jersey with the other middle Atlantic states. The 1960 recreational catch was all flounders combined. Foreign catches for 1975 are provisional. The total ICNAF 1976 quota for all flounders except yellowtail in subareas 5 and 6 was 20,000 metric tons.

Figures for 1975 in parentheses assume that unavailable landings in N.H., Conn., and Del. equal the average of recant years.

Landings in N.C. include other flounder species.

- An unreported catch is possible.

trawling within 2 miles of the New Jersey coast may have helped to keep the catch down.

The reported recreational catch of winter flounder is much larger than the commercial catch in the mid-At- lantic region (Table 36), and about equal to the domes- tic commercial catch in the north Atlantic region. Win- ter and summer flounders are among the most impor- tant and sought-after recreational species in the shallow coastal waters of New York and New Jersey.

Foreign catches of winter flounder, except in 1969, have been relatively small (Table 36).

Yellowtail flounder.— The yellowtail flounder fishery of the north and middle Atlantic regions went through a wide fluctuation in landings, from a peak in the early 1940s to a low in the 1950s, and a subsequent rise to inter- mediate levels in the 1960s and early 1970s. These fluc- tuations are similar to variations in New York landings (McHugh 1972a). The relation between these fluc- tuations in catch and abundance of yellowtail flounder on the continental shelf was confirmed by Colton (1972). The species was particularly abundant off New York and New Jersey in the late 1960s, but Colton concluded that this was related to greater abundance and not to a shift in geographic range. Prior to the middle 1930s, yellow- tail was regarded as a scrap fish (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 1945), and landings were small and prices low. The fishery began when winter flounder catches off New York and farther north declined.

According to Lux (1963) there are three stocks of yel-

lowtail, the most southerly of which occupies the southern New England region. The catch in this region, which for ICNAF regulatory purposes includes the waters over the continental shelf west and south of long. 69° W, has been controlled by quota since 1971. The total allowable catch in ICNAF subareas 5 and 6 for 1976 has been set at 20,000 metric tons.

Royce et al. (1959) concluded that the sharp decline in landings of yellowtail from the southern New England stock from the early 1940s to the middle 1950s was not caused by overfishing, but by a shift in the location of the stock. Landings in New York dropped to very low levels (McHugh 1972a, fig. 22) then recovered in the 1960s. A similar cycle occurred in New Jersey, but landings there were much smaller, and the decline is not clearly evident in Figure 33. The difference in landings between the two states is not so much a reflection of differences in the size of the trawler fleets as an indication that Long Island is about the southern limit of the range of this species. Usually, the numbers of vessels in the New Jersey trawl fleet have not been much different from those in the New York fleet. The magnitude of landings in the two states and the remarkable decline and subsequent rise in catches are illustrated in Table 37. The recent high levels of landings in New Jersey may indicate another south- ward shift, although it is possible that a distinct stock in- habits waters off southern New Jersey. Grosslein et al. (1973, see footnote 7) suggested that a fourth stock might exist in the Middle Atlantic Bight. Landings of yellow- tail flounder dropped abruptly in 1974 and 1975 in both

Table 36 — Estimated commercial and recreational catches of winter flounder in the north and middle Atlantic regions of the united States coast for the period in which recreational or foreign catch estimates are available, weights in metric tons.

Domestic Recreational ICNAF

commercial catch catch Foreign catch

Year

He-NY NJ-NC Me-NY HJ-NC NY NJ incl. incl. incl. incl. 5Z^ 5Z^

1960 744 48 9.016 56 16.265 5,616

1961 769 69 6.714 60

1962 737 57 9,086 69

1963 636 84 9,050 106

1964 653 162 10.233 215

1965 1.016 127 11,394 227 9,905 3,145

1966 1,480 199 14,332 363

1967 1,333 166 11,680 618 1969 830 192 8,929 601 1969 734 122 10,940 329

26 139 146

511

320

438

783 431

6,452 350 166

1970 764 53 11.149 136 11,197 5,643 422 104 8

1971 782 29 11,520 59 917 1.094 114

1972 654 43 9,013 55

1973 529 72 8,716 75

1974 253 64 7,185 66

1975 266 46 (7,600) (46)

818 1.707 14

793 707 33

69 94 32

1 528 48

The national saltwater angling surveys for 1960. 1965, and 1970 did not give data by individual states. New York was included with the New England states and New Jersey with the other middle Atlantic states.

The 1960 recreational catch was all flounders combined.

Foreign catches for 1975 are provisional. The total ICNAF 1976 quota for all flounders except yellowtail in subareas 5 and 6 was 20.000 metric tons.

Figures for 1975 in parentheses assume that unavailable landings in N.H., Conn., and Del. equal the average of recent years.

36

Table 37. — Estimated commercial landings of yellovrtiail flounder in Now Jersey and New York 1937-1975. Annual average for approximately five-year periods in metric tons .

Years

New Jersey

New York

Total

1937-42

53

2,555

2,608

1943-47

15

1,987

2,002

1948-52

13

583

596

1953-57

4

59

63

1958-62

21

746

767

1963-67

17

1,892

1,909

1968-73

363

2,606

2,969

i^l974-75

81

700

781

1/ Two years

only.

states, suggesting that the effects of foreign fishing are now being felt in the New York Bight region.

Yellowtail flounder is a species of relatively deep water, although most of the catch is made in water shal- lower than 100 m. For this reason the species does not support an important recreational fishery. Some hardy sport fishermen do seek the species, however, and a small winter recreational fishery has developed off Long Is- land (Ahem 1974).

Grosslein et al. (1973, see footnote 7) concluded that the equilibrium maximum sustainable yield for the southern New England stock of yellowtail flounder is about 15,800 metric tons and that present quotas will allow the stock to return to equilibrium. The large foreign catch in 1969 (Table 38) came almost entirely from Nantucket Shoals, but this heavy exploitation was not associated with a decline in domestic catches in New

Table 38. --Estimated commercial catches of yellowtail flounder in the north and middle Atlantic regions of the United states coast 1960-1975. Weights in metric tons.

Dcmestic commercial

catch

ICNAF

Year

NY

NJ

Me-NY

incl.

NJ-NC incl.

^K

5%

6

1960

526

5

14,151

5

1961

928

78

17,793

78

1962

1,765

16

27,468

16

27

1963

2,118

6

37,503

6

262

1964

1,616

5

37,576

6

300

1965

1,666

10

36,396

10

1,395

1966

1,582

44

30,340

44

294

1967

2,479

18

26.241

18

2,456

1966

2,547

44

31.708

44

1

261

2,188

1969

2,131

177

31,527

177

17

722

1.836

683

1970

2,126

495

32,670

495

2

592

468

lie

1971

3,285

588

27,944

588

339

831

829

1972

3,261

394

32,261

405

1

269

4.150

117

1973

2,283

4 78

29,261

478

181

260

197

1974

784

121

24,806

121

62

190

16

1975

594

41

(19,4701

( 41)

-

83

3

The national saltwater angling surveys for 1960, 1965, and 1970 did not include recreational catches of yellowtail flounder.

Foreign catches for 1975 are orovisional. The total ICNAF 1976 quota for yellowtail flounder in subareas 5 and 6 combined was 20,000 metric tons.

Figures for 1975 in parentheses assume that unavailable landings in N.H., Conn,, and Del. equal the average of recent years.

York Bight until 1974. What relation the resource being harvested by southern New Jersey fishermen bears to the New England stock is not known. Past experience and what is known about the life history of the species would suggest that the allowable catch will be variable and that this will not become a major New Jersey fishery.

