ML072070629

NOAA Technical Memorandum NMFS-NE-133, Essential Fish Habitat Source Document: Red Hake, Urophycis Chuss, Life History and Habitat Characteristics

ML072070629
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Site:	Oyster Creek
Issue date:	09/30/1999
From:	Berrien P, Dante Johnson, Morse W, Steimle F US Dept of Commerce, National Marine Fisheries Service, US Dept of Commerce, National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration
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Davis J NRR/DLR/REBB, 415-3835
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NMFS-NE-133
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'tAe$T OI:C 0 5'"4TES ov r NOAA Technical Memorandum NMFS-NE-1 33 Essential Fish Habitat Source Document:

Red Hake, Urophycis chuss, Life History and Habitat Characteristics U. S. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration National Marine Fisheries Service Northeast Region Northeast Fisheries Science Center Woods Hole, Massachusetts September 1999

Recent Issues 105.

Review of American Lobster (Homarus americanus) Habitat Requirements and Responses to Contaminant Exposures.

By Renee Mercaldo-Allen and Catherine A. Kuropat. July 1994. v + 52 p.-, 29 tables. NTIS Access. No. PB96-115555.

106. Selected Living Resources, Habitat Conditions, and Human Perturbations of the Gulf of Maine: Environmental and Ecological Considerations for Fishery Management. By Richard W. Langton, John B. Pearce, and Jon A. Gibson, eds.

August 1994. iv + 70 p., 2 figs., 6 tables. NTIS Access. No. PB95-270906.

107. Invertebrate Neoplasia: Initiation and Promotion Mechanisms -- Proceedings of an International Workshop, 23 June 1992, Washington, D.C. By A. Rosenfield, F.G. Kern, and B.J. Keller, comps. & eds. September 1994. v + 31 p., 8 figs.,

3 tables. NTIS Access. No. PB96-164801.

108. Status of Fishery Resources off the Northeastern United States for 1994. By Conservation and Utilization Division, Northeast Fisheries Science Center. January 1995. iv + 140 p., 71 figs., 75 tables. NTIS Access. No. PB95-263414.

109. Proceedings ofthe Symposium on the Potential for Development of Aquaculture in Massachusetts: 15-17 February 1995, Chatham/Edgartown[Dartmouth, Massachusetts. By Carlos A. Castro and Scott J. Soares, comps. & eds. January 1996.

v + 26 p., I fig., 2 tables. NTIS Access. No. PB97-103782.

1 I0. Length-Length and Length-Weight Relationships for 13 Shark Species from the Western North Atlantic. By Nancy E.

Kohler, John G. Casey, Patricia A. Turner. May 1996. iv + 22 p., 4 figs., 15 tables. NTIS Access. No. PB97-135032.

Ill. Review and Evaluation of the 1994 Experimental Fishery in Closed Area i1 on Georges Bank. By Patricia A. Gerrior, Fredric M. Serchuk, Kathleen C. Mays, John F. Kenney, and Peter D. Colosi. October 1996. v + 52 p., 24 figs., 20 tables. NTIS Access. No. PB98-119159.

112. Data Description and Statistical Summary of the 1983-92 Cost-Earnings Data Base for Northeast U.S. Commercial Fishing Vessels: A Guide to Understanding and Use of the Data Base. By Amy B. Gautam and Andrew W. Kitts. December 1996. v + 21 p., II figs.; 14 tables. NTIS Access. No. PB97-169320.

113. Individual Vessel Behavior in the Northeast Otter Trawl Fleet during 1982-92. By Barbara Pollard Rountree. August 1997.

v + 50 p., 1 fig., 40 tables. NTIS Access. No. PB99-169997.

114. U.S. Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico Marine Mammal Stock Assessments -- 1996. By Gordon T. Waring, Debra L. Palka, Keith D. Mullin, James H.W. Hain, Larry J. Hansen, and Kathryn D. Bisack. October 1997. viii + 250 p., 42 figs., 47 tables. NTIS Access. No. PB98-112345.

115. Status ofFishery Resources off the Northeastern United States for 1998. By Stephen H. Clark, ed. September 1998. vi

+ 149 p., 70 figs., 80 tables. NTIS Access. No. PB99-129694.

116. U.S. Atlantic Marine Mammal Stock Assessments -- 1998. By Gordon T. Waring, Debra L. Palka, Phillip J. Clapham, Steven Swartz, Marjorie C. Rossman, Timothy V.N. Cole, Kathryn D. Bisack, and Larry J. Hansen. February 1999. vii + 182 p., 16 figs., 56 tables. NTIS Access. No. PB99-134140.

117. Review of Distribution of the Long-finned Pilot Whale (Globicephala melas) in the North Atlantic and Mediterranean.

By Alan A. Abend and Tim D. Smith. April 1999. vi + 22 p., 14 figs., 3 tables. NTIS Access. No. PB99-165029.

118. Tautog (Tautoga onilis) Life History and Habitat Requirements. By Frank W. Steimle and Patricia A. Shaheen. May 1999.

vi + 23 p., 1 fig., I table. NTIS Access. No. PB99-16501 1.

119. Data Needs for Economic Analysis of Fishery Management Regulations. By Andrew W. Kitts and Scott R. Steinback.

August 1999. iv + 48 p., 10 figs., 22 tables. NTIS Access. No. PB99-171456.

120. Marine Mammal Research Program of the Northeast Fisheries Science Center during 1990-95. By Janeen M. Quintal and Tim D. Smith. September 1999. v + 28 p., 4 tables, 4 app. NTIS Access, No. PB2000-100809.

-,, AX M OSP, C-)

b40 NOAA Technical Memorandum NMFS-NE-133 This series represents a secondary level of scientifiic publishing. All issues employ thorough internal scientific review; some issues employ external scientific review.

Reviews are -- by design -- transparent collegial reviews, not anonymous peer reviews.

All issues may be cited in formal scientific communications.

Essential Fish Habitat Source Document:

Red Hake, Urophycis chuss, Life History and Habitat Characteristics Frank W. Steimle, Wallace W. Morse, Peter L. Berrien, and Donna L. Johnson National Marine Fisheries Serv., James J. Howard Marine Sciences Lab., 74 Magruder Rd., Highlands, NJ 07732 U. S. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE William Daley, Secretary National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration D. James Baker, Administrator National Marine Fisheries Service Penelope D. Dalton, Assistant Administrator for Fisheries Northeast Region Northeast Fisheries Science Center Woods Hole, Massachusetts September 1999

Editorial Notes on Issues 122-152 in the NOAA Technical Memorandum NMFS-NE Series Editorial Production For Issues 122-152, staff of the Northeast Fisheries Science Center's (NEFSC's) Ecosystems Processes Division have largely assumed the role of staff of the NEFSC's Editorial Office for technical and copy editing, type composition, and page layout. Other than the four covers (inside and outside, front and back) and first two preliminary pages, all preprinting editorial production has been performed by, and all credit for such production rightfully belongs to, the authors and acknowledgees of each isstie, as well as those noted below in "Special Acknowledgments."

Special Acknowledgments David B. Packer, Sara J. Griesbach, and Luca M. Cargnelli coordinated virtually all aspects of the preprinting editorial production, as well as performed virtually all technical and copy editing, type composition, and page layout, of Issues 122-152. Rande R. Cross, Claire L. Steimle,.and Judy D. Berrien conducted the literature searching, citation checking, and bibliographic styling for Issues 122-152. Joseph). Vitaliano produced all of the food habits figures in Issues 122,-

152.

Internet Availability Issues 122-152 are being copublished, i.e., both as paper copies and as web postings. All web postings are, or will soon be, available at: www.nefsc.nmfs.gov/nefsc/habitat/eJh. Also, all web.postings will be in "PDF" format.

