Ecosystem and Socioeconomic Profile Development and Reports

Atlantic Cod

The Atlantic Cod Research Track Working Group convened in November 2021 and completed its work in July 2023. The assessment was peer reviewed in March 2024.

We used our statistical models and our correlations to assess the four stock areas (western Gulf of Maine, eastern Gulf of Maine, Georges Bank, and southern New England). They suggested that recruitment (abundance of age 1 fish and recruits per spawner), fish condition, depth and latitude of catch, and weight-at-age were influenced by:

• Sea surface and bottom temperature anomalies
• Gulf Stream Index
• Zooplankton abundance anomalies for Calanus finmarchicus and Pseudocalanus spp.
• Mean cumulative marine heatwave index
• Ecosystem and Socioeconomic Profile (PDF, 30 pages)
• Environmental Influences on Stock Dynamics (PDF, 33 pages)
• Development of Ecosystem Indicators (PDF, 21 pages)
• Summary Peer Review Report (PDF, 45 pages)

Contact: Jamie Behan

Contributors: Jamie Behan, Abigail Tyrell, Amanda Hart, Scott Large, Alex Hansell, Katie

Lankowicz, Ryan Morse, Irene Andruschchenko, Julie Gross, and Lisa Kerr

Atlantic Herring—In Process

The Atlantic Herring Research Track Working Group convened in July 2024 and is scheduled for peer review in March 2025.

An Ecosystem and Socioeconomic Profile will be used to address the first term of reference for the 2025 Atlantic Herring Research Track Stock Assessment, to “identify relevant ecosystem and climate influences on the stock.” This profile will:

• Produce a conceptual model and updated life history review
• Identify ecosystem influences on recruitment and natural mortality
• Test potential ecosystem covariates for inclusion in the Woods Hole Assessment Model developed for the assessment

Contributors: Adelle Molina, Sarah Gaichas

American Plaice

The American Plaice Research Track Working Group convened in January 2022 and completed its work in May 2022.

Our statistical models and our correlations suggested that temperature and various climate variability indices, including the North Atlantic Oscillation, Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation, and the Gulf Stream Index, influence American plaice:

• Recruitment (recruits-per-spawner)
• Fish condition
• Depth and latitude of catch
• Size-at-age
• Ecosystem and Socioeconomic Profile (PDF, 16 pages)
• Environmental Influences on Stock Dynamics (PDF, 24 pages)
• Summary Peer Review Report (PDF, 31 pages)

Contact: Jamie Behan

Contributors: Jamie Behan, Lisa Kerr, Amanda Hart, Alex Hansell, Tyler Pavlowich, Steve Cadrin

Black Sea Bass

The Black Sea Bass Research Track Working Group convened in August 2021 and completed its work in October 2023. The assessment was peer reviewed in March 2024.

We found that winter bottom temperature was positively correlated with log recruitment deviations in both the northern and southern subregions of the stock. Black sea bass in the southern Mid-Atlantic Bight appear to occupy a smaller portion of the available habitat in years with more cold continental shelf water on the shelf slope. Further research may determine how overwintering conditions affect distribution of the northern subunit.

• Ecosystem and Socioeconomic Profile (PDF, 29 pages)
• Summary Peer Review Report (PDF, 37 pages)

Contact: Scott Large

Contributors: Ricky Tabandera, Abigail Tyrell, Marissa McMahan, Patricia Perez, Keith

Hankowsky, Scott Large

Bluefish

The Bluefish Research Track Working Group convened in July 2021 and completed its work in November 2022. The assessment was peer reviewed in December 2022.

Our spatial model results indicate that the distributions of large bluefish have shifted slightly north and east over time. Additionally, increasing fall sea-surface temperatures may extend

bluefish spawning season into later in the year. Our socioeconomic analyses revealed that while recreational landings declined over time, there was no statistically significant decline in catch. This may indicate a shift to catch-and-release fishing.

• Ecosystem and Socioeconomic Profile (PDF, 132 pages)
• Assessing small pelagic fish trends in space and time using piscivore stomach contents

Contact: Abigail Tyrell

Contributors: Abigail Tyrell, Mike Celestino, Karson Cisneros, Katie Drew, Sarah Gaichas, James Gartland, Sam Truesdell, Jessica Valenti, Samantha Werner, Anthony Wood

Golden Tilefish

The Golden Tilefish Research Track Working Group convened in October 2022 and completed its work in February 2024. The assessment was peer reviewed in March 2024.

We used statistical analyses to determine the effects of ecosystem indicators on golden tilefish catch and recruitment. Bottom temperatures between 9 to 14°C, bottom salinities of 33 to 36 psu (1 psu = 1 gram of salt per 1,000 grams of water), and high phytoplankton abundance in the fall were highly correlated with the presence of golden tilefish larvae and recruitment-aged fish (0 to 1 years old). Analyses also suggested that currents and movement of water masses may have important influences on golden tilefish in early life stages.

• Ecosystem and Socioeconomic Profile (PDF 76 pages)
• Summary Peer Review Report (PDF, 37 pages)

Contact: Sarah Salois

Contributors: Sarah Salois, Stephanie Owen, Adelle Molina, Andrew Jones, Kimberly Hyde

Longfin Inshore Squid—In Process

The Longfin Inshore Squid Research Track Working Group convened in January 2024 and is scheduled for peer review in February 2026.

This profile will:

• Include an up-to-date life history synthesis of the stock with conceptual models
• Identify ecosystem and socioeconomic influences on longfin squid abundance, growth, and availability to the fishery
• Examine potential bounds for temperature related growth parameters in the length-based stock assessment model.

Contact: Sarah Salois

Contributors: Sarah Salois, Stephanie Owen, Kimberly Hyde

Shortfin Squid (Illex)

The Illex Research Track Working Group convened in January 2021 and completed its work in February 2022.

We used statistical models to examine relationships between shortfin squid catch-per-unit-effort and oceanographic indicators. A few key relationships emerged between CPUE and oceanographic variables. Higher CPUE was associated with:

• Cooler bottom temperatures
• Higher instances of warm core rings in the winter and early spring months (ahead of the fishery)
• Timing and location of warm core rings seems to play a role in the distribution of squid, but the mechanism remains unknown
• Physical processes

These oceanographic features may contribute to areas of high primary productivity, concentrating food sources for juveniles and adults or as important transport mechanisms for paralarvae. This information provided important context for the relevant ecosystem and climate influences for shortfin squid during the stock assessment process.

• Oceanographic Indicators for Illex (PDF, 23 pages)
• Shelf break exchange processes influence the availability of the northern shortfin squid in the northwest Atlantic
• Summary Peer Review Results (PDF, 28 pages)

Contact: Sarah Salois

Contributors: Sarah Salois, Kimberly Hyde, Adrienne Silver, Avijit Gangopadhyay, Glen Gawarkiewicz, Anna Mercer, Brooke Lowman, John Manderson, Paul Rago