Little Tunny

Euthynnus alletteratus (Rafinesque), little tuna or tunny, was important in the commercial fisheries of New Jersey for only about 8 yr, from 1945 to 1952 inclusive. Maximum landings reported were about 328 metric tons (722,000 pounds) in 19,52 (Fig. 34). A minor peak in com- mercial landings was reported in 1921. Landings reported in New York have been smaller, but two peaks also ap- pear in the statistical record, from 1921 to 1930 with a maximum of 27 metric tons (60,000 pounds) in 1930, and from 1946 to 1949 with a maximum of 45 metric tons (99,000 pounds) in 1949. Most of the commercial catch in both states is taken in pound nets, which were a much more important gear in the 1920s than in the late 40s and early 50s, although there was a brief postwar increase in numbers of pound nets licensed (Knapp in press). Little tunny is primarily a fish of ocean waters, probably highly erratic in its migrations to shallow waters. The two peaks in landings, coming at approximately the same time in both states, with about a decade of zero catches inter- vening, suggest that the species either was especially abundant at these times, or that oceanographic con- ditions were favorable for inshore migrations. Tunas are grouped in the national saltwater angling survey reports. Thus, it is not possible to compare sport and commer- cial catches of little tunny.

No foreign catches of this species have been reported. It is possible that little tunny is taken by foreign long- liners, but it may be too small to be caught with longline hooks.

1880 90 1900 10 20 30 40 50 60

Figure 34,— Annual commercial landings of little tunny in New York and New Jersey 1889-1975,

Surf Clam

Surf clam, Spisula solidissima (Dillwyn), has been landed in small quantities in New Jersey and New York since 1900, but this was a minor fishery until the middle

37

1940s in New York and until the middle 1950s in New Jersey. The modern fishery began off the south coast of Long Island, N.Y. Stocks of surf clam on the original grounds soon were reduced in abundance, and the fleets began to range more widely in search of new grounds. A large area closed to shellfishing in the apex of New York Bight removed some surf clam stocks from the fishery. A much larger resource was discovered off the New Jersey coast, and from 1949 to 1966 landings in New Jersey in- creased more than hundredfold, from 185 metric tons of meats to nearly 20,000 (Fig. 35). In weight of meats land- ed, this has been the most important food fishery in New Jersey since 1955.

Following the peak year 1966 surf clam landings in New Jersey have decreased irregularly but sharply. Land- ings in 1972 and 1973 were about half the maximum and landings in 1974 only slightly higher, but in 1975 jumped substantially. The evolution of the fishery has been typical of coastal fisheries everywhere. The fleets have ranged south, first off Delaware, then to Maryland and Virginia (Ropes et al. 1972), and have contemplated extending their operations north to the Canadian coast, where plentiful surf clam resources have been reported (Lo Verde 1969). Production was increased by improving the efficiency of operations at sea and by steady ad- ditions of vessels to the fleet. The short-lived rise in land- ings in 1969 and 1970 was attributed to production from a new ground on the Delaware side of Delaware Bay (Lo Verde 1970). New Jersey and New York, which received 99.8^7 of the Atlantic coast catch in 1966 (Table 39), now receive less than 50'^c, and surf clam grounds off the two states produce only a small part of the total catch. It appears probable that as new beds are located and exhausted the total catch may begin to fall. Thus, the surf clam resource, like many other coastal fishery resources, eventually could decline to minor impor- tance. How long it would take to reach this stage in the evolution of the fishery will depend upon the magnitude of the total resource, demand for the product, and costs of harvesting and processing. The recently established State-Federal Cooperative Surf Clam Study, if success- ful, may prevent a repetition of the sorry history of so many other domestic coastal fisheries.

Surf clam is known to occur off the coast from the Gulf of St. Lawrence to Cape Hatteras. To the north it is found mostly in shallow waters near shore, although it is distributed only sparsely over Georges Bank (Merrill and Ropes 1969). The depth of greatest abundance increases toward the south. Most surf clam are found at depths between 12 and 43 m, but they have been reported as deep as 128 m. From New York northward a possible al- ternative resource is the smaller Spisula polynyma (Stimpson). South of Cape Hatteras is an even smaller species, Spisula raveneli (Conrad), according to Jacob- son and Old (1966).

Occupying about the same geographic range, but in deeper water, is another possible alternate, ocean quahog or mahogany clam. Arctica islandica (Linnaeus). A limited fishery for ocean quahog has operated for a num- ber of years off Rhode Island and since 1968 landings

1880 90 1900 10 20 30 «3 50 60 70

Figure 35. — Annual commercial landings of surf clam in New Jersey 1901-1975.

Table 39. — Estimated conmiercial landings of surf clan in the north and middle Atlantic regions of the United States coast 1960-1975. weights of meats in metric tons.

North Atlantic region Me-NY incl. NY only

Middle Atlantic region

Year

NJ-NC incl.

MJ only

1960

329( 2,3341

328( 2.327)

11.043( 78.407)

10,636( 75,512)

1961

333t 2,362)

328( 2.327)

12.142( 86,210)

12,109( 85,976)

1962

3e6( 2,739)

381( 2,703)

13.610( 96,631)

13,531( 96,070)

1963

442( 3,135)

442( 3,135)

17,061(121,133)

17,032(120.927)

1964

5591 3,966)

553( 3,923)

16,744(118,884)

16.726(118.756)

1965

6e3( 4,852)

682( 4.845)

19,315(137.136)

19,190(136.250)

1966

850( 6,037)

834( 5,923)

19,613(139.250)

19.584(139.044)

1967

1,053 ( 7,476)

1,045( 7,420)

19,384(137.626)

18,862(133,923)

1968

1,373( 9,746)

1,365( 9,690)

17,022(120,856)

14,597(103,640)

1969

1,563(11,094)

1,557(11,052)

20,925(148,564)

16.348(116.068)

1970

1.971(13.996)

1,896(13,464)

28,565(202,810)

17,994(127.758)

1971

1,750(12,428)

1,673(11,875)

27,309(193,893)

13,028( 92.495)

1972

1,290( 9,158)

1,231( 8,739)

27,487(195,156)

9.676( 68.702)

1973

1.514(10.747)

1.501(10,691)

35,830(254,396)

9.792( 69.526)

1974

1,796(12,755)

1.792(12,723)

41,785(296.673)

10,277( 72,967)

1975

2.082(14.778)

2,077(14,749)

38,280(271,788)

16,125(114,490)

The national saltwater angling surveys for 1950, 1965, and 1970 did not include recreational catches of invertebrates.

Live weights are given in parentheses for comparability with ICNAF statistics.

have been rising. Landings of this species were first reported in Massachusetts in 1968 and in Connecticut in 1969. Ocean quahog is abundant from Georges Bank to the outer continental shelf off Chespeake Bay (Merrill and Ropes 1969). Surf clam is preferred because it is larger and produces a greater yield of meats, and is dis- tributed in somewhat shallower water closer to shore. There also have been problems with dark color and off- flavor of meats of ocean quahog.

No foreign fleet has been known to harvest surf clam, which was declared by the L'nited States a creature of the continental shelf under the terms of the 1958 Geneva Convention and now is further protected by the Fishery Conservation and Management Act of 1976 (LI.S. House of Representatives 1976),

Bluefin Tuna

Tuna purse seiners began fishing in New Jersey waters in 1963 (LoVerde 1964). Catches of Atlantic bluefin tuna,

38

Thunnus thynnus thynnus (Linnaeus), were very erratic (Fig. 36). Fishing effort has been increasing thoughout the North Atlantic Ocean, and it is generally conceded that the resource has been seriously overfished (Stroud 1974; Mather 1974). It has even been proposed that At- lantic bluefin tuna be placed on the endangered species list. It is prohibited to take fish less than 14 pounds (6.4 kg) or in excess of 115 pounds (52.2 kg) but less than 300 pounds (136.1 kg) except as incidental catches, also specified as to amount. The following annual catch quotas also have been set: bluefin tuna taken by purse seine, 1,000 short tons (907 metric tons) of fish between 14 and 115 pounds, and 180 short tons (163 metric tons) of fish over 300 pounds; taken by methods other than purse seining, 2,000 fish over 300 pounds; anglers, daily bag limit 4 fish between 14 and 115 pounds, on fish over

300 pounds a bag limit of one fish per day per vessel through August 13, and a limit of seven fish per vessel thereafter until the quota of 2,000 fish is reached.