Information Updating By federal regulation, all information specific to Issues 122-152 must be updated at least every five years. All official updates will appear in the web postings. Paper copies will be reissued only when and if new information associated with Issues 122-152 is significant enough to warrant a reprinting of a given issue. All updated and/or reprinted issues will retain the original issue number, but bear a "Revised (Month Year)" label.

Species Names The NMFS Northeast Region's policy on the use of species names in all technical communications is generally to follow the'American Fisheries Society's lists of scientific and common names for fishes (i.e., Robinset al. 1991 ), mollusks (i.e.,

Turgeon et al. 1998b), and decapod, crustaceans (i.e., Williams et al. 1989c), and to follow the Society for Marine Mammalogy's guidance on scientific and common names for marine mammals (i. e., Rice 1 9 9 8 d). Exceptions to this policy occur when there are subsequent compelling revisions in the classifications of species, resulting in changes in the names of species (e.g., Cooper and Chapleau 1998e).

'Robins, C.R. (chair); Bailey, R.M.; Bond, C.E.; Brooker, J.R.; Lachner, E.A.; Lea, R.N.; Scott, W.B. 1991. Common and scientific names of fishes fromthe United States and Canada. 5th ed. Amer. Fish, Soc. Spec. Publ. 20; 183 p.

hTurgeon, D.D. (chair); Quinn, J.F., Jr.; Bogan, A.E.; Coan, E.V.; Hochberg, F.G.; Lyons, W.G.; Mikkelsen, P.M.; Neves, R.J.; Roper, C.F.E.;

Rosenberg, G.; Roth, B.; Scheltema, A.; Thompson, F.G;; Vecchione, M.; Williams,, J.D.

1998. Common and scientific names of aquatic invertebrates from the United States and Canada: mollusks. 2nd ed. Amer. Fish. Soc. Spec. Publ. 26; 526 p.

'Williams, A.B. (chair); Abele, L.G.; Felder, D.L.; Hobbs, H.H., Jr.; Manning, R.B.; McLaughlin, P.A.; Pdrez Farfante, I. 1989. Common and scientific names of aquatic invertebrates from the United States and Canada: decapod crustaceans. Amer. Fish. Soc. Spec. Publ. 17; 77 p.

dRice, D.W. 1998. Marine mammals of the world: systematics and distribution. Soc. Mar. Mammal, Spec. Publ. 4; 231 p.

'Cooper, J.A.; Chapleau, F. 1998. Monophyly and interrelationships of the family Pleuronectidae (Pleuronectiformes), with a revised classification.

Fish. Bull. (U.S.) 96:686-726.

Page iii FOREWORD One of the greatest long-term threats to the viability of commercial and recreational fisheries is the continuing loss of marine, estuarine, and other aquatic habitats.

Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (October 11, 1996)

The long-term viability of living marine resources depends on protection of their habitat.

NMFS Strategic Plan for Fisheries Research (February 1998)

The Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (MSFCMA), which was reauthorized and amended by the Sustainable Fisheries Act (1996),

requires the eight regional fishery management councils to describe and identify essential fish habitat (EFH) in their respective regions, to specify actions to conserve and enhance that EFH, and to minimize the adverse effects of fishing on EFH. Congress defined EFH as "those waters and substrate necessary to fish for spawning, breeding, feeding or growth to maturity." The MSFCMA requires NMFS to assist the regional fishery management councils in the implementation of EFH in their respective fishery management plans.

NMFS has taken a broad view of habitat as the area used by fish throughout their life cycle. Fish use habitat for spawning, feeding, nursery, migration, and shelter, but most habitats provide only a subset of these functions.

Fish may change habitats with changes in life history stage, seasonal and geographic distributions, abundance, and interactions with other species. The type of habitat, as well as its attributes and functions, are important for sustaining the production of managed species.

The Northeast Fisheries Science Center compiled the available information on the distribution, abundance, and habitat requirements for each of the species managed by the New England and Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Councils. That information is presented in this series of 30 EFH species reports (plus one consolidated methods report). The EFH species reports comprise a survey of the important literature as well as original analyses of fishery-JAMES J. HOWARD MARINE SCIENCES LABORATORY HIGHLANDS, NEW JERSEY SEPTEMBER 1999 independent data sets from NMFS and several coastal states.

The species reports are also the source for the current EFH designations by the New England and Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management

Councils, and have understandably begun to be referred to as the "EFH source documents."

NMFS provided guidance to the regional fishery management councils for identifying and describing EFH of their managed species. Consistent with this guidance, the species reports present information on current and historic stock sizes, geographic range, and the period and location of major life history stages.

The habitats of managed species are described by the physical, chemical, and biological components of the ecosystem where the species occur. Information on the habitat requirements is provided for each life history stage, and it includes, where available, habitat and environmental variables that control or limit distribution, abundance, growth, reproduction, mortality, and productivity.

Identifying and describing EFH are the first steps in the process of protecting, conserving, and enhancing essential habitats of the managed species.

Ultimately, NMFS, the regional fishery management councils, fishing participants, Federal and state agencies, and other organizations will have to cooperate to achieve the habitat goals established by the MSFCMA.

A historical note: the EFH species reports effectively recommence a series of reports published by the NMFS Sandy Hook (New Jersey) Laboratory (now formally known as the James J.

Howard Marine Sciences Laboratory) from 1977 to 1982.

These reports, which were formally labeled as Sandy Hook Laboratory Technical Series Reports, but informally known as "Sandy Hook Bluebooks," summarized biological and fisheries data for 18 economically important species. The fact that the bluebooks continue to be used two decades after their publication persuaded us to make their successors - the 30 EFH source documents - available to the public through publication in the NOAA Technical Memorandum NMFS-NE series.

JEFFREY N.CROSS, CHIEF ECOSYSTEMS PROCESSES DIVISION NORTHEAST FISHERIES SCIENCE CENTER

Page v Contents Introductio n............

L ife H isto ry...................................................

I H abitat C haracteristics............................................................................................................................................

3 G eo grap h ical D istrib u tio n.........................................................................................................................................................................

4 Status of the Stocks 5

R e se arch N eed s.........................................................................................................................................................................................

5 A ck n o w led g m en ts......................................................................................................................................................................................

5 R e fe re n c e s C ite d.......................................................................................................................................................................................

5 Tables Table 1. Summary of life history and habitat parameters for red hake, Urophycis chuss....................................................................

8 Figures Figure 1. The red hake, Urophycis chuss (from Goode 1884)........................................................................................................

10 Figure 2.

Abundance of the major prey items of red hake collected during NEFSC bottom trawl surveys..........................................

11 Figure 3. Abundance of red hake larvae relative to water temperature and depth from NEFSC MARMAP surveys...................... 12 Figure 4. Seasonal abundance of juvenile red hake relative to water temperature and depth from Narragansett Bay trawl surveys....13 Figure 5. Abundance of juvenile and adult red hake relative to water temperature and depth from Massachusetts trawl surveys....... 14 Figure 6.

Abundance of juvenile and adult red hake relative to water temperature and depth based on NEFSC trawl surveys........... 15 Figure 7. Abundance of juvenile red hake relative to water temperature, DO, depth, and salinity from Hudson-Raritan surveys....... 16 Figure 8. Seasonal abundance of juvenile red hake relative to water temperature and depth from Narragansett Bay trawl surveys.... 17 Figure 9.

Abundance of juvenile red hake relative to water temperature, DO, depth, and salinity from Hudson-Raritan surveys....... 18 Figure 10. Distribution and abundance of red hake from Newfoundland to Cape Hatteras during 1975-1994......................................

19 Figure 11. Distribution of hake (Urophycis and Physcis spp.) eggs collected during NEFSC MARMAP surveys..........................

20 Figure 12. Distribution of red hake larvae collected during NEFSC MARMAP surveys................................................................

24 Figure 13. Distribution of juvenile and adult red hake collected during NEFSC trawl surveys......................................................

