North Atlantic Commercial Fishing

 

The North Atlantic supports many of the most productive and important fisheries in the world. The area is home to a wide range of fish, shellfish and mullosks. The following information highlights some of the most common fisheries of the region.

 

North Atlantic Territorial Waters

 

The North Atlantic has irregular coasts indented by numerous bays, gulfs, and seas. These include the Norwegian Sea, Baltic Sea, North Sea, Labrador Sea, Black Sea, Gulf of Saint Lawrence, Bay of Fundy, Gulf of Maine and Mediterranean Sea.

American waters of the North Atlantic include three principal sub-regions: the Gulf of Maine, Georges Bank, and the Southern New England shelf region of the Middle Atlantic Bight, which includes the shelf and slope waters ranging from Cape Cod, Massachusetts, south to Buzzards and Narragansett Bays, Long Island Sound, and the waters south of Montauk on the continental shelf, slope, and rise, including numerous submarine canyons.

 

 

North Atlantic Fish

Atlantic Mackerel

The Atlantic mackerel is native to both sides of the Atlantic Ocean. In the Western Atlantic, it ranges along the continental shelf from Labrador south to Cape Hatteras, North Carolina USA. Mackerel are also important as bait for other Atlantic species.

Atlantic Herring

The Atlantic herring is one of the most abundant species of fish on the planet . They are small, pelagic fish known for their schooling tendencies. Herring are iridescent, greenish or grayish blue dorsally with a silvery abdomen and sides.

 

Atlantic Cod

Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) are caught along the Northeast coast of North American and in many parts of the North Atlantic Ocean. Cod are cool water fish. They have a delicious mild white flesh and are well suited for a variety of cooking methods. American Cod stocks are managed under the New England Fishery Management Council's Northeast Multispecies Fishery Management Plan (FMP).

 

Atlantic Haddock

The Atlantic haddock is a member of the cod family, but it is smaller than the Atlantic cod, generally weighing 2-5 pounds. Haddock are easily recognized by a black lateral line running along its white side and a distinctive dark blotch above the pectoral fin, often described as a "thumbprint", the "Devil's thumbprint" or "St. Peter's mark".

Haddock are found from the Western North Atlantic from Labrador to Cape Charles, Virginia, the Eastern North Atlantic from Bay of Biscay to Spitzbergen; Barents Sea; around Iceland and southern tip of Greenland. Two major North American stocks thrive on Georges Bank and in the southwestern Gulf of Maine. American haddock stocks are managed under the New England Fishery Management Council's Northeast Multispecies Fishery Management Plan (FMP).

Haddock is a mild white fish known for its excellent table quality. Haddock is a great source of low-fat protein and is high in magnesium and selenium. Haddock fillets are white, mild and very similar to Atlantic cod.

Haddock is sold fresh, smoked, frozen, dried, or to a small extent canned. Haddock, along with cod and plaice, is one of the most popular fish used in British fish and chips. Fish and chips (sometimes written "fish 'n' chips") originated in the United Kingdom consists of battered, deep-fried fish sliced, deep-fried potatoes.

Small fresh haddock and cod fillets are often sold as scrod in New England The term refers to the size of the fish which have a variety of sizes, i.e. scrod, markets, and cows. Haddock may be prepared in the same manner as other members of the cod family, keeping in mind that it has a more delicate texture than cod. It is lean and white like cod and produces large flakes once cooked. Popular cooking methods include poaching, baking, steaming and broiling. Haddock is also very popular smoked in Europe and Scandinavia where it is marketed as finnan haddie.

 

 

Atlantic Pollock

Atlantic Pollock is a member of the cod family. It is distinguished from other cods by its coloring. The Atlantic pollock is olive green above, with yellowish gray side and a silver belly. Its lateral line is white, and it has a small barbel on its chin. Pollock average 4-15 pounds but sometimes reach weights up to 40 pounds. Pollock are most common in cooler waters from Newfoundland south to the Mid-Atlantic states. Pollock are sometimes called blue cod, Boston bluefish, saithe, and coalfish. Most pollock are trawl-caught and are typically available year-round. Pollock are managed under the New England Fishery Management Council's Northeast Multispecies Fishery Management Plan (FMP).

 

Red Hake

Red hake is a member of the cod family. Hake are small fish with slender bodies, a chin barbel and very slimy skin. Their elongated pelvic fins and fewer teeth distinguish them from silver hake. Other common names for this species include squirrel hake, white hake, mud hake, ling, merluche and codling. The species is an important food fish in some countries. Red hake are harvested inshore and nearshore areas otter trawls, line trawls, and hand lines. Hake have lean white flesh and are available fresh, frozen and smoked.

