Distribution of Sexually Immature Components of 10 Northwest Atlantic Groundfish Species Based on Northeast Fisheries Center Bottom Trawl Surveys, 1968-86

摘要

Analyses of data obtained from research vessel survey cruises over a 19-year period reveal distinctive patterns in the geographic occurrence of immature fish. These occurrences provide qualitative evidence for potentially significant fishing mortality of the sexually immature components of 10 species in the Gulf of Maine-Georges Bank-Southern New England region, where substantial overlap exists between unregulated mesh/exempted fishing areas and the distributions of these immature fish.