Resource Survey Report: Atlantic Surfclam/Ocean Quahog, Georges Bank - Georges Bank, 01 August - 12 August 2019, F/V E.S.S. Pursuit Resource Survey Report, Catch Summary, NOAA Fisheries Service, Northeast Fisheries Science Center, Atlantic Surfclam – Ocean Quahog Survey, Georges Bank, 1 August – 12 August 2019

The 2019 region-wide survey for Atlantic surfclam, Spisula solidissima, and Ocean quahog, Arctica islandica, was conducted in continental shelf waters of Georges Bank aboard the F/V E.S.S. Pursuit. The survey, conducted by the Northeast Fisheries Science Center, provides indices of abundance and recruitment for both species. The following charts and station data describe the distribution of surfclams and ocean quahogs during the survey. Five-minute tows were made at the speed of 3.0 knots, scope of 2:1, and with a commercial-style hydraulic dredge equipped with a 13-foot-wide cutting blade and a surface-supplied manifold positioned on the forward end of the dredge. Survey stations were randomly selected to provide unbiased abundance measurements. Therefore, these stations were not always on or near known locations of clam concentrations. In this report, data are summarized from audited catch files generated from the Fisheries Scientific Computer System. Clam catch quantity is recorded in numbers of clams, while depth is recorded in fathoms. Percentage estimates of surfclam catches are also reported by four categories of shell height: between 0” to 4.75", 4.76” to 5.00", 5.01” to 5.50", and greater than 5.50". Distribution plots indicate relative numbers of surfclams and ocean quahogs caught on each tow. 2020 NMFS (National Marine Fisheries Service) NEFSC (Northeast Fisheries Science Center) Submitted https://doi.org/10.25923/p2dg-d354 Public Domain 1997