26 Figure 14. Distribution of juvenile and adult red hake collected in the Hudson-Raritan estuary....................................................

28 Figure 15. Abundance, distribution and size frequency distribution of red hake in Long Island Sound, from Connecticut surveys..... 30 Figure 16. Seasonal distribution of juvenile and adult red hake collected in Narragansett Bay from Rhode Island trawl surveys......... 31 Figure 17. Distribution of juvenile and adult red hake in Massachusetts coastal waters from Massachusetts trawl surveys............. 33 Figure 18. Commercial landings and abundance indices for northern and southern red hake populations...................

34

Page 1 INTRODUCTION Red hake (Urophycis chuss; Walbaum 1792; Figure

1) is a demersal fish that occurs from North Carolina to S6uthern Newfoundland and is most abundant between Georges Bank and New Jersey (Sosebee 1998). Although rarely found in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, it is sometimes caught on the southern Grand Banks (Scott and Scott 1988). In U:S. waters the species is managed under the Northeast Multispecies Fishery Management Plan (NEFMC 1993).

This document provides information on the life history and habitat characteristics of red hake inhabiting the Gulf of Maine, Georges Bank, and the Middle Atlantic Bight.

LIFE HISTORY

• Red hake are relatively short-lived, reaching a maximum age of 14 years and a maximum size of 63 cm TL for females (Dery 1988), but few are collected that are over 8 years old and more than 50 cm in length. Their growth rate is initially rapid but declines at maturity; the species does not reach the large size of its congener the white hake (U. tenuis).

Red hake make seasonal migrations to follow preferred temperature ranges.

During warmer months, they are most common in depths less than 100 m; during colder months, they are most common in depths greater than 100 m. Fritz (1965) reported that they range from 30 to 370 m and that they are most common in the fall between 50 and 210 m.

EGGS Our understanding of the environmental associations of the eggs of this species is poor because the eggs of several species of Urophycis and Phycis hake co-occur north of Cape Hatteras and presently they are not readily separable to species in plankton collections (Berrien and Sibunka 1999) despite the discussion on their tentative identification in Bigelow and Schroeder (1953). Based on eggs taken from spawning red hake, the eggs are about 0.6-1.0 mm in diameter, buoyant, and float near the surface. Hatching occurs in 3-7 days at typical spawning temperatures (Able and Fahay 1998).

LARVAE Red hake larvae are < 2.0 mm at hatching (Able and Fahay 1998).

Larval red hake dominate the summer ichthyoplankton in the Middle Atlantic Bight and were most abundant at mid-and outer continental shelf stations (Comyns and Grant 1993).

Few red hake larvae have been collected in the Gulf of Maine suggesting that spawning in the Middle Atlantic Bight produces the majority of recruits to the Gulf of Maine stock. Larval red hake have been collected in the upper water column from May through December (Collette and Klein-MacPhee, in prep.).

Accurate identification and separation of red and white hake larvae in the Gulf of Maine was problematic and records prior to Methven (1985) may be in error or include mixtures of two or more species (Collette and Klein-MacPhee, in prep.). To complicate things further, post-larval hake in the northern Gulf -of Maine and Canadian waters have morphometric characteristics (e.g.,

scale count and otolith shape) that appear intermediate between red hake and white hake (Bigelow and Schroeder 1953; Dery 1988).

Although egg identification *is problematic in collections, red hake larvae can be identified because of artificial spawning and rearing studies (Miller and Marak 1959). The, larvae were not confidently identified in Northeast Fishery Science Center (NEFSC) Marine Resources Monitoring, Assessment and Prediction (MARMAP) surveys until 1982 (Reid et al.

1999).

JUVENILES Recently metamorphosed juveniles remain pelagic until they reach 25-30 mm TL in about two months (Methven 1985). They gradually descend to the bottom at a size of about 35-40 mm TL (Fahay 1983; Able and Fahay 1998).

Pelagic juvenile red hake gather around floating debris, under patches of sargassum, and occasionally within the tentacles of jellyfish (Wicklund 1966).

Demersal settlement generally occurs between September and December with peaks in October-November (Collette and Klein-MacPhee, in prep.).

Laboratory studies suggest that a strong thermocline in the water column can inhibit benthic settlement when cold water below the thermocline requires descending juveniles.

to hesitate and acclimate to cooler bottom temperatures.

Delayed descent to the bottom may expose juveniles to greater risk of predation within the thermocline while they acclimate. Red hake undergo additional changes in body shape and color upon reaching their benthic habitat (Steiner and Olla 1985).

Shelter is a critical habitat requirement for red hake (Steiner et al. 1982).

Newly settled juveniles occur in depressions on the open seabed (Able and Fahay 1998).

Older juveniles commonly associate with shelter or structure, often with living sea scallops (Placopecten magellanicus) where they can be found under the scallops on the sediment or within their open mantle cavity (Steiner et al. 1982; Garman 1983; Able and Fahay 1998).

Juveniles maintain this association until they are about 10-13 cm TL. Small scallops tend to shelter small juvenile

Page 2 red hake and larger scallops shelter a wider range of sizes.

Juveniles also use Atlantic surf clam (Spisula solidissima) shells, seabed depressions made by larger fish or decapod crustaceans, moon snail egg case collars, anemone and polychaete tubes (Wicklund 1966; Ogren et al. 1968; Stanley 1971; Shepard et al. 1986), submerged man-made objects, debris, and artificial reefs (Eklund 1988). Larger juveniles remain near scallop beds and other structures in coastal areas and embayments; later they join older fish in an offshore migration in the Middle Atlantic Bight. By the end of the first summer, red hake juveniles are about 10 cm TL. There is little growth over the winter and at the end of 12 months they are about 15-17 cm TL (Able and Fahay 1998).

They occur in larger estuaries, including the Chesapeake Bay main stem, Delaware Bay, and Hudson-Raritan estuary, during cooler seasons, and along coastal New England into Canadian waters from spring to fall (Jury et al. 1994; Stone et al. 1994; Wilk et al. 1998).

ADULTS Adult red hake are common on' soft sediments and much less common on gravel or hard bottoms. They are not confined to the bottom and can be found in the water column (Collette and Klein-MacPhee, in prep.; Gottschall et al., in review). Adults are usually found in depressions in softer sediments or shell beds and not, on open sandy bottom.

They create the depressions or use existing depressions (Auster et al. 1991).

Adults also inhabit inshore artificial reefs off New York during the summer (Ogren et al. 1968), and Eklund (1988) reported that they were most abundant on natural and artificial reefs off Delaware-Virginia during April-May.

REPRODUCTION Major spawning areas occur on the southwest part of Georges Bank and on the continental shelf off southern New England and eastern Long Island; however, a nearly ripe female was collected during April in Chesapeake Bay (Hildebrand and Schroeder 1928).

Spawning adults and eggs are also common in the marine parts of most coastal bays between Narragansett Bay, Rhode Island, and Massachusetts Bay, but rarely in coastal areas to the south or north (Jury et al. 1994; Stone et al. 1994). Based on condition of the gonads, red hake spawning occurs at temperatures between 5-10TC from April through November (Wilk et al. 1990).

In the Gulf of Maine, spawning may not begin until June with a peak during July-August (Dery 1988; Scott and Scott 1988).

Spawning red hake are most abundant in May-June in the New York Bight and on Georges Bank (Collette and Klein-MacPhee, in prep.). Eklund (1988) reported a peak in their gonadosomatic index (GSI) during May-July and the presence of ripe eggs in June-July off Delaware. Their fecundity is unknown.

Female red hake are generally larger and live longer than males (Dery 1988). OBrien et al. (1993) reported that for the northern stock, 50% of females are mature at an age of 1.8 years and 26.9 cm TL, and 50 % of males are mature at 1.4 years and 22.2 cm TL. For the southern stock, size at 50% maturity is 25.1 cm TL for females and 23.8 cm TL for males; both sexes reach maturity at 1.7-1.8 years. Size and age at maturity may increase near the southern limits of the range.