Small quantities of bluefin tuna have been landed in New Jersey and New York for many years. Most of these were caught in pound nets or by hook and line. This tuna is a popular sport fish, although it has not been listed separately in the national saltwater angling surveys. In 1970 about 1,685 metric tons of tunas were estimated to have been taken by sport fishermen in the north Atlan- tic region, and about 400 metric tons in the middle At- lantic region (Deuel 1973).

In 1970 the foreign catch of bluefin tuna in ICNAF sub- areas 5 and 6, the sport catch, and the domestic com- mercial catch were of the same orders of magnitude (Table 40).

1880 90 1900

Figure 36.— Annual commercial landings of bluefin tuna in New York and New Jersey 1901-1975.

Table 40.--Estimated cotmnercial and recreational catches of Atlantic bluefin tuna in the north and middle Atlantic regions of the United States coast for the period in which recreational or foreign catch estimates are available, weights in metric tons.

Domestic commercial catch

Me-HY

HJ-NC

year

NY

HJ

incl.

incl.

1960

4

2

634

2

1961

5

1

1.073

1

1962

8

2

3,207

2

1963

10

1

,283

2,999

1.542

1964

9

1

.251

998

1,923

1965

1

571

1,147

973

1966

1

237

883

243

1967

1

1

323

1,060

1,459

1968

13

65

742

65

1969

5

2

1,224

2

1970

13

1

398

1.474

1,398

1971

3

917

1,409

917

1972

2

976

698

976

1973

3

567

771

567

1974

5

396

632

396

1975

4

1

141

(830)

CI. 141)

Recreational catch

Me-»Y incl.

NJ-NC incl.

ICNAF Foreign catch

331 230

48

1,150 486 166 102 144 295

The national saltwater angling surveys for 1960, 1965, and 1970 did not give data by individual states. New York was included with the New England states and New Jersey with the other middle Atlantic states. Recreational catches were given under the general category "tunas," which probably includes other species in addition to bluefin . Foreign catches for 1975 are provisional.

Figures for 1975 in parentheses assume that unavailable landings in N.H., Conn., and Del. equal the average of recent years. - An unreported catch is possible.

Atlantic Sea Scallop

The U,S, Atlantic northern sea scallop, Placopecten magellanicus (Gmelin), fishery began off New England in the 19th century and shifted to beds off Long Island, N.Y. in the 1920s. The fishery did not reach full develop- ment until after the second world war, when major stocks on Georges Bank were heavily exploited (Merrill and Tubiash 1970). The New England fishery reached its peak in 1961 with total landings of nearly 11,000 metric tons of meats, mostly in Massachusetts and Maine. Relatively large catches in 1961 and 1962 were mostly of survivors of an unusually large recruitment on Georges Bank in 1959 (Graham 1968).

Scallop landings in New Jersey and New York have

90 1900 O 20 30 40 50 60 70

Figure 37.— Annual commercial landings of scallops in New Jersey

1897-1975.

39

been relatively small and variable, and do not neces- sarily reflect catches by vessels based in those states. For example, in 1962 most scallop draggers from New Jersey landed their catch in New York (LoVerde 1963). The sharp increase in New Jersey in 1965 (Fig. 37, Table 41) came mostly from catches off Cape Henry, Va. (LoVerde 1966). New Jersey draggers returned to waters off Vir- ginia in 1966 but abundance had dropped substantially. As in the surf clam fishery, when abundance declined on traditional grounds the fleets ranged farther from their home ports in search of new grounds. It probably was in- evitable that sea scallop landings in New Jersey would decline (Fig. 37) soon after the New England scallop catch dropped from a combination of heavy fishing and poor spawning success.

Canada is the only other country which harvests scallops off the United States coast. The Canadian fishery on Georges Bank began with the advent of the strong 1959 year class. Canadian interests built a new fleet to work on Georges Bank. When scallop stocks declined there they extended their area of operations to the southward where they were competing with scallopers from New York and New Jersey.

Table 41 .--Estimated commercial catches of Atlantic sea scallop in the north and middle Atlantic regions of the united states coast 1960-1975. Weights of meats in metric tons.

Domestic ccnmercial catch

ICNAP Foreign catch

Year

HY

NJ

Me-NY

incl.

NJ-MC incl.

5Z,

5Z,

6

1960

1

.266

257

11.454

610

-

1961

1

.370

158

12.154

302

4.565(37.999)

1962

1

.233

44

11.087

87

5.715(47,434)

1963

B73

79

8.944

100

5.898(48.957)

1964

927

64

7.520

152

5.922(49.156)

1965

1

.323

860

6.918

2.144

4.434(36.803)

1966

965

182

6.022

1.225

4.878(40.489)

2,

,791(23,

,165)

1967

622

97

3.809

837

5.019(41.657)

6(

50)

1968

671

226

4,272

1.203

3(22) 4.820(40,

,002)

424 ( 3

.517)

1969

271

143

2.588

774

-

4.318(35,

.836)

2(

15)

1970

242

45

2.268

386

-

4.097(34,

,006)

-

1971

183

51

2.154

299

-

3.908(32,

.434)

-

1972

101

112

2.107

546

-

4.161(34,

,535)

16(

135)

1973

69

187

1.860

538

-

4.223(35,

.055)

-

1974

93

149

2,184

544

-

6.137(50,

,934)

-

1975

122

322

(3.334)

(898)

-

7.414(61,

536)

-

The national saltwater angling surveys for 1960, 1965, and 1970 did not include recreational catches of invertebrates.

Foreign catches for 1975 are provisional.

For simplicity the ICNAF statistics, given in live weights (in parentheses) have been reduced to weights of meats by dividing by 8.3, rather than showing live weights for domestic catches also.

Do»nestic figures for 1975 in parentheses assume that unavailable landings in N.H., Conn., and Del. equal the average of recent years.

- An unreported catch is probable.

Atlantic Bay Scallop

Argopectcn irradians (Lamarck), bay scallop, has been esteemed as a delicacy along the Atlantic coast for a very long time. It lives in shallow protected waters and at

some stages of its life history is often assocated in- timately with eelgrass {Zostera). Most Zostera beds along the Atlantic coast were reduced or eliminated in 1931-32 by disease and the concurrent sharp decline of the bay scallop fishery has been attributed to destruc- tion of eelgrass beds. Marshall (1947), however, noted abundant scallop populations in the absence of eelgrass. Merrill and Tubiash (1970) reported that a major factor in decline of bay scallop landings after 1935 was the "ex- plosive expansion" of the sea scallop industry. The ef- fect shows very clearly in the record of bay scallop land- ings in New York State (McHugh 1972a, fig. 11). In New Jersey commercial landings of bay and sea scallops were lumped until 1937 (Fig. 37). Some bay scallop may have been included in the earlier records, but from 1937 to 1955 inclusive apparently no catches were made. Small and variable catches have been reported for most years from 1951 to 1973 inclusive (Table 42). The poten- tial for bay scallop production apparently is much less in New Jersey than in New York. In the recent period of abundance maximum reported landings were 171 metric tons in 1964 in New Jersey and 449 metric tons in 1962 in New York.

