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Species Directory

Shortfin Squid

Overview Management Recreational Fishing Commercial Fishing Resources

Shortfin Squid

Illex illecebrosus

Shortfin squid illustration
Also Known As
Illex squid, Summer squid

Quick Facts

Region
New England/Mid-Atlantic
Fish Watch. U.S. Seafood Facts Logo
Shortfin squid

Shortfin squid

About The Species

U.S. wild-caught shortfin squid is a smart seafood choice because it is sustainably managed and responsibly harvested under U.S. regulations.

Population Status Icon

Population Level

The population level is unknown. The species has a lifespan of less than one year.

Fishing Status Icon

Fishing Status

At recommended level.

Habitat Impacts Icon

Habitat Impacts

Fishing gears used to harvest shortfin squid have minimal impacts on habitat.

Bycatch Icon

Bycatch

Regulations are in place to minimize bycatch.

Status

  • According to the latest assessment, shortfin squid is not subject to overfishing. There is currently not enough information to determine the population size, so it is unknown. Summary stock assessment information can be found on Stock SMART.

Appearance

  • Female shortfin squid range from 7 to 12 inches in mantle length, while males are 7 to 10.6 inches in mantle length.
  • They can regulate their body color, but are primarily orange-colored with a brown stripe that extends along the top side of the mantle.

Biology

  • Shortfin squid live for less than one year. They have a high natural mortality rate, and a long spawning season.
  • Females can release multiple egg masses during a single spawning season, but die after they spawn. Spawning can occur year round with seasonal peaks from October to June.
  • Shortfin squid have extremely variable birth, growth, and maturity rates. This makes them extremely sensitive to climate-driven changes. 
  • They grow about one millimeter a day.
  • Shortfin squid are visual predators that eat crustaceans, fish, and other squid, including their own species.
  • They are food for many fish, including bluefin tuna, silver hake, red hake, bluefish, goosefish, fourspot flounder, Atlantic cod, sea raven, spiny dogfish, and swordfish. Seabird predators include shearwaters, gannets, and fulmars.
  • Shortfin squid undergo daily vertical migrations between cooler deep water and warmer surface water. They are nearest the seabed during the day, and higher in the water column during the night.

Where They Live

  • Shortfin squid inhabits the continental shelf and slope waters of the Northwest Atlantic Ocean, from Newfoundland to the central east coast of Florida.
  • In the northwest Atlantic Ocean, shortfin squid are most often caught along the continental shelf break in depths between 150 to 275 meters.

Management

  • NOAA Fisheries and the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council manage the shortfin squid fishery.
  • Managed under the Atlantic Mackerel, Squid, and Butterfish Fishery Management Plan:
    • Fishermen with a limited access permit can fish for unlimited amounts of shortfin squid while the fishery is open. All other fishermen must obtain an incidental catch permit, and have possession limits.
    • An annual coastwide catch quota is set annually. Managers monitor annual quotas closely, as there can be large fluctuations in abundance from year to year.

 


Related Species

Longfin Squid

Recreational Fishing Regulations

Possession Limits:

There are no recreational possession limits or fish size requirements in Atlantic mackerel, squid, and butterfish fisheries as long as the vessel carries an SMB2 Charter Party Permit. 

Fish Size Limits:

Minimum Fish Size: None

Maximum Fish Size: None

Reporting A Recreational Catch

Charter/Party and Recreational Reporting

Catch Reporting and Vessel Trip Reports

If the owner of a party or charter boat is issued only a charter/party permit, and is carrying passengers for hire, then they must complete a VTR for each trip on which they land any fish.

Interactive Voice Response System Requirements

The Atlantic mackerel, squid, and butterfish fisheries do not have any IVR requirements. However, if you are participating in a research program such as research set-aside (RSA) or fishing with an exempted fishing permit (EFP), there are IVR requirements. Please refer to your RSA or EFP paperwork for instruction on using IVR.

Marine Recreational Information Program

The Marine Recreational Information Program (MRIP) is a system of coordinated voluntary data collection programs designed to estimate recreational catch and effort

Commercial Fishing Regulations

Current Specifications

Specifications are reviewed annually and are adjusted as new information becomes available. 

2020 Illex Squid Specifications in metric tons (mt)
OFL Unknown
ABC 26,000
IOY 24,285
DAH/DAP 24,285

 

Trip Limits

Permit Category

Illex Squid

Longfin Squid

Butterfish

SMB 3 Squid/Butterfish Incidental 10,000 lb 250 lb 600 lb
SMB 6 Illex Squid Moratorium Permit Unlimited - -

 

Fish Size Limits

Minimum fish size: Not applicable

Maximum fish size: Not applicable

Accountability Measures

When 95 percent of the Illex squid DAH is projected to be harvested, the directed fishery will be limited to a 10,000-pound possession limit for the remainder of the calendar year.

Reporting A Commercial Catch

Catch Reporting and Vessel Trip Reports (VTR):  Owner/operators participating in the Illex squid fishery must submit trip reports weekly. Reports must be postmarked or received by midnight of the Tuesday following the reporting week (Sunday through Saturday). If a trip starts in one week, and offloads in the next, it should be reported in the week the catch was offloaded.

VMS Requirements: The owner or operator of a vessel issued an Illex squid moratorium permit must report catch (retained and discarded) of longfin squid daily via VMS. Reports are required even if Illex squid caught that day have not yet been landed

More Information

  • Fishing Industry Home Page

Subsistence Fishing Regulations

Management Overview

Coming soon. Please visit our Mackerel, Squid, Butterfish page on our old website for information.


More Information

  • Atlantic Mackerel, Squid, and Butterfish Permits
  • Quota Monitoring
  • Fishing Industry Home Page

Science Overview

Research & Data

Illex Fishery Mesh Exemption Area

Map depicting Illex Fishery Mesh Exemption Area in the Greater Atlantic…
PDF Metadata Shapefile
September 13, 2019 - Map ,
New England/Mid-Atlantic
Illex_Fishery_Mesh_Exemption_Area_MAP.jpg

Frank R. Lautenberg Deep-Sea Coral Protection Areas Map & GIS

Map depicts the boundaries of the Frank R. Lautenberg Deep-Sea Coral…
PDF Metadata Shapefile
September 12, 2019 - Map ,
New England/Mid-Atlantic
Frank_R_Lautenberg_Deep_Sea_Coral_Protection_Areas_MAP.jpg
View More

Data & Maps

Map

Illex Fishery Mesh Exemption Area

New England/Mid-Atlantic
Map

Frank R. Lautenberg Deep-Sea Coral Protection Areas Map & GIS

New England/Mid-Atlantic
More Data and Maps
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