Commercial catch sampling and bycatch survey of two pelagic fisheries

The Atlantic herring is one of the most biologically and economically important species in the Gulf of Maine. Herring are oceanic plankton-feeding fish that occur in large schools, and inhabit coastal and continental shelf waters and are widely distributed from Labrador to Cape Hatteras. Adults (age 3+) migrate south from summer/fall spawning grounds in the Gulf of Maine to overwinter off southern New England and the Mid-Atlantic states. Important commercial fisheries for juvenile herring (ages 1 to 2) have existed since the last century along the coasts of Maine and New Brunswick up until the mid 1980’s. Development of large-scale fisheries for adult herring is comparatively recent, primarily occurring in the Gulf of Maine, on Georges Bank, and in southern New England and Mid-Atlantic waters. Herring are an important food source for many species of fish, mammals, and seabirds. Commercial landings are currently around 200 million pounds annually with 60 % going to the lobster bait market and 40 % to the canneries. Grant no. NA06NMF4740135