Because it lives its entire life history in shallow waters, bay scallop is subject to rigorous environmental con- ditions and it is hardly surprising that it is extremely variable in abundance. But, because its life span is not much longer than 1 yr, management strategy is relatively simple. It is necessary only to protect the young until they have a chance to spawn, then permit unlimited har- vesting. This should achieve the maximum sustainable yield, but it will be a highly variable yield over which man cannot have much further control under natural en-

Table 42 .--Estimated coomercial landings of Atlantic bay scallop in the north and middle Atlantic regions of the united States coast 1960-1975. Weights of meats in metric tons.

North Atlantic region

Middle Atlantic region

Year

Me-NY Incl.

NY only

NJ-NC

incl.

NJ only

1960

864(7,171)

383(3.176)

31(

257)

-

1961

678(5,627)

359(2.977)

60 (

663)

32 (

266)

1962

1,095(9.088)

449(3,724)

242(2

.007)

166(1

.377)

1963

315(2.614)

136(1.144)

270(2

.239)

124(1

,028)

1964

523(4.341)

312(2.588)

325(2

.695)

171(1

.418)

1965

610(5.063)

402(3.334)

216(1

.791)

44 (

365)

1966

543(4.507)

144(1.194)

261(2

.164)

79 (

655)

1967

280(2,324)

74( 613)

206(1

.708)

39(

324)

1968

314(2,606)

91 ( 754)

298(2

.471)

8(

66)

1969

644(5.345)

113( 937)

278(2

.305)

-

1970

665(5.519)

166(1,377)

59 (

490)

-

1971

1.001(8.308)

65( 539)

27(

224)

-

1972

42( 349)

42 ( 349)

58 (

481)

-

1973

77( 639)

77 ( 638)

45(

373)

28 (

2321

1974

308(2,556)

306(2,556)

107 (

667)

7(

58)

1975

201(1,668)

201(1.666)

63 (

525)

-(

-1

The national saltwater angling surveys for 1960, 1965, and 1970 did not include recreational catches of invertebrates.

Live weights are given in parentheses for comparability with XCNAP Statistics.

- An unreported catch is possible.

40

vironmental conditions provided that he preserves the quality of the coastal zone.

American Lobster

In the 1880s the southern limit of the North Atlantic lobster fishery, according to Earll (1887) was at Squan River (probably the Manasquan), just north of Barnegat Bay. A few lobster were caught in Long Island Sound, but lobster landings at the eastern end of Long Island ap- parently came from Marthas Vineyard (Mather 1887). At one time lobster was taken in New York harbor, but by 1880 the catch had dropped to zero.

As in New York, the trend in American lobster, Homarus americanus Edwards, landings in New Jersey has been upward since the early 1950s (Fig. 38). At first, most of the increase was caused by conversion of fish trawlers to lobster trawling, as the existence of a sub- stantial resource on the continental shelf became com- monly known. From 1957 to 1961 about 90'^c of lobster landings in New Jersey were taken by trawlers operating between Hudson and Veatch canyons on the continental shelf (LoVerde 1963). By 1964 (LoVerde 1965) about 35 trawlers were taking lobster specifically. Landings dropped from 1962 to 1967 and many fishermen con- cluded, from the scarcity of lobster on these grounds and a substantial decline of lobster size, that the resource had been overharvested. From this evidence alone, that con- clusion was not necessarily warranted. The subsequent rise in catches to even higher levels (Fig. 38) came about through another change in harvesting strategy, this time a switch from sea bass to lobster by pot fishermen. It is possible, although by no means conclusive, that the decline in size of lobster might have been caused by an unusually successful year class or classes at this time.

These changes in fishing strategy are typical of coastal fisheries, illustrated particularly well by the interac- tions between lobster fishing and other kinds of fishing. The sequence was, first of all, a shift from fish to lobster by trawlers, then a shift by trawlers back to finfishing, especially for summer flounder when lobster catches dropped (LoVerde 1967), and finally another set of shifts in the pot fisheries, from sea bass to lobster. Thus, trends in the catches of all these species are interrelated and not independent phenomena. These changes are related to

9r

8 -

prices and costs of operation, as well as to relative abun- dance of the various species. By 1971, about 40% of New Jersey lobster landings were taken in pots, and the sea bass pot fishery had declined almost to nothing (LoVerde 1972).

It is reasonably well established that a part of the in- crease in lobster landings in the New York Bight area and farther south was caused by a real increase in abun- dance. It has been suggested that this increase was as- sociated with falling water temperatures, which caused the species to shift its geographic range. Table 43 illus- trates not only that New York landings have been fol- lowing an upward trend since the early 1960s, but also that they have been rising more rapidly than in the north Atlantic region as a whole. Similarly, New Jersey land- ings of American lobster have been rising, but landings to the south of New Jersey have been rising more rapidly. In the 5-yr period, 1961-65, landings in New York made up less than 2% of the entire north Atlantic region catch, in the period 1966-70 nearly 4%. In the same two periods New Jersey landings rose also, but in the first period this was about 97% of total landings in the middle Atlantic region, in the second period only 87%. In the last several years, however, landings in New Jersey and New York have been dropping. Local lobstermen believe not only that the resource is less abundant, but also that the fishery has been overcapitalized.

Taylor et al. (1957) postulated a relationship between catches or availability of lobster along the Atlantic coast and water temperatures. In a period of rising air tem- peratures (presumably correlated with ocean tem- peratures) from about 1920 to 1950 they found that lob-

Table 43 .--Estimated commercial catches of American lobster in the north and middle Atlantic regions of the United States coast 1960-1975. Weights in metric tons.

Domestic

coiTUTiercial

catch

ICNSF Foreign catch

Year

NY

NJ

Me -NY incl.

NJ-NC incl.

52:„ 5Z^ 6

1960

230

622

13,502

637

1961

22B

703

11,990

710

1962

143

395

12,974

407

1963

173

340

13,364

351

1964

248

482

13.547

496

1965

295

463

13,235

484

1966

331

34 7

13.036

365

1967

399

400

11,633

499

1968

530

550

14,153

615

1969

64 2

650

14,573

753

1970

747

S32

14.542

949

1971

812

582

14,548

714

1 102 25

1972

520

593

10,950

1,014

2 204 17

1973

405

618

10,134

733

2 228 5

1974

332

540

10,549

694

176

1975

304

386

(10,743)

(454)

219

Figure 38.-

- Annual commercial landings of American lobster in New Jersey 1880-1975.

The national saltwater angling surveys for 1960, 1965, and 1970 did not include recreational catches of invertebrates.

Public Law 93-242, enacted in January 1974, declared American

lobster a creature of the continental shelf. Thereafter, it

became illegal for fishermen of other nations to catch lobster

off U.S. coasts. Foreign catches for 1975 (Canadian) are provisional.

Figures for 1975 in parentheses assume that unavailable landings in N.H., Conn., and Del. equal the average of recent years.

41

ster landings in New England rose, while those in the middle Atlantic states dropped. They inferred a cause- and-effect relationship but did not explain the mecha- nisms. Dow (1969) also has maintained that lobster abundance and distribution along the coast, and hence catches, are a function of water temperature trends.

Some lobster are taken by recreational fishermen but this catch has not been recorded in the national surveys.

Lobster is taken incidentally by trawlers fishing primarily for other species. Catches reported by foreign fleets have been relatively small (Table 43), and there is no information at present that fisheries specifically for lobster have been established by other nations in the area, except for the Canadian lobster fishery on southeastern Georges Bank (Grosslein et al. 1973, see footnote 7). Nevertheless, a good deal of concern has arisen in some quarters about the possibility of unan- nounced lobster catches by some nations fishing in the area, and there have been some difficult gear conflicts. Effects of foreign fishing on the lobster fisheries of the New York Bight area probably have been negligible, at least until very recently. In 1974, by Congressional ac- tion, American lobster was declared a creature of the shelf. This action was not consistent with the definition contained in the 1958 Geneva Convention, because lob- ster can swim. Nevertheless, foreign fishing vessels with lobster aboard have been detained and the operators penalized in U.S. courts. Fines have been paid despite the questionable legality of the U.S. declaration. When the United States declared unilateral jurisdistion over resources out to 200 miles from the coast under the provisions of The Fishery Conservation and Manage- ment Act of 1976, this weakness in the regulations was removed. Edwards (1968) estimated that the standing crop of lobster in the region from the Gulf of Maine to Hudson Canyon beyond 12 miles was about 50 million pounds (23,000 metric tons).