FOOD HABITS Larvae prey mainly on copepods'and other micro-crustaceans, and are sometimes found under floating eelgrass or algae looking for prey.

Juvenile red hake leave shelter at night and commonly prey on small benthic and pelagic crustaceans, including larval and small decapod shrimp and crabs, mysids, euphausiids, and amphipods.(Steiner et al. 1982; Garman 1983; Bowman et al. 1987) (Figure 2). In the Hudson-Raritan estuary, Crangon shrimp, the mysid Neomysis americana and other small epibenthic crustaceans are the dominant prey (Steimle et al., in prep.). Night feeding is possible because their pelvic fins and chin barbels are chemo-sensitive to presence of prey (Pearson et al. 1980). Amphipods, small decapods (e.g.,

Crangon shrimp), and polychaetes are important prey in the Middle Atlantic Bight, but dominant prey can change seasonally and include copepods and chaetognaths (Bowman 1981; Luczkovich and Olla 1983; Sedberry 1983; Bowman et al. 1987). In the laboratory, red hake feed day and night and can eat up to 7.4 % of their body weight per day; feeding rates in the wild may be higher (Luczkovich and Olla 1983; Collette and Klein-MacPhee, in prep.).

Adult red hake, like juveniles, prey upon crustaceans, but also consume a variety of demersal and pelagic fish and squid (Langton and Bowman 1980; Bowman and Michaels 1984; Vinogradov 1984; Steimle 1985) (Figure 2). Rachlin and Warkentine (1988) showed that the diet of red hake overlaps the diet of the two other Urophycis spp. in the New York Bight.

PREDATION Red hake (presumably mostly juveniles) are eaten by larger predators such as striped bass (Morone saxatilus),

spiny dogfish (Squalus acanthias), goosefish (Lophius americanus), white hake (Urophycis tenuis), silver hake (Merluccius.bilinearis), sea raven (Hemitripterus americanus), harbor porpoise (Phocoena phocoena) and other predators.(Schaefer 1960; Bowman et al. 1984;

Page 3 Gannon et al. 1997). Adult red hake are also cannibalistic on their young.

Despres-Patanjo et al. (1982) reported that red hake were found with fin rot and skin ulcers, but at a relatively low incidence (about 1%).

These diseases are often associated with degraded environmental conditions.

HABITAT CHARACTERISTICS The hydrographic and physical characteristics of the habitat associated with the occurrence of red hake are presented inTable 1.

EGGS MIGRATION Red hake make extensive seasonal, depth-and temperature-related migrations.

They are most common in depths < 100 m during warmer months and in depths >

100 m during colder months.

Red hake are summer migrants into coastal waters and estuaries of the Gulf of Maine and southern New England where they commonly occur in coastal bays and estuaries < 10 m deep (Tyler 197 1;.Jury et al. 1994; Stone et al. 1994). Juveniles commonly occur in some coastal bays south to the main stem of the Chesapeake Bay in the winter-spring, but less so in the summer (Hildebrand and Schroeder 1928; Stone et al. 1994; Murdy et al. 1997).

Red hake migrate into deeper waters (to 980 m) during the winter in the Gulf of Maine, the outer continental shelf south of Georges Bank (Bigelow and Schroeder 1953; Murawski and Finn 1988), and into the submerged Hudson Shelf Valley south of Long Island.

In the Gulf of Maine, red hake move inshore in the autumn and winter as the coastal waters cool; if temperatures drop too low, red hake will move offshore.

They move into Passamaquoddy Bay, Canada, in the summer and leave in the autumn, possibly because temperatures remain cooler in the summer and become too cold in the winter (Bigelow and Schroeder 1953).

In the Middle Atlantic Bight, red hake occur most frequently in coastal waters in the spring and fall; they move offshore to avoid the warm summer temperatures (Bigelow and Schroeder 1953), although juveniles'are found in deep holes and channels in coastal bays during the summer. In the winter, most of the population moves offshore, but the degree of movement probably depends on the severity of the winter.

Winter migrants return inshore the following spring (Able and Fahay 1998).

STOCK STRUCTURE Red hake are managed as two U.S. stocks: a northern stock, from the Gulf of Maine to northern Georges Bank and a southern stock, from southern Georges Bank into the Middle Atlantic Bight. The stocks are divided along the central east-west axis of Georges Bank (Sosebee 1998).

The pelagic eggs of red hake are not separated from eggs of similar species in field collections, thus the characteristics of the habitat in which red hake eggs are commonly found are poorly known. Spawning occurs in the summer on the continental shelf in the Middle Atlantic Bight and is concentrated off southern New England (Able and Fahay 1998).

LARVAE Red hake larvae were collected on the middle to outer continental shelf of the Middle Atlantic Bight at temperatures between 8 and 230C (most were collected between 11-19 0C) within water depths between 10 and 200 m, with a few deeper occurrences (Figure 3). Few larvae were collected in the Gulf of Maine.

JUVENILES Bigelow and Schroeder (1953) report that the "youngest fry" were observed swimming at the surface in the west-central Gulf of Maine during the summer at a temperature of about 20'C.

In 'the bays and estuaries south of Cape Cod during the summer, juveniles (< 24 cm TL) usually avoid shallow waters that are warmer than about 22TC, but they do inhabit deeper bays such as Narragansett Bay, Rhode Island (Figure 4).

North of Cape Cod where waters are cooler, juveniles can remain inshore throughout the summer; they were abundant in spring (May) and in early autumn (September) (Figure 5).

In the NEFSC bottom trawl survey, juvenile red hake were collected at a wide range of temperatures (2-20'C) and depths (5 m to > 100 m), but they were most abundant at temperatures of 3-16'C and at depths < 120 m; there were seasonal shifts in apparent preferences (Figure 6).

In the inshore waters off southern New England, juvenile red hake were collected at temperatures of 2-22°C, in depths from 5 m to > 50 m, and at salinities of 24-32 ppt (Figures 4 and 5). In Long Island Sound, they were found mostly on mud substrates (Gottschall et al., in review).

Comparing red hake distribution in the Connecticut trawl survey to the sediment distribution in Reid etal. (1979) suggests that red hake prefer silty, fine sand sediments. In the Hudson-Raritan estuary, juveniles were collected at similar temperature and depth ranges as in southern New.England when salinities were above

Page 4 about 22 ppt, but collection frequency declined above 28 ppt (Figure 7).

Age 0+ fish are sensitive to DO levels < 4.2 mg/L; in laboratory experiments, they left their bottom shelter and ascended into the water column, which increases their risk to predation (Bejda et al. 1987). This DO preference is reflected in their distribution in the Hudson-Raritan estuary (Figure 7). Older fish were less sensitive to low DO.

ADULTS In general, adults are found at temperatures of 2-22TC and at depths of about 5 m to > 300 m (Figures 5, 6, 8, and 9; Fritz 1965). In the Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Long Island Sound surveys, adults were generally found in waters > 25 m deep, especially during the summer and fall (Figures 5 and 8). Adult red hake were usually found at a salinity range of 20-33 ppt in Long Island Sound and the Hudson-Raritan estuary (Figure 9).

They appear to be sensitiye to hypoxia; mortalities were noted during the 1976 anoxia episode off New Jersey (Azarovitz et al. 1979).

In the Hudson-Raritan estuary they prefer DO concentrations > 6 mg/L (Figure 9). In Long Island Sound, they were found mostly on mud substrates (Gottschall et al., in review).

Even in deep water they have been observed using various types of shelter (Collette and Klein-MacPhee, in prep.).

GEOGRAPHICAL DISTRIBUTION In the northwest Atlantic Ocean, red hake occur from Nova Scotia to Cape Hatteras, North Carolina. They are most abundant on Georges Bank, in the Gulf of Maine off Cape Cod, and in the northern Middle Atlantic Bight off Long Island (Figure 10).