Blue Whiting

The blue whiting, Micromesistius poutassou, is a cod common in the Northeast Atlantic ocean, from Morocco to Iceland and Spitsbergen as well as the Northwest Atlantic ocean between Canada and Greenland. The species lives in depths between 50 and 1500 meters. Blue whiting have a long, narrow body. Coloration includes a bluish back and silvery underside. Adults typically measure 24–32 cm in length.

Harvesting of blue whiting started in the 1970s. More recently the species become an important species to the fishing industries of northern European countries and Russia. Blue whiting was 5th most important capture fish species in 2006, according to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). The fish is usually processed into fish meal and oil.

Winter Flounder

Winter flounder are an important commercial and recreational fish throughout New England and the Mid-Atlantic. Several factors have contributed to serious declines of winter flounder populations. Current stocks are well below historical numbers.

 

Yellowtail Flounder

Yellowtail flounder reach maximum sizes of roughly 22 inches total length and 2.2 pounds in weight. They are found along the Atlantic coast of North America from the Gulf of St. Lawrence, Labrador, and Newfoundland to the Chesapeake Bay. Yellowtail flounder prefer sandy bottoms in waters between 130 and 230 feet.

 

Monkfish

Monkfish are also known as goosefish or angler fish. These strange fish live along the ocean floor, eating almost anything that comes near. They are equipped with a "lure" which is a stalk above their head which they skillfully use to attract prey close enough to swallow. Monkfish are caught by groundfishing trawlers or using gillnets. Monkfish are managed under the New England Fishery Management Council's Northeast Multispecies Fishery Management Plan (FMP).

 

Golden Tilefish

Golden Tilefish, Lopholatilus chamaeleonticeps are brilliantly colored blue, green, yellow and rose. The species occurs in the deep waters of the Atlantic from Nova Scotia south to Florida and in the Gulf of Mexico. Golden Tilefish live in burrows in the bottom which occur at depths of 250-1500 feet. Tilefish are slow growing and may live up to 45 years.

Mature tilefish weigh up to 50 pounds, though 20 to 30 pounds is more common. They feed on small fish, squid, shrimp, shelled mollusks, worms, sea urchins, sea cucumbers, and sea anemone.

 

Blueline Tilefish

Blueline or gray tilefish (Caulolatilus microps) are another species of tilefish. They also burrow and sometimes live in communities along the bottom. Adults weigh an average of 10-25 pounds. Blueline tilefish have firm, white meat with a mild flavor.

 

Black Sea Bass

Black sea bass (Centropristis striata) are highly sought after by commercial fishermen throughout the Mid-Atlantic region of North America. Primary gear includes sea bass pots, otter trawls, and hook and line. Bycatch in the pot fishery is minor as the gear is not usually baited. Bycatch in trawl fisheries are dependent on mesh size. In American waters, the black sea bass fishery is jointly managed by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission and the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council. In 2006, commercial landings were 2.8 million pounds. Managers recognize two stocks which are divided at Cape Hatteras, NC.

 

Scup (Porgy)

Scup or porgy (Stenotomus chrysops) range from the Mid Atlantic Bight from Cape Cod, MA to Cape Hatteras, NC. Adult scup feed in schools of similar-sized individuals around piers, rocks, offshore ledges, jetties, and mussel beds. They move inshore in summer but return to deeper waters offshore or migrate southward when temperatures cool. Large scup generally occur farther offshore than do smaller, younger ones. Scup populations off the North American coast have historically gone thru periodic cycles of abundance. The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission and the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council jointly manage American landings of scup.

 

Butterfish

Butterfish (Peprilus triacanthus), are small, bony fish with a thin oval body. Butterfish are fast-growing and live only a few years. They reach lengths of up to 9-10 inches. Butterfish congregate in schools and are commonly found from Southern New England to Cape Hatteras. The fish occasionally range from Nova Scotia south to deep waters off Florida. Butterfish overwinter along the 100-fathom contour of the continental shelf from late autumn through early spring. North of Cape Hatteras, these fish begin to disperse over the shelf in spring, moving inshore and northward as water temperatures increase. South of Cape Hatteras seasonal inshore/offshore migrations are not thought to be significant. Butterfish are regulated under the Atlantic Mackerel, Squid, and Butterfish Fishery Management Plan (FMP).

 

Atlantic Herring

Atlantic herring can be found in both the eastern and western halves of the North Atlantic Ocean. In the western Atlantic, herring range from Labrador to Cape Hatteras, North Carolina. Herring grow to about 14 inches, weighing less than a pound. Herring landed in the USA are marketed as canned sardines, steaks and kippers. Some U.S.-caught herring is sold to foreign ships that process the fish as frozen or salted products. In addition to being an important food fish, they are harvested as lobster, blue crabs or tuna bait. The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission coordinates management of the herring fishery in state waters, and the New England Fishery Management Council manages the fishery in federal waters.