Swordfish

Fishing for swordfish, Xiphias gladius Linnaeus, off New Jersey was a relatively recent development. Com- mercial landings were insignificant until the 1960s (Fig. 39), when a longline fishery developed (LoVerde 1964, 1965, 1966, 1967). Landings were made by New Jersey longliners in other states and some vessels from other states in New Jersey ports, but apparently the success of fishing was variable. The decline of this short-lived fishery undoubtedly was hastened by national hysteria about residues of mercury in some large pelagic fishes like swordfish and tunas, and action by the Food and Drug Administration to prohibit transport of swordfish in interstate commerce.

A commercial swordfish fishery has been underway in New York for much longer. Landings were first recorded in 1904. Except for 1908, landings have been reported for every year except 1972 (Fig. 39). This was at first a har- poon fishery, but beginning in 1963 a shift was made to longlines. By 1967 harpoons were no longer used, and ex- cept for small catches reported on handlines, this had

-V..K .!\K.

Figure 39.— Annual commercial landings of swordfish in New York and New Jersey 1901-1975.

become a longline fishery. The advantage was probably that longlines took other species as well.

Swordfish has been included with billfishes in the national saltwater sport fish surveys but estimates are not available prior to 1970. In 1970 the total recorded catch of billfishes in this area was 326 metric tons in the middle Atlantic region (Table 44), none in the New England region. Thus, it appears that the recreational catch of swordfish is relatively small.

Swordfish has not been reported separately in ICNAF landings. Some probably are taken by longline and per- haps other gears by foreign fishermen.

Table 44.— Estimated commercial landings of swordfish in the nortn and middle Atlantic regions of the united States coast 1960-1975. weights in metric tens.

North Atlantic

region

Middle Atlantic

region

Year

Me-NY incl.

NY only

NJ

-HC incl.

NJ only

1960

450

22

9

9

961

399

22

10

10

1962

412

19

12

12

1963

1

079

21

171

88

1964

73B

78

646

139

1965

398

40

828

454

1966

426

38

190

115

1967

292

1

183

117

1968

202

25

72

33

1969

153

1

17

14

1970

130

8

-

7

1971

35

2

*

•

1972

se

-

-

-

1973

275

-

3

2

1974

1

352

*

34

3

1975

(X

,8561

-

(120)

55

Recreational catches were included under the general category "billfishes." The only recorded catch was 326 metric tons in 1970 in the middle Atlantic region. No foreign catches have been recorded .

Figures for 1975 in parentheses assume that unavailable landings In N.H., Conn., and Del. equal the average of recent years.

- An unreported catch ia possible.

• Less than 0.5 metric ton.

42

Striped Bass

The history of striped bass, Morone saxatilis (Wal- baum), landings in New Jersey (Fig. 40) has been similar to landings in all the coastal states, where the trend has been irregularly upward since the early 1930s. Landings in New Jersey have been less than in New York and the fluctuations have been much greater. Whereas the com- mercial catch in New York has been primarily in haul seines, the New Jersey commercial fishery since 1960 has been almost exclusively an otter trawl fishery in coastal waters in winter. I am informed that the very wide fluctuations in New Jersey landings of striped bass may reflect success of law enforcement rather than abun- dance of fish, especially after the winter trawl fishery for this species became important. This fishery began when it was discovered that along the New Jersey coast striped bass often spend the winter in relatively shallow waters off the coast rather than in bays and estuaries. It is illegal in New Jersey to trawl within 2 miles of the coast, but facilities for enforcement of marine fishery laws in that State are inadequate, as they are in most Atlantic coastal states. Activity of enforcement agents may depend on how the authorities react to public pressures, especially from sport fishermen.

According to national saltwater sport fishing surveys, the recreational catch of striped bass is relatively large (Table 45). In the 3 yr for which estimates are available, in the north Atlantic and middle Atlantic regions com- bined, the total sport catch was more than six times the total commercial catch. Sport catch estimates also sup- port the hypothesis that abundance of striped bass has increased over this period, for the sport catch has grown about twice as much as the number of sport fishermen. These figures, if they are reasonably accurate, con- tradict many of the assertions used in the chronic con- flict between recreational and commercial striped bass fishermen, and do not support the argument that com- mercial fishing for this species should be curtailed or prohibited. In other words, regulations, if they are to be successful, must be applied to all segments of the fishery. There is no scientific rationale for termination of com- mercial fishing (Retzsch 1975).

Striped bass is not recorded in foreign catches, al- though it is remotely possible that small incidental catches could be made by trawls beyond 12 miles. This migratory coastal species, like weakfish and some others, is not threatened by foreign fishing and should be amenable to management by the coastal nation-state. In view of its vulnerability, as an anadromous species, to damage from domestic overfishing and other human agencies, and the patent failure generally of domestic ef- forts to manage coastal fisheries, it is remarkable that the striped bass resource has survived and flourished. It has been suggested (Mansueti 1961; McHugh 1972a) that this species has been able to take advantage of enrich- ment of its estuarine nursery grounds by man. If so, the effect must be reversible at some higher level of enrich- ment. On the other hand, if increased nutrient loads in the estuaries have been favorable for striped bass

4

-

1

in §3

- il

\\

o

(E

^

52

-

J \ 1 !\

Id.

o

° 1 o

L_..-:

^j' J J

I

u

I 1 1

"■"""■■Tw-

, y 1^, ,

Figure 40.— Annual commercial landings of striped bass in New Jer- sey 1887-1975.

Table 45 . --Estimated commercial and recreational catches of striped bass in the north and middle Atlantic regions of the United States coast 1960-1975. Weights in metric tons.

North

Atlar

tic reqion

Middle Atlai

Commercial NJ-NC NJ incl. only

ntic reqion

Year

Commercial Me-NY NY incl. only

Recreational Me-NY incl.

Recreational NJ-NC incl.

1960

428

332

5

597

3,451

52

11.254

1961

592

413

3,699

125

1962

607

298

3,298

224

1963

569

306

3.644

342

1964

739

452

3,387

452

1965

576

336

21

773

2,920

345

3,334

L966

858

477

3,258

143

1967

1,100

739

3,646

148

196S

1,151

675

3,886

208

1969

1,233

661

4,391

141

1970

1,261

536

20

795

3.790

118

12.366

1971

931

526

2,601

128

1972

587

371

3,505

169

1973

1,107

759

4,747

348

1974

941

626

3,662

324

1975

(685)

516

(2,724)

155

The national saltwater angling surveys for 1960. 1965. and 1970 did not give data by individual states. New York was included with the New England states and New Jersey with the other middle Atlantic states.

Figures for 1975 in parentheses assume that unavailable landings in N.H.. Conn., and Del. equal the average of recent years.

production, then pollution abatement may lead to a reduction in abundance.

A recent report from Maryland (Boone 1976) states that the last dominant year class of striped bass was produced in 1970 and that small fish are becoming scarce. This may mean reduced catches in the New York Bight area in the near future.

