Transboundary Resources Assessment Committee Status Report 2016/03 : Georges Bank Yellowtail Flounder 2016. TRAC Georges Bank Yellowtail Flounder Status Report 2016/03

Combined Canada and USA catches in 2015 were 118 mt. This is the lowest value in the time series beginning in 1935. The declining trend in survey biomass to low levels for the past three years, despite reductions in catch to historical low amounts, indicates a poor state of the resource. Recent catch is low relative to the biomass estimated from the surveys but catch curve analyses indicate high total mortality rates (Z>1). Stock biomass is low and productivity is poor. An empirical approach based on survey catches developed during the 2014 Georges Bank Yellowtail Flounder Diagnostic and Empirical Approach Benchmark was applied to generate catch advice. Using a constant exploitation rate of 2% to 16% results in 2017 catch advice of 31 mt to 245 mt. 2016 NMFS (National Marine Fisheries Service) NEFSC (Northeast Fisheries Science Center) Submitted Public Domain 1930