EGGS During cooler months (Dec-Apr), the undifferentiated Urophycis-Phycis hake spp. eggs were collected mostly at the edge of the continental shelf on southern Georges Bank and the Middle Atlantic Bight.

During warmer months, hake eggs were collected across the entire shelf in this area. Relatively few hake eggs occur in the Gulf of Maine (Bigelow and Schroeder 1953; Berrien and Sibunka 1999).

During the NEFSC MARMAP ichthyoplankton survey (1978-1987), Urophycis-Phycis spp. eggs were collected across the continental shelf in the Middle Atlantic Bight, on Georges Bank, and to a lesser

.degree in the Gulf of Maine (Figure 11).

LARVAE In the NEFSC MARMAP ichthyoplankton survey (1982-1987), identified red hake larvae were collected on southern Georges Bank and on the mid-to outer continental shelf throughout the Middle Atlantic Bight (Figure 12); few larvae were collected in the Gulf of Maine.

Larvae were collected most abundantly during surveys in the early fall, September-October.

Red hake larvae dominate the summer ichthyoplankton 'in the Middle Atlantic Bight and were most abundant at middle and outer continental shelf stations (Comyns and Grant 1993).

Few red hake larvae have been collected in the Gulf of Maine suggesting that spawning in the Middle Atlantic Bight supplies the majority of recruits to the Gulf of Maine stock.

Larvae have been also reported in the marine parts of several bays and estuaries in the Middle Atlantic Bight, including the Hudson-Raritan estuary, Narragansett Bay, Buzzards Bay, and in bays north of Cape Cod to about the Merrimack River, New Hampshire (Jury et al. 1994; Stone et al. 1994).

JUVENILES In the NEFSC bottom trawl survey, juveniles, were collected offshore primarily in the New York Bight, southern New England, and Georges Bank during the winter; in coastal waters of the Middle Atlantic Bight, and were widespread across the continental shelf east of Long Island, in the spring and summer; and off southern New England and on Georges Bank in the fall (Figure 13).

Juveniles were common in the main stem of Chesapeake Bay (Hildebrand and Schroeder 1928), in the channels of the Hudson-Raritan estuary (Figure 14), in central Long Island Sound, especially in the spring (Figure 15), and in other southern and northern New England bays and estuaries (Figures 16 and 17). Red hake were rare or not reported in most other Middle Atlantic Bight bays and estuaries (Jury et al. 1994; Stone et al. 1994).

The distribution of juveniles varies with season. In the winter, juveniles were collected on the continental shelf from southern Georges Bank into the Middle Atlantic Bight.

In spring-summer, they were collected mostly from coastal waters of the Middle Atlantic Bight to northern Georges Bank and into the Gulf of Maine.

In summer-fall, there is an apparent return movement offshore; notable concentrations of juveniles occurred off southern New England and on Georges Bank (Figure 13).

Juveniles were relatively common throughout the year in the Hudson-Raritan estuary and Narragansett Bay, and most abundant in Long Island Sound in the summer (Figures 14-16). Juvenile red hake were common south and north of Cape Cod in the spring, but in the fall they were common only north of the Cape (Figure 17).

Page 5 ADULTS Adult red hake (northern stock) were collected in the deeper basins of the Gulf of Maine and along the northern edge of Georges Bank in all seasons; they were also collected in inshore waters and on Georges Bank during the summer and autumn (Figure 13).

In the Middle Atlantic Bight, adult red hake (southern stock) were collected most commonly offshore and along the deeper southern edge of Georges Bank during the winter and spring (Figure 13). They were also collected inshore near Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts. In summer-fall, adult red hake were collected on Georges Bank, in coastal waters from -10 m deep across the continental shelf to around 300 m; they were especially abundant off southern New England (Figure 13). They occur in larger estuaries, including the Chesapeake Bay main stem, Delaware Bay, and the Hudson-Raritan estuary, during cooler seasons, and along coastal New England into Canadian waters from spring to fall (Jury et al. 1994; Stone et al. 1994).

They were abundant in Long Island Sound and Narragansett Bay (Figures 15 and 16), but not off southern Cape Cod in the fall (Figure 17) or in the Hudson-Raritan estuary during any season (Figure 14).

STATUS OF THE STOCKS The NEFSC has monitored and assessed red hake as two stocks, northern and southern, separated by the central axis of Georges Bank.

The bottom trawl survey abundance index for the northern stock was relatively low in the 1960s and early 1970s, increased until about 1990, and has since declined slightly (Figure 18). The southern stock index was relatively stable from the mid-1960s until the 1980s when it declined with a short period of increase about 1990-1991. The northern and southern stocks were considered under exploited until recently (Sosebee 1998).

The red hake population is considered overfished because the abundance index is below the lowest quartile of the monitoring time series (National Marine Fisheries Service 1997), but only the southern stock (or overall stock) is currently considered overfished (Sosebee 1998).

RESEARCH NEEDS Red hake spawning grounds and the habitat characteristics of the grounds need to be identified.

A cost-effective way to separate and identify the eggs of various Urophycis spp. is needed to better define what habitats support the eggs of each species (Fahay 1983).

The use by and relative importance to juveniles of shelter habits other than scallop and clam shells needs to be determined.

What are the effects of sea scallop dredging on juvenile red hake habitat (Steiner et al. 1982)?

Is the degree of cannibalism associated with larval and/or juvenile red hake habitat quality or quantity (shelter availability) (Luczkovich 1982)?

More information is needed about the construction of sediment depressions by adult red hake for shelter or ambush-feeding, the use of these depressions by other species, and the effects of trawling and scallop dredging on the use of these shelters.

More information is needed about the occurrence and use of shallow coastal habitats in the Gulf of Maine by red hake larvae (K. Sosebee, NMFS, Northeast Fisheries Science Center, Woods Hole, MA, personal communication).

Better estimates of the fecundity are needed for females from the northern and southern stocks.

The occurrence of morphometric characteristics that are intermediate between red and white hake in the northern Gulf of Maine and Canada suggests further studies should be made on possible environmental or genetic causes.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS This review was prepared with abundant assistance from others on the Essential Fish Habitat team: Claire Steimle, Judy Berrien and Rande Ramsey-Cross provided literature searches, interlibrary loans, and reference material; Don McMillan, Bob Pikanowski, Chris Zetlin, Sara Griesbach, Sukwoo Chang, Joe Vitaliano, Jeff Cross, and others helped locate and retrieve data to make the maps and tables. The comments of several anonymous reviewers were helpful.

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Rutgers Univ. Press, New Brunswick, NJ. 342 p.

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Azarovitz, T.R., C.J. Byrne, M.J. Silverman, B.L.

Freeman, W.G. Smith, S.C. Turner, B.A. Halgren, and P.J. Festa. 1979. Effects on finfish and lobster. In R.L. Swanson and C.J. Sindermann eds. Oxygen depletion and associated benthic mortalities in New York Bight, 1976. p. 295-314. NOAA Prof. Pap.

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Bejda, A.J., A.L. Studholme, and B.L.. Olla. 1987.

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Bigelow, H.B. and W.C. Schroeder. 1953. Fishes of the Gulf of Maine. Fish. Bull. (U.S.) 53. 577 p.

Bowman, R.E. 1981. Food of ten species of northwest Atlantic juvenile groundfish. Fish. Bull. (U.S.) 79:

200-206.

Bowman, R.E., T.R. Azarovitz, E.S. Howard, and B.P.

Hayden. 1987. Food and distribution of juveniles of seventeen northwest Atlantic fish species, 1973-1976.

NOAA Tech. Mem. NMFS-F/NEC 45.57 p.

Bowman, R., R. Eppi, and M. Grosslein. 1984. Diet and consumption of spiny dogfish in the northwest Atlantic. ICES C.M. 1984/G:27. 16 p.