Conch

Two species of conch, Busycon carica (Gmelin), knobbed whelk, and B. canaliculatum (Linnaeus), chan- neled whelk, are used in the New York Bight area as bait for sport fishing and are canned in limited quantities for human food. The pattern of landings in New Jersey dif- fers from that in New York, where the peak came in the 1940s, probably as a result of protein shortages during

43

the war. In New Jersey (Fig. 41) the increase in landings came in the 1950s and a peak was reached in the early 1960s. According to LoVerde (1964, 1968) demand for conch meats increased at this time, but also scarcity of finfishes encouraged some fishermen to turn to this resource. Fluctuations in landings (Table 46, Fig. 41) probably were related more to market demand than to abundance of conch.

In the New York Bight area conch are taken mostly in pots, and the catch is to some extent incidental to the sea bass pot fishery. The recent downward trend in conch landings may have been caused by the decline of the sea bass fishery.

-r\^

90 1900

20 30 40 50 60 TO

Figure 41. — Annual commercial landings of conch in New York and New Jersey 1926-1975.

Table 46. — Estimated commercial landings of conch In the north and middle Atlantic regions of the United States coast 1960-1975. Weights of meats in metric tons.

Horth Atlant

ic reqion

Middle Atlant

ic reqion

Year

Me-NY Incl.

NY only

SJ-NC

incl.

NJ only

1960

e3<324)

12 (

47)

224(

873)

142(554)

1961

59(230)

6(

23)

187 (

728)

95(370)

1962

64(326)

8(

31)

262(1

021)

75(292)

1963

93(363)

10(

39)

398(1

551)

238(927)

1964

85(331)

19(

74)

220(

857)

87(339)

1965

60(3121

20 (

78)

199 (

775)

84(328)

1966

126(491)

IK

43)

420(1

637)

169(659)

1967

113(441)

35(136)

249 (

970)

62(242)

1966

92(359)

22{

86)

269(1

048)

68(265)

1969

170(662)

17(

66)

275(1

071)

136(530)

1970

183(713)

18 (

70)

251(

978)

84(328)

1971

195(759)

15(

58)

73 (

285)

36(140)

1972

170(662)

19(

74)

167 (

650)

52(203)

1973

173(674)

20 (

78)

272(1

060)

68(265)

1974

144 (562)

24 (

94)

596(2

324)

49(191)

1975

160(624)

49(193)

609(2

375)

73(286)

The national saltwater anglinq surveys for 1960, 1965, and 1970 did not include recreational catches of invertebrates.

Live weights are given in parentheses for comparability with ICNAF statistics.

Northern Puffer

Sphocroidcs mnculntus (Rloch and .Schneider) has never been of great importance as a commercial fish in New Jersey. Prior to the second world war scarcely any

landings were reported. A peak of about 60 metric tons in

1948 probably was related to the scarcity of meat at the end of the war. According to LoVerde (1963) the labor of skinning the fish deterred local fishermen and puffer were landed only when other species were scarce. He also said that the increase in landings in the 1960s, to a peak of about 70 metric tons in 1963, was stimulated by development of out-of-state markets. These may have been markets created by the rapidly developing fishery in Chesapeake Bay, which reached its peak in 1965. The subsequent decline of the commercial fishery in New Jer- sey may have been caused by overproduction of puffer in Chesapeake Bay, which led to a decline in prices. This was the reason advanced for the parallel decline in puffer landings in New York (McHugh 1972a). But the decline to zero landings in the 1970s apparently reflects a real scarcity of fish in New Jersey (Paul Hamer pers. com- mun.). In New York, greatest landings were in the mid- dle and late 1940s, when landings rose to a maximum of over 1,000 metric tons. The secondary peak in the 1960s was general in the Middle Atlantic Bight, caused by a temporary increase in abundance (Table 47). Northern puffer presently is extremely scarce along the coast.

Although puffer is not a popular sport fish, recreational fishermen catch large quantities at times of abundance (Table 47). In the middle Atlantic region the recreational catch probably comes mostly from Chesapeake Bay and the North Carolina sounds.

Northern puffer is a coastal fish which never migrates far from shore. It has not been recorded in foreign catches and probably is never taken by foreign fleets.

Table 47. --Estimated commercial and recreational catches of northern puffer in the north and middle Atlantic regions of the united States coast 1960-1975. Weights in metric tons.

North Atlantic

region

Middle

Atlantic

reqion

Commercial

Recreational

Comnercial

Recreational

He-NY

tn

He-NY

NJ-NC

NJ

NJ-MC

Year

incl.

only

incl.

incl.

only

incl.

1960

143

136

1

461

774

15

771

1961

223

223

693

34

1962

246

244

822

66

1963

430

430

1,252

73

1964

250

250

2,524

59

1965

183

183

5

870

5,897

24

4,924

1966

103

103

3,825

16

1967

32

32

3,687

2

1968

102

102

1.850

3

1969

118

118

2.176

1

1970

99

89

3

583

744

*

7.515

1971

55

55

284

-

1972

3

3

60

-

1973

2

2

8

-

1974

4

4

1

-

1975

(2)

2

(•)

-

The national saltwater angling surveys for 1960, 1965, and 1970 did not give data by individual states. Hew YorV was Included with the New England states and New Jersey with the other middle Atlantic states.

Figures for 1975 in parentheses assume that unavailable landings in N.H.. Conn., and Del. equal the average of recent years.

- An unreported catch is possible.

• Less than 0.5 metric ton.

44

Tilefish

SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS

The interesting history of the tilefish, LopholatUus chamaeleonticeps Goode and Bean, fishery has been de- scribed in detail by Bigelow and Schroeder (1953), and was reviewed briefly by McHugh (1972a). The species apparently is distributed in a narrow band of relatively warm bottom water at the edge of the continental shelf. It is taken incidentally by trawlers fishing primarily for other species, but recently in New Jersey a specialized longline fishery has developed; this accounts for the sharp increase in landings (Fig. 42, Table 48) in the last 3 yr. No parallel increase occurred in New York landings, but north of New York landings have increased about as sharply as in New Jersey. In both states limited deep water handline sport fisheries have developed recently.

The only foreign catch of tilefish reported by ICNAF was 1 metric ton in 1972. It is likely that incidental catches are made fairly regularly by foreign fleets fishing at the edge of the continental shelf.

Figure 42.— Annual commercial landings of tilefish in New Jersey 1933-1975.

Table 46. --Estimated commercial landings of tilefish in the north and middle Atlantic regions of the United States coast 1960-1975. Weights in metric tons.

North fltlanti

r reqion

Middle Atlantic

reqion

Year

He-NY incl.

NY on

ly

NJ

-»C incl.

NJ only

1960

1,039

35

25

20

1961

338

46

50

37

1962

115

57

53

42

1963

101

13

20

14

1964

565

37

32

30

1965

604

20

10

9

1966

435

55

3

3

1967

37

8

13

8

1968

27

3

3

3

1969

20

5

10

10

1970

47

3

11

10

1971

46

25

16

IS

1972

11

6

111

111

1973

71

3

323

323

1974

206

22

3B0

380

1975

(277)

2

(434)

434

A specialized recreational fishery for tilefish in deep water has developed recently.

Probably some incidental foreign catches are taken on the outer continental shelf. One metric ton was reported in 1972 in subarea 6.

Figures for 1975 in parentheses assume that unavailable landings in N.H., Conn., and Del. equal the average of recent years.

Study of trends in landings of some 48 species of fishes and shellfishes in New Jersey has shown that the history of the marine fisheries of the State closely parallels the history of the marine fisheries of New York. Maximum total weight of landings in New Jersey was reached in 1956, followed by a secondary peak in 1962, and a sub- sequent sharp decline to a low in 1969 at only about 16% of the 1956 high.

