The updated stock assessment was completed by adding catch and indices through 2010 to the previous 1982-2009 assessment. The result of the analysis shows that bluefish is not overfished or experiencing overfishing.
Fisheries Science
Sustainable fisheries management depends on sound, timely scientific advice. The Fisheries Science Program delivers this through a rigorous, peer-reviewed stock assessment process, utilizing a mix of fishery-independent surveys and fishery-dependent monitoring, complemented by research from coastal state, federal, and academic institutions. The program also focuses on developing innovative scientific methods and enhancing state stock assessment capabilities, while coordinating and expanding collaborative research and data collection efforts.
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At the behest of the ASMFC Bluefish Board, the Bluefish Technical Committee organized an ageing workshop to establish consistency and a common protocol of best ageing practices across state and university labs that process and read bluefish hard parts. Workshop participants also agreed to discuss the design of a coastwide sampling program intended to expand the geographical range of bluefish age samples and fill the gaps in the age-length key.
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The Southern Demersal Working Group (SDWG) prepared the stock assessment. The SDWG met during April 19-21, April 26-28, and May 3-5, 2011 at the Northeast Fisheries Science Center, Woods Hole, MA, USA.
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This Assessment Report has been revised to reflect the changes in the assessment. Any changes to the document have been highlighted in yellow.
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The assessment of GOM winter flounder stock is based on an empirical swept-area model utilizing data from the 2010 NEFSC fall survey, the MADMF fall survey, and the Maine-New Hampshire fall inshore survey.
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In 2010 the SNE/MA winter flounder stock was overfished but overfishing was not occurring. The current assessment provides a new assessment model, a new assumption for the instantaneous natural mortality rate (M), and new biological reference points.
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The coastwide tautog stock is overfished and overfishing is occurring relative to the biological reference points established in Addendum IV to the Fishery Management Plan for Tautog (ASMFC 2007).
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This assessment of the scup (Stenotomus chrysops) stock along the Atlantic coast (Massachusetts to North Carolina) is an update through 2010 of commercial and recreational fishery catch data, research survey indices of abundance, and the analyses of those data.
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The Section took emergency action to close the northern shrimp fishery on February 28, 2011. The decision to close the fishery prior to the season end of April 15th was based on preliminary landings data that indicated that harvest was already at 4,192 metric tons, 192 metric tons in excess of the NSTC recommended landings level.
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