Bowman, R. and W.L. Michaels. 1984. Food of seventeen species of northwest Atlantic fish. NOAA Tech.

Mem. NMFS-F/NEC-28. 183 p.

Collette, B.B. and G. Klein-MacPhee. In preparation. Red hake Urophycis chuss (Walbaum 1792) squirrel hake; ling. In B.B. Collette and G. Klein-MacPhee eds.

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Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington, DC.

Comyns, B.H. and G.C. Grant. 1993. Identification and distribution of Urophycis and Phycis (Pisces:

Gadidae) larvae and pelagic juveniles in the U.S.

Middle Atlantic Bight. Fish. Bull. (U.S.) 91: 210-223.

Dery, L.M. 1988. Red hake Urophycis chuss. In J.

Pentilla and L.M. Dery. eds. Age determination methods for northwest Atlantic species. p. 49-57.

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Despres-Patanjo, L., J. Ziskowski, and R.A. Murchelano.

1982. Distribution of fish~diseases monitored on stock assessment cruises in the western North Atlantic.

ICES C.M. 1982/E:30. 12 p.

Eklund, A.-M. 1988. Fishes inhabiting hard bottom reef areas in the Middle Atlantic Bight: seasonality of species composition, catch rates, and reproduction.

EPPP Monograph Series, Coll. Mar. Studies, Univ. of Delaware, Lewes, DE. 98 p.

Fahay, M.P. 1983. Guide to the early stages of marine fishes occurring in the western North Atlantic Ocean, Cape Hatteras to the southern Scotian Shelf. J.

Northwest Atl. Fish. Sci. 4: 1-423.

Fritz, R.L. 1965. Autumn distribution of groundfish species in the Gulf of Maine and adjacent waters, 1955-1961. Serial Atlas of the Marine Environment, Folio 10. American Geographical Society, NY.

Gannon, D.P., J.E. Craddock; and A.J. Read.

1997.

Autumn food habits of harbor porpoises, Phocoena phocoena, in the Gulf of Maine. Fish. Bull. (U.S.) 96:

428-437.

Garman, G.C. 1983. Observations on juvenile red hake associated with sea scallops in Frenchman Bay, Maine. Trans. Am. Fish. Soc. 112: 212-215.

Goode, G.B. 1884. The fisheries and fishery industries of the United States. Section I: Natural history of useful aquatic animals. Govt. Print. Office, Washington, DC. Plates.

Gottschall, K., M.W. Johnson and D.G. Simpson. In review. The distribution and size composition of finfish, American lobster and long-finned squid in Long Island Sound based on the Connecticut Fisheries Division bottom trawl survey, 1984-1994.

NOAA Tech. Rep.

Hildebrand, S.F. and W.C. Schroeder. 1928. Fishes of Chesapeake Bay. Bull. U.S. Bur. Fish. 43(1). 366 p..

Jury, S.H., J.D. Field, S.L. Stone, D.M. Nelson, and M.E.

Monaco. 1994. Distribution and abundance of fishes and invertebrates in North Atlantic estuaries. ELMR Rep. No. 13. NOAA/NOS Strategic Environmental Assessments Division, Silver Spring, MD. 221 p.

Langton, R.W. and R.E. Bowman. 1980. Food of fifteen northwest Atlantic gadiform fishes. NOAA Tech.

Rep. NMFS SSRF-740. 23 p.

Luczkovich, J.J. 1982. The natural diet, feeding behavior, daily food consumption, and growth rates of juvenile red hake, Urophycis chuss. M.S. thesis, Rutgers Univ., New Brunswick, NJ. 57 p.

Luczkovich, J.J. and B.L. Olla. 1983. Feeding behavior, prey consumption, and growth of juvenile red hake.

Trans. Am. Fish. Soc. 112: 629-637.

Methven, D.A. 1985. Identification and development of larval and juvenile Urophycis chuss, U. tenuis and Phycis chesteri (Pisces, Gadidae) from the northwest Atlantic. J. Northwest. Atd. Fish. Sci. 6: 9-20.

Miller, D. and R.R. Marak. 1959. The early larval stages of the red hake, Urophycis chuss. Copeia 1959: 248-250.

Murawski, S.A. and J.T. Finn. 1988. Biological bases for mixed-species fisheries: Species co-distribution in relation to environmental and biotic variables. Can. J.

Fish. Aquat. Sci. 45: 1720-1735.

Murdy, E.O., R.S. Birdsong, and J.A. Musick. 1997.

Fishes of Chesapeake Bay. Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington, DC. 324 p.

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September 1997. [Homepage of the National Marine Fisheries Service]. [Online]. Available: http://www.

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i993.

Final amendment

1. 5 to the Northeast Multispecies Fishery Management Plan incorporating the supplemental environmental impact statement.

Vol. I. September 1993. NEFMC. [Saugus, MA.] 361 p.

O'Brien, L., J. Burnett, and R.K. Mayo. 1993. Maturation of nineteen species of finfish off the northeast coast of the United States, 1985-1990. NOAA Tech. Rep.

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Page 7 Ogren, L., J. Chess, and J. Lindenberg. 1968. More notes on the behavior of young squirrel hake, Urophycis chuss. Underwater Nat. 5(3): 38-39.

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S.E. Miller, and B.L. Olla.

1980.

Chemoreception in the food-searching and feeding behavior of the red

hake, Urophycis chuss (Walbaum). J. Exp. Mar. Biol. Ecol. 48: 139-150.

Rachlin, J.W. and B.E. Warkentine.

1988. Feeding preference of sympatric hake from the inner New York Bight. Ann. N.Y. Acad. Sci. 529: 157-159.

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Environmental baselines in Long Island Sound, 1972-

73. NOAA Tech. Rep. NMFS SSRF-738. 31 p.

Richards, C.E. and M. Castagna. 1970. Marine fishes of Virginia's Eastern Shore (inlet and marsh, seaside waters). Chesapeake Sci. 1H: 235-248.

Schaefer, R.H. 1960. Growth and feeding habits of the whiting or silver hake in the New York Bight. N.Y.

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Scott, W.B. and M.G. Scott. 1988. Atlantic fishes of Canada. Can. Bull. Fish Aquat. Sci. 219. 731 p.

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Food habits and trophic relationships of a community of fishes on the outer continental shelf. NOAA Tech. Rep. NMFS SSRF-773. 56 p.

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Page 8 Table I. Summary of life history and habitat characteristics for red hake, Urophycis chuss. (NS = northern stock; SS =

southern stock; MAB = Middle Atlantic Bight; NYB = New York Bight; SNE = southern New England; GB = Georges Bank; GOM = Gulf of Maine)

Life Stage Time of Year Size and Growth Geographic Location Habitat Substrate Spawning NS: May-Nov.;

Mature at 30 Southwest GB to

< 110 m, to Unknown peak Jul.-Aug.;

cm SNE; peak in SNE.

coastal bays SS: Apr.- Oct.;

peak: May-June.

Eggs Dec.-Nov.;

0.6-1.0 mm MAB, Dec.- Apr. off-Water column, Buoyant in upper peak: June-July shore; May-Oct.

inner shelf.

water column.

widespread.

Larvae NS: May-Dec.;

Hatch at -2.0 mm; Mainly western GB, Coastal, < 200 Newly settled larvae peak: Sept.-Oct.

after 2 months mid-shelf in SNE and m; pelagic need shelter, SS: May -Nov.;

begin descent to NYB; few in GOM.

followed by a including live sea peak Aug.-Sept.

bottom.

benthic phase.

scallops.

Juveniles Throughout Settle at 23-49 mm Estuaries-outer shelf; Mostly < 120

< 14 cm TL fish use TL; can grow -16 NS: offshore in m to low tide shells or live scallops mm/month; reach winter; inshore in line.

for shelter; > 14 cm 10 cm by end of summer; use various sediment first fall and 15-17 SS: inshore in spring-types and shelter.

cm by I year.

fall; offshore in summer and winter.