Over most of the recorded history of New Jersey fisheries, menhaden has dominated the catch, especially after the 1930s. The recent rise in landings after 1969 has been caused primarily by a resurgence of the menhaden fishery. When food finfishes and food shellfishes are con- sidered separately the patterns are different. The greatest recorded weight of landings of food finfishes was in 1901, but the statistics prior to 1929 were for the most part widely spaced in time and probably were less reliable. The next greatest was 1945, the peak year of a period (1929-49) which marked the most prosperous era of the otter trawl fisheries of New Jersey. Subsequently, landings of food finfishes declined rather steadily to an all-time low in 1968 which was about 30% of the 1945 high.

Landings of food shellfishes showed a downward trend from 1880 to 1944, then rose sharply to a maximum his- toric high in 1966, and fell off abruptly thereafter. The re- cent rise is somewhat misleading, for it was caused by development after the second world war of the surf clam fishery. If surf clam catches were not included in food shellfish landings, the downward trend continues, as it has in New York.

The postwar decline in food finfish landings in New Jersey, which was similar to the decline in New York, is significant in the light of the popular belief that foreign fishing is the cause of all the problems of the domestic marine fisheries. Foreign fishing did not extend south- ward of Cape Cod and Georges Bank until the mid-1960s, when the decline of domestic landings was already well underway. This suggests that other factors had impor- tant effects on total landings. Foreign fishing certainly has reduced recently the abundance of a number of living resources important to domestic fishermen in New York Bight, and thus created problems for domestic fisher- men. But it is a dangerous oversimplification to believe that all the problems of the domestic fisheries will be solved by extending national jurisdiction to 200 miles. Resolution of foreign fishing problems off the U.S. coast will bring realization that even more difficult unsolved problems remain. Preoccupation with "the Russians" has led many people to forget that extremely complex domestic fishery problems of long standing exist, and that the United States has made little progress in solving them. As Gates and Norton (1974) have observed, foreign fishing is a symptom of what is wrong with the domestic fishing industry, not a cause. Smith (1975), with reference to a west coast trawl fishery, noted that the well-being of domestic fishermen did not change sig- nificantly as foreign fishing developed in their area, yet

45

domestic fishermen perceived foreign fishing as a major threat.

In New Jersey about 25 species of fishes and shell- fishes produced landings of 1,000 metric tons or more at one time or another in recorded history. Of these 25 species 13 are estuarine and coastal resources not vul- nerable to foreign fishing. Landings of an additional eight species reached peaks between 1930 and 1958. Thus, the subsequent declines in landings of these eight species were not caused by foreign fishing. Another two species have never produced major landings in New Jer- sey because demand is low. The remaining two, bluefin tuna and unsorted industrial fishes, reached peak land- ings in 1970 and 1966 respectively, but the subsequent declines were caused by domestic overfishing in the one case and by domestic economic conditions in the other.

In New York also, some 25 species of fishes and shell- fishes yielded landings of 1,000 metric tons or more in 1 yr or another since 1880. With six exceptions these were the same species on the New Jersey list. Of these 25 species 10 are estuarine and coastal, not subject to foreign fishing. Of the remaining 15, all of which have been taken by foreign fleets recently, two have been in low demand in the United States.

In both states, landings of species not vulnerable to foreign fishing have declined more sharply since peak landings were reached than have domestic landings of species also taken by foreign fleets (Table 49). This demonstrates clearly that domestic fishery management has not been successful in maintaining landings in the two states bordering on New York Bight, and that al- though foreign fishing has taken large quantities of some species important in domestic catches, foreign fishing has not been the only factor, or even the major factor, responsible for the decline of domestic fisheries in New York Bight. This is further substantiated by the history of marine fisheries in Rhode Island (Olsen and Steven- son 1975); in that State total landings have been in- creasing since 1964, and the rise has been attributed to successful management.

The history of commercial fishery landings in the New York Bight area is illustrated by comparing combined landings for New York and New Jersey of 27 major species in the catch (Fig. 43). The species have been ar- ranged from bottom to top approximately in chronological order of years of peak landings. The series illustrates rather well how the industry shifted from traditional inshore resources (oyster to weakfish) in the late 1920s and the 1930s to demersal resources (haddock to yellowtail flounder) as the offshore trawl fishery developed. Next came increased landings of a variety of species, stimulated by meat shortages and high fish prices during the later years of the second world war and immediately after (hard clam to Atlantic mackerel). The final period, continuing to today, was characterized by concentration on certain resources temporarily abun- dant (sea scallop, black sea bass, summer flounder, scup, American lobster, and striped bass), but also including the period of rapid growth and subsequent decline of the industrial fisheries (menhaden and unclassified species) and the surf clam fishery. As in New York (McHugh 1972a), these changes were in response to changing abun- dance or availability of traditional species and changing economic conditions. Despite the obvious capacity of the industry to respond fairly quickly to such changes it was not possible to maintain maximum historic levels of total landings (Fig. 3), even of food fishes and edible shell- fishes (figs. 5 and 2 respectively in McHugh 1972a).

It is obvious that the declining fisheries of the New York Bight area have some predominantly domestic causes, not shared by some neighboring states to the north. In Rhode Island, for example, following a sharp decline in total landings from the late 1950s to 1964, the trend in total landings has been up. Most of the decline up to 1964 can be accounted for by a decline in indus- trial groundfish landings. Olsen and Stevenson (1975) described the commercial fishing industry in Rhode Is- land as thriving, and capable of expansion and diver- sification.

Even in New England, the epitome of a depressed

Table 49. — Historic trends in dontestic landings of major commercial fishery resources of Ne York Bight (NY and NJ combined) since 1929. comparing resources not available to foreign fishermen with those vulnerable to foreign fishing, weights in metric tons.

Maximum

catch

Minimum subsequent catch

Average

catch

)

(veai

■)

since m

inimum

values

New Jersey

N«w Yorlt

New Jersey

New Yorl<

New Jersey

New Yor)c

Resources not available to foreign fleets:

Food finfiahes

8,

,745(1937)

3,362(1945)

552(1967)

347(1967)

1.520

1,033

Pood shellfishes

21,

.468(1966)

9.881(1946)

12.136(1972)

2,314(1959)

12.664

4.453

Industrial species

220,

,639(1956)

62.713(1962)

5.918(1970)

291(1967)

34.448

2.479

Subtotals

232,

,105(1956)

66.391(1962)

28.115(1966)

5,067(1967)

52.218

9.093

Resources vulnerable to foreign fishing:

IS,

.644(1949)

22.222(1939)

5.441(1969)

5,188(1970)

7.702

6.371

Percentage changes in

Percent

maximum

decline from historic Percent decline from historic to subsequent minimum maximum to average for period following minimum

New Jersey New Yor)c

New Jersey

New Yor)c

Resources not available foreign fleets;

to

87

.9 92

.4

77.5

86.3

Resources vulnerable to foreign fishing;

70

.8 76

.7

58.7

71.3

46

:l_^

STRIPED Bass AMERICAN LOBSTER

,J

0 10 -

A.

UNCLASSIFIED INDUSTRIAL FISHES {NOTE SCALE CHANGE)

5

,^/':^^^X/

250

.1,

200

150

.

.

