Change in spatial distribution of adult fish in the Northeast U.S. Shelf Ecosystem.

Distribution in the annual relative proportions among strata between 1977–1987 and 1999–2008 of spring- and fall-collected adult fish were tested separately using Kruskal-Wallis chi-square. By examining changes in slopes using linear analyses, changes were analyzed in: the along-shelf, the cross-shelf, and the depth directions. Results were classified into categories for each distributional shift: no significant change (blank), southward shift (South), northward shift (North), inshore shift (In), offshore shift (Off), shallower (Shallow), and deeper (Deep). Spatial shifts were examined relative to regional occurrence (M—GB = Mid-Atlantic Bight to Georges Bank, S—GOM = Southern New England to Gulf of Maine, and GB—GOM = Georges Bank to Gulf of Maine), management status (M = managed, N = not managed), and habitat type (D = demersal, P = pelagic).