Adults Throughout NS: females mature Same as juveniles; 5-300+ m; Sand-mud, and in at 1.8 yrs and 27 center of abundance is prefer 30-130 holes and depressions.

cm TL; males at 1.4 in SNE.

m yrs and 22 cm; SS: females mature at 25 cm TL and males at 24 cm.

aThe eggs of this species are not reliably separated from other Urophycis or Phycis species in this area.

Page 9 Table 1. cont'd.

Life Stage Temperature Salinity Dissolved Prey Predators Notes Oxygen Spawning 10-12'C Eggs Hatch in 3-7 days.

Larvae 8-23'C; most

Copepods, Larvae and pelagic abundant at micro-juveniles use I1 - 19"C; crustaceans; floating or acclimation to feeding is midwater objects lower bottom usually for shelter.

temperatures nocturnal.

needed in summer.

Juveniles 2-22'C, most Usually > 22 Avoid <4.2 Mainly

Dogfish, Primarily active at abundant at 3-ppt; most ppm crustaceans striped bass, night; avoid 16'C; avoid <

abundant at such as goosefish, hypoxic conditions; 3"C and >

31-33 ppt.

Crangon, but white, red on-and offshore 22'C.

also amphipods and silver movements are and hakes, and temperature polychaetes.

sea raven, dependent.

Adults 2-22"C; most

> 20 ppt; most Avoid < 3.0 Fish and Probably Same as juveniles.

abundant at 8-abundant at ppm; most crustaceans.

striped bass, I0"C; avoid <

33-34 ppt abundant>

goosefish, 5C 6.0 and other I__I___I_

I_ larger fish.

a The eggs of this species are not reliably separated from other Urophycis or Phycis species in this area.

Page 10 Figure 1. The red hake, Urophycis chuss (from Goode 1884).

Page 11 a) 1973-1980 1-30 cm n = 780 31-60 cm n =

100 Arthropoda 80.0%

Arthropoda 57.!

All Other Prey 2.5%

Fish 2.1%

ChUetognatha 3.0%

Annelida 5.7%

Unknown Animal Remains 6.7%

All Other Prey 1.7%

Mollusca 4.8%

K Annelida 6.5%

Unknown Animal Remains 9.2%

b) 1981-1990 1-30 cm n= 1971 31-70 cm n= 2971 Arthropoda 76.

Arthropoda All Other Prey 1.1%

Annelida 3.3%

Fish 2.7%

Unknown Animal Remains 16.8%

Unknown Animal Remains 4.4%

Fish 30.8%

Figure 2. Abundance of the major prey items of red hake collected during NEFSC bottom trawl surveys from 1973-1980 and 1981-1990. Abundance in the 1973-1980 samples is defined by mean percent prey weights, and in the 1981-1990 samples as mean percent prey volume. The category "unknown animal remains" refers to unidentifiable animal matter.

Methods for sampling, processing, and analysis of samples differed between the time periods [see Reid et al. (1999) for details]. The use of 30 cm as the segregation size between juveniles and adults differs from the actual size generally used (26 cm) and is an artifact of the diet database that summarized results in 10 cm length intervals.

Page 12 Red Hake Larvae (<26.0 mm length)

Red Hake Larvae (<26.0 mm length) 4)

U 4) 4)

U 0

2 4

6 8

10 12 14 16 19 20 22 24 26 28 Water-Column Temperature (0-200m, C)

Bottom Depth (m), Interval Midpoint Figure 3. Abundance of red hake larvae relative to water column temperature (to a maximum of 200 m) and bottom depth from NEFSC MARMAP ichthyoplankton surveys (1982-1987) by month for all years combined. Open bars represent the proportion of all stations surveyed, while solid bars represent the proportion of the sum of all standardized catches (number/10 mi 2).

Page 13 F)SI-1t111-1

~J Sta~,ons 80 I=

1a 501 60 Winter 40 Wi 40 30 20 20 10 I!

13 15 17 19 21 23 25 27 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 110 120 20 Spring 60

.Spr 40 10 20 01 1

3 5

7 9

11 13 15 17 19 21 23 25 27 2

10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 110 120 4W 40 30 20 20 10 10 0-1 3

5 7

9 11 13 15 17 19 21 23 25 27 10 20 30 40 50 60 70

.80 90 "100 110 120 nter ing 30 20 Autumn 0..........

Bottom.......

-I I

3 5

7 9

II 13 15 17 19 21 23 25 27 Bottom Temperature (C) 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 110 120 Bottom Depth (ft)

Figure 4. Seasonal abundance of juvenile red hake relative to mean bottom water temperature a nd bottom depth from Rhode Island Narragansett Bay trawl surveys, 1990-1996. Open bars represent the proportion of all stations surveyed, while solid bars represent the proportion of the sum of all catches.

Page 14 Red Hake Mass. Inshore Trawl Surveys Catches Juveniles Adults 20-2 16 Spring 20 Spring 12-15 4'

100 1

3 5

7 9

II 13 15 17 19 21 23 I

3 5

7 9

II 13 15 17 19 21 23 Bottom Temperature (C)

Bottom Temperature (C) 40-30" Autumn Autumn 30' 20 20" 10" 10" 3

5 7

9 II 13 15 17 19 21 23 1

3 5

7 9

II 13 15 17 19 21 23ý Bottom Temperature (C)

Bottom Temperature (C) 25--2 20-Spring 20" Spring 15" 15" I "

10" 5"

5" Bottom Depth (m)

Bottom Depth (m) 25--2 20-Autumn 15-i5 W0 10 5"

5" Bottom Depth (m)

Bottom Depth (m)

Figure 5. Abundance of juvenile and adult red hake relative to mean bottom water temperature and bottom depth from Massachusetts inshore bottom trawl surveys, spring and autumn 197871996. Open bars represent the proportion of all stations surveyed, while solid bars represent the proportion of the sum of all catches.

Page 15 Red Hake w Stations NMFS Bottom Trawl Survey's M' Catches 30-Juveniles 5

Adults 22201 20 -

LSpring 15-S pring 10 1

3 5 7 9 111 3 15 17 1921 232527 29 1 3 5 7 9 11 13 15 17 19 21 23252729 Bottom Temperature (C)

Bottom Temperature (C) 20-5 16' 20" Autumn Autumn 12 15 4'5 I 3 5 7 9 11 13 15 17 1921 23252729 I 3 5 7 9 11 13 15 17 1921 23252729 Bottom Temperature (C)

Bottom Temperature (C) 2020 16 Spring 1

Spring 12 -1 4'

5-0-IL

~0-I-

Bottom Depth (i)

Bottom Depth (in) 40-30" Autumn utumn 30a 2002 0"0 Bottom Depth (m)

Bottom Depth (m)

Figure 6. Abundance of juvenile and adult red hake relative to bottom water temperature and depth based on spring and fall NEFSC bottom trawl surveys (1963-1997, all years combined). Open bars represent the proportion of all stations surveyed, while solid bars represent the proportion of the sum of all standardized catches (number/10 mi2).

I Page 16 14-12-l0-8-

4-

[

2 U

0.

35-30 25' 20 15-10' 5-Stations Catches jFL.

FII FIE-U- 0 2

4., 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20 22 24 26 Temperature (C) 0 1 2 3

4 5

6 7

8 9

10 11 12 13 Dissolved Oxygen (mg/1) 35' 30-25 20 15' 10'5-qI 30-25-20-U........................................................

oU I-101 5-F 15 17 19 21 23 25 27 29 31 33 35 Salinity (ppt)

I I m 10 15 2025 30 35 40 45 5055 60 657075 80 85 Depth (ft)

Figure 7. Abundance of juvenile (< 25 cm) red hake relative to mean bottom water temperature, dissolved oxygen, depth, and salinity from Hudson-Raritan estuary trawl surveys, January 1992-June 1997 (all years combined). Open bars, represent the proportion of all stations surveyed, while solid bars represent the proportion of the sum of all catches.