100

-

J.. ,VA

50

-t-- _

r-'.-c

,fN^oA-^

'°r

SUMMER FLOUNDER

MENHADEN (NOTE ORDER- OF. MAGNITUDE SCALE CHANGE)

BLACK SEA BASS SEA SCALLOP

ATLANTIC MACKEREL SOFT CLAM RED HAKE ATLANTIC HERRING

_^ HARD CLAM

q -^-r--.-..-^

/■.,• •,

"■" \-\^r;

YELLOWTAIL FLOUNDER

SQUIDS

BLUE CHiB

WINTER FLOUNDER

ATLANTIC COD

SILVER HAKE

\^%.-^

AMERICAN SHAD

BLUEFISH ALEWIFE

AMERICAN OYSTER

American fishery, opinion is divided as to how bad things are. Substantial investment is being made in new domes- tic fishing vessels, and some experienced observers point out that energetic and hardworking fishermen are doing well (Townes 1975). They attributed most of this success to the Point Judith Fishermen's Cooperative and to the rise of Newport as a trawler port. Thus, the healthy con- ditions described refer largely to the otter trawl in- dustry. Some other fisheries in Rhode Island appear to be much less healthy. The hard clam industry, for example, has declined by more than 80% from peak landings of about 2,300 metric tons of meats (5 million pounds) in 1955 to less than 400 metric tons (less than 850,000 pounds) in 1974. Olsen and Stevenson (1975) said that the hard clam resource is large and underutilized but also that if present trends in the fishery continue the har- vest will continue to decline. The reasons for this ap- parent contradiction are not entirely clear. Certainly there is no scarcity of markets for hard clam if the up- ward trend in production from New York waters is any criterion. In this respect the commercial fishing industry is in better condition in the New York Bight area (es- pecially New York State) than in Rhode Island.

The major domestic problems of commercial fisheries in the New York Bight area are sociopolitical and economic, aggravated by wide fluctuations in abun- dance of individual resources from natural causes. To a degree the industry has been able to cope with resource fluctuations by shifting from one species to another and by using different methods of fishing. An outstanding ex- ample of changes in fishing strategy in both states was the virtual replacement of fixed pound nets in the shore zone by more flexible otter trawls (Knapp in press) in the past 40 yr. This development not only allowed fishermen to follow the major species during their seasonal mi- grations, but also lengthened the fishing season from about 6 mo to a full year. This improvement in ef- ficiency may have contributed to declining catches of some species by overfishing those resources. Develop- ment of a domestic trawl fishery proved to be an evolutionary trend in fishing strategy which eventually was adopted by much more efficient and massive foreign fleets in the 1960s, to the detriment of some domestic fisheries in the New York Bight area, including some recreational fisheries.

Domestic fishermen in the area have been han- dicapped by restrictive state laws, usually justified as conservation measures, but in reality serving only to per- petuate inefficiency and increase the cost of locating and catching fishes and shellfishes. Some of this legislation has been passed at the insistence of recreational fisher- men, who want improved access to certain living resources and a greater share of the catch (Ginter 1974a, b). This question of who gets the catch has been pushed to extremes in repeated attempts in both states to declare striped bass a game fish and prohibit completely commercial fishing for that species. The rationale behind

Figure 43. — Historic landings of major species in the New York Bight area (New York and New Jersey).

1880 90 1900 10 20 30 10 50 60 70

47

the striped bass controversy is emotional, having nothing to do with scientific management. In fact, all available evidence points to the conclusion that, historically, fishing has not had an adverse effect on the striped bass resource. However, the history of the striped bass fishery and attempts to control fishing is an excellent example of the failure of domestic management to address itself to the central issue, namely, control of coastal fisheries for maximum benefit to the public and to the economy. Neither scientists, nor fishermen, nor legislators, nor fishery administrators have demonstrated a recognition that obtaining essential management information should have top priority.

In some ways an even better example of failure by the states to manage coastal fisheries is provided by the his- tory of the surf clam industry. This began as a major fishery in the middle 1940s off New York and New Jer- sey. Peak landings were reached in the two states com- bined in 1966, but by 1973 and 1974 landings had dropped by about 43^r. Meanwhile, the fishery has shifted steadily to the southward, as stocks on northern grounds have been reduced and new resources have been discovered. Most of the catch is now made off Virginia. This is a typical example of the evolution of an un- regulated fishery, a history that has been repeated all too often around the coasts of the United States. The decline cannot be attributed, as declines of other molluscan shellfisheries have been, to water pollution, for most of the resource inhabits the continental shelf, away from coastal contamination.

One encouraging recent development has been that several coastal species have supported increasing catches in the 1970s, and these increases clearly have been made possible by increases in abundance. Major species in New York Bight which have shown such increases are scup, summer flounder, bluefish, weakfish, striped bass, and blue crab (McHugh 1976b). The reasons for these in- creases are not known, and there is no guarantee that they will continue. Some people have speculated that pollution abatement in the coastal zone has been a fac- tor (Clark in press; McHugh in press b), but there is no proof that this is true. Recent agreements with other nations, which have reduced catches of certain food fishes of major importance to American fishermen, have been a step in the right direction. But the major un- solved problem is to improve incentives of the in- dividual states to manage domestic marine fisheries wisely and to provide the means of achieving successful management of living resources of the coastal zone. Perhaps the recently developed State-Federal fishery management program will provide the incentive. Now that the United States has extended its jurisdiction to 200 miles, the states will be obliged to improve their scientific knowledge of coastal fishery resources and their fishery management capabilities.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

I thank Paul Hamer, Principal Fisheries Biologist,

Nacote Creek Research Station, Marine Fisheries Sec- tion, Division of Fish, Game and Shell Fisheries, Depart- ment of Environmental Protection, State of New Jersey, and Eugene A. LoVerde, Fishery Reporting Specialist, National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), NOAA, Toms River, N.J., for reading an early draft of this manuscript and providing comments and corrections. Thanks are due also to Carl. J. Sindermann, Director, Middle Atlantic Coastal Fisheries Center, NMFS, NOAA, Highlands, N.J., and anonymous members of his staff, for advice and comments. Bruce B. Collette, Scien- tific Editor, NMFS, NOAA, and two anonymous readers also provided editorial services and helpful critical com- ments, for which I am grateful. Special thanks go to Anne Williams for assistance in compiling the ICNAF catch statistics and to Marjorie Sumner for the tedious task of typing several drafts of the manuscript and catching numerous errors and inconsistencies.

LITERATURE CITED

AHERN. M.

1974. Fish now for yellowtail! Long Island Fisherman Jan. 31, 9(51 ;8-9, 18. ANONYMOUS.

1972. U.S. firm flies eels to Britain. Commer. Fish. Rev. 34(3-4): 8. ARNOLD. E. L., JR.

1951. Northward dispersal of warm-water marine fishes in southern New England during the summer of 1949. Copeia 1951:87-88. BIGELOW, H. B.. and W. C. SCHROEDER.

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388. Proceedings of the first U.S. -Japan meeting on aquaculture at Tokyo. Japan. October 18-19. 1971. William N. Shaw (editor). (18 papers. 14 authors.! February 1974. iii + 133 p. For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington. D.C. 20402.

389. Marine flora and fauna of the northeastern United States. Crustacea: Decapoda. By Austin B. Williams. April 1974, iii + 50 p.. Ill figs. For sale by the Superintendent of Documents. U.S. Government Printing Office. Washington, D.C. 20402.

390. Fishery publications, calendar year 1973: Lists and indexes. By Mary Ellen Engett and Lee C. Thorson. September 1974, iv -t- 14 p., 1 fig. For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, D.C. 20402.

391. Calanoid copepods of the genera Spinocalanus and Mimocalanus from the central Arctic Ocean, with a review of the Spinocalanidae. By David M. Damkaer. June 1975, x -t- 88 p., 225 figs., 4 tables. For sale

by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, D.C. 20402.

392. Fishery publications, calendar year 1974: Lists and indexes. By Lee C. Thorson and Mary Ellen Engett. June 1975, iv -H 27 p., 1 fig.

393. Cooperative Gulf of Mexico estuarine inventory and study — Texas: Area description. By Richard A. Diener. September 1975, vi + 129 p., .55 figs., 26 tables.

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395. Report of a colloquium on larval fish mortality studies and their relation to fishery research. January 1975. By John R. Hunter. May 1976. iii + 5 p. For sale by the Superintendent of Documents. U.S. Government Printmg Office. Washington, DC. 20402.

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