Issues: Oceans

Individual Recommendations
Eric Powell

POLYGON EP1

Rationale: high abundance; supports major fishery
Seasons and depths important for protection: year-round, benthic

The ocean quahog Arctica islandica is a long-lived clam, taking 15 to 20 years to mature and living 100 to 200 years. The greatest abundance of ocean quahogs in the mid-Atlantic are found south of Long Island and east to Georges Bank in depths of approximately 40 meters to 90 to 100 meters. Approx-imately 83 percent of the mid-Atlantic stocks are located in this region, and approximately 73 percent of the ocean quahog fishery, about 3.3 millions bushels yearly, is located in this region.

Rationale: high abundance; supports major fishery
Seasons and depths important for protection: year-round, benthic

The surf clam species Spisula solidissima is an economically important species and a biomass dominant in this region, from depths of just subtidal to about 50 meters. Approx-imately 38 percent of the biomass in the mid-Atlantic is located in this region. This region supports approximately 76 percent of the fishery, a total of about 1.9 million bushels yearly.

Rationale: high abundance; supports major fishery
Seasons and depths important for protection: almost year-round, benthic

The area encompassing the 90- to 360-meter isobath (50 to 200 fathoms) supports nearly 100 percent of the Illex illecebrosus squid fishery. The Illex fishery typically occurs from June through September. Although the Loligo pealei squid fishery is conducted over much of the shelf, this same region sustains a significant portion of the total fishery and most of the winter (October through April) fishery.

Rationale: high abundance; supports major fishery
Seasons and depths important for protection: year-round, benthic

The surf clam species Spisula solidissima is an economically important species and a biomass dominant in this region from depths of about 20 meters to 50 meters. Approximately 24 percent of the biomass in the mid-Atlantic is located in this region. Taken together, polygons EP2 and EP4 account for 63 percent of the total biomass.

Rationale: scientific sampling relevant to fishery management
Seasons and depths important for protection: year-round, benthic

The stock-assessment survey for ocean quahogs and surf clams uses a quanti-tative dredge calibration that depends in part on repeated sampling of sites that are not fished. All sites for surf clams are located in this region. Future manage-ment of the surf clam resource depends upon the continued availability of these unfished sites.

REFERENCES

for EP1
31st Northeast Regional Stock Assessment Workshop (31st SAW), Stock Assessment Review Committee (SARC), Consensus Summary of Assessments. 2000. Northeast Fisheries Science Center Reference Document 00-15, NMFS, pp. 172–304.

for EP2
30th Northeast Regional Stock Assessment Workshop (30th SAW), Stock Assessment Review Committee (SARC), Consensus Summary of Assessments. 2000. Northeast Fisheries Science Center Reference Document 00-3, NMFS, pp. 311–477.

for EP3
29th Northeast Regional Stock Assessment Workshop (29th SAW), Stock Assessment Review Committee (SARC), Consensus Summary of Assessments. 1999. Northeast Fisheries Science Center Reference Document 99-14, NMFS, pp. 173–239 (Loligo squid), pp. 240–347 (Illex squid).

for EP4
30th Northeast Regional Stock Assessment Workshop (30th SAW), Stock Assessment Review Committee (SARC), Consensus Summary of Assessments. 2000. Northeast Fisheries Science Center Document 00-3, NMFS, pp. 311–477.

for EP5 and EP6
26th Northeast Regional Stock Assessment Workshop (26th SAW), Stock Assessment Review Committee (SARC), Consensus Summary of Assessments. 1998. Northeast Fisheries Science Center Document 98-03, NMFS, p. 112.

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