 

Spiny Dogfish

Dogfish are small sharks. They are plentiful, with schools sometimes being enormous. These fish are popular in several types of cuisines. The meat of dogfish is boneless, white and firm. Spiny dogfish management is controversial as scientists, fishermen and environmentalists disagree on population sizes. A popular source describes the fish as "Voracious almost beyond belief, the dogfish entirely deserves its bad reputation. Not only does it harry and drive off mackerel, herring, and even fish as large as cod and haddock, but it destroys vast numbers of them...........fishermen have described packs of dogs dashing among schools of mackerel, and even attacking them within the seines, biting through the net, and releasing such of the catch as escapes them..." (Fishes of the Gulf of Maine, Bigelow, H.B. and W.C. Schroeder, 1953)

 

Tuna

Several Species of tuna are fished commercially in the North Atlantic including bluefin, yellowfin and longfin albacore.

Yellowfin Tuna

 

The yellowfin tuna (Thunnus albacares) is found in open waters of tropical and subtropical seas worldwide. Yellowfin Tuna reach lengths of more than 8 feet and can weigh over 400 lbs. Yellowfin tuna are also known as ahi in Hawaii. The body of yellowfin tuna are very dark metallic blue, changing to silver on the belly. The body is often strikingly marked with a pattern of vertical lines. The fish get their name from the coloration of the second dorsal fin and the anal fin which are bright yellow. The dorsal and anal fins and be very long in mature fish, and fish displaying this aspect are sometimes refered to as "allison tuna" by fishermen.

Yellowfin tuna tend to school in large schools, sometimes with other species of tuna or other fish. They also travel with dolphins, porpoises or whales. They eat other fish, crustaceans, and squid.
Yellowfin tuna are caught commercially using longline gear, trolled rigs, hand lines and purse seines.

 

Albacore Tuna

Albacore tuna are distinguished by a dark blue back, and silver white sides and belly. Adult albacore tuna have pectoral fins that extend past the second dorsal fin and anal fin. Its flesh is pink when raw and white when cooked. Mature albacore tuna can reach as much as 100 lbs although the average market weight is 20 lbs. Cooked albacore tuna has a mild taste and soft texture. Albacore is the only species allowed to be labeled as "white meat" tuna.

 

Other Fish

Slime Eel or Hagfish

Hagfish, also known as slime eels are eel-like fish equipped with as a tongue having two pairs of rasps. Hagfish use their mouth to snag and then tear the flesh from the carcasses of their victims as they devour their prey from the inside out. They have very slow metabolisms and after eating they may not need to feed again for up to seven months.

They lack jaws, true eyes or a stomach. Hagfish live on areas of muddy sea bottom. The fish overwhelms any prospective predators by exuding massive amounts of sticky slime. Despite these disgusting character traits, the skin of these creatures is often used to make expensive boots, bags, wallets and purses.

 

Atlantic Menhaden

The Atlantic menhaden is a toothless herring with a blue, blue-green or blue-brown body. The sides, fins and belly are silvery, often with a yellowish sheen. Menhaden are a favorite prey of many predatory fish and other species, including bluefish, weakfish, striped bass and others. Menhaden can be caught using purse seines, gill nets, pound nets and other gear.

 

North Atlantic Shellfish

 

American Lobster

The American lobster is found from Canada southward along much of the Eastern seaboard. Lobsters are caught commercially in Canada from Nova Scotia to the American border. The lobster fishery for this species in the USA extends from Maine down to Virginia. Lobsters are typically fished by setting traps from just off the shore in some areas out to depths of several hundred feet. In many areas the distance to the fishing grounds can be 50 nautical miles or more.

European Lobster

The European lobster ( Homarus gammarus) is a large clawed lobster found in Norwegian waters. The European lobster is slightly smaller on average than the American lobster (Homarus americanus) but otherwise very similar. Lobsters are caught using traps (pots). They are marketed live, cooked, frozen or canned.

Blue Mussels

Blue mussels are found along the coastlines of most North Atlantic countries, often in vast quantities in the tidal waters or in shallow bays. Wild blue mussels are gathered by hand or by dredging. Blue mussels are also grown in many North Atlantic areas using suspension aquaculture systems. Typically, farms employ a network of horizontal lines suspended in the water from buoys from which ropes or lines called droppers are hung. The larvae or spat attach themselves to the droppers and grow. Blue mussels reach market sizes in 1-2 years.