Page 17 I

Catches EStations 80 L

J80

~ll~

60 Winter 60 Winter 40 40 20 200 1

1 3

5 7

9 11 13 15 17 19 21 23 25 27 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 110 120 80 50 60 Spring 40 Spring 40 30-20 20 n

OQ 11QQ.R.*

10-F" F

-1 1 3 5 7

9 1 13 15 17 19 21 23 25 27' 0- 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 110 120 40 P, 100 30 Summer 80 Summer 60 20 10 20-.

]

IE 01...

7 9

3.2 10 20 3

-1 1 3

5 7

9 11 13 15 17 19 21 23 25 27 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 110 120 4

3 2

1 40 30 Autumn 0'

-1 B

3 5 7 9 ot 13 15 17 19 21 23 25 27 Bottom Temperature (C) 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 110 120 Bottom Depth (ft)

Figure 8. Seasonal abundance of adult red hake (> 26 cm) relative to mean bottom water temperature and bottom depth from Rhode Island Narragansett Bay trawl surveys, 1990-1996. Open bars represent the proportion of all stations surveyed, while solid bars represent the proportion of the sum of all catches.

Page 18 U

U U

50 45-40 35-30' 25 20 15" 10' 5-Stations Catches 61) 70 60-50" 40" 30I 20'10

_'- r l l n H I [In Fin I

ýnl ArL.AlUri.-. - nFA 0

2 4

6 8

10 12 14 16 18 20 22 24 26 Temperature (C)

U U

6.)

45 40 35 30 25 20 15 10'5 H

_1FLFFIFIFriUA.j_

6)

U 6) 4 3

3 2

2 0

1 2 3

4 5

6 7

8 9 10 11 12 13 Dissolved Oxygen (mg/1)

.0 5

0 5'

0 5-0*

51 U

10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 55 60 65 70 75 80 85 V

15 17 19 21 23 25 27 2

Salinity (ppt) 9 31 33 35 Depth (ft)

Figure 9. Abundance of adult (> 24 cm) red hake relative to mean bottom water temperature, dissolved oxygen, depth, and salinity from Hudson-Raritan estuary trawl surveys, January 1992-June 1997 (all years combined). Open bars represent the proportion of all stations surveyed, while solid bars represent the proportion of the sum of all catches.

Page 19 Figure 10. Distribution and abundance of red hake from Newfoundland to Cape Hatteras during 1975-1994. Data are from the U.S. NOAA/Canada DFO East Coast of North America Strategic Assessment Project (http://www-orca.nos.

noaa.gov/projects/ecnasap/ecnasap-table I.html).

Page 20 Hake Eggs Hake Eggs (Incl. Urophycis sp. and Phycis sp.)j (Incl. Urophycis sp. and Phycis sp.)

44-4 MARAPIcthopankonSuves

" 4MRA etyplntnSres MARMAPSryMARMAP Ichthyoplankton Surveys 61-cm Bongo Net; 0.505-mm mesh 1

..-,U*

.1 61-cm Bongo Net; 0.505-mm mesh 43-January to December; 1978 to 1997 41-'-o.,..-

January; 1978 to 1987 s ilh oggs 29711 Number ofTo-,

433: with eggs = 37 42-X, 42-41.-

,41-40 4-

~ - f 39 39*-

=rqn 47 Egg 10Eg 1

36t-1 100ottO 0

<10o<)00

• t)O -0toottl 3t6 to 1 u381 61000( -9) to 029235 35"i r --

35"t 76 75 74 73 72 71 701 69 68 67 616 6'5 76 75 7 4 7 3 7 2 7)1 7)1 69 66 67 66

45.

I I.

j 45-1 1

1 1'

11

• O Hake Eggs Hake Eggs 44 "c.

Uroph-cis" sp. and Phvcis v-p.).

(Incl. Urophycis sp. and Phycis sp.)

MARMAP Ichthyoplankton Surveys 44 MARMAP Icbthyoplankton Surveys 61 -cr Bongo Net; 0.505-m meshA,_,hyolant" Surveys-*

r 61c bruarNe; (10m m61-cm Bongo Net; 0.505-mm mesh 43-February; 1978to 1987 43-March; 1978 to 1987

'4 e

N theror 8s_=53; 6ithegg, =77 40.4

)9-

~Nowe 1t 1- 0 o

37-i J

lo~lO*

• l" to37 3

0 10

/IOto 155 1

3576 75 7

73 72 71 7o 69 69 6 ; 6

,6 35--..

76 7 4

7 2

7 7

9 6

7 6

5 76 7'5 7*4 7.1 7*2

'71 70 69 6'8 617 6*6 65 Figure 11. Distribution of hake (Urophycis and Physcis spp.) eggs collected during NEFSC MARMAP ichthyoplankton surveys from January to December, 1978-1987 [see Reid et al. (1999) for details]

Page 21 45-L

__t 1

45-J I

Hake Eggs Hake Eggs (Incl. Urophycis sp. and Phycis 44.) (Incl. Urophycis sp. and Phycis sp.)

MARMAP lchthyoplankton Surveys MARMAP Ichthyoplankton Surveys 61-cm Bongo Net; 0.505-mm mesh 61-cm Bongo Net; 0.505-mm mesh 43-April: 1978 to 1987 A

43-May; 1978 to 1997 Numb.-er fTows = 1020; with eggs =45 Number of Tows = 1085; with eggs= 131 42 42

"-I6 41-41-,t 3O~~~)Eggos I Om' Eggs/ l1in2 None n

None 37 to ll t

0 6

• t t-oomom 0

10tos,100 1

1t<0

• t'*,q 1001-l(WO 0

• 10.01o (lXl 36I 0

IlCOOto 1215 36 10601o3131 3

35 35

r.

35-t I

r r

76 75 74 73 72 71 70 69 6

6 66 65 76 75 74 73 72 1

70 69 68 66 Hake Eggs Hake Eggs (Incl. Urophycis sp. and Phycis sp.)

(Incl Urophycis sp. and Phycis p.)

44-.4 MARMAP Ichthyoplanklon Surveys MARMAP lchthyoplankton Surveys 61 -cm Bongo Net; 0.505-ram mesh Y61-cm Bongo Net; 0.505-mm mesh 43-.

June; 1970 to 1907

//

(

J0y 97to 907 beneoITose=709:withcggs=291 N

NnmrofNTowsh = 781T with eggs= 553 42 42-.

9 v

41-.

41-39-3, None E I l/lt10 0

101"o<0I0X 7 77(XX) t0 5617 74 73 7*2 "71 70 6*9 68g 67 6

74 73 72 7

70 61 60 Figure II. cont'd.

Page 22 Hake Eggs (Incl. Urophycis sp, and Phycis sp.)

44-MARMAP lchthyopiankton Surveys 61-cm Bongo Net: 0.505-mm mesh 43-August; 1978 to 1987 Nunbehr of Tows = 863: with egg = 602 42 "s~ /i*

40-I 39J Hake Eggs Incl. Urophycis sp. and Phycis sp.)

MARMAP Iehthyoplankton Surveys 61-cm Bongo Net;: 0.505-mm mesh September: 1976 to 1987 Number orfTows = 747: with eggs = 504 37 361 I

Eggs/ 10m No-I to0(0 10 bo<I(h

• 0 o l<1000

• 16000-10000 1 0000 lo 29(238) 10(g6) to 29235 Eggs /lIOrn'

• I to <10 0

101-* 100 S1001to-1000 0

1000 to <10000 o

100001. 16637 74 73 72 71 701 69 68 67 66 357 7 5 7

7 7

7 6

6 6

-6 76 7'5 74 73 7'2 7'1

70) 6'9 68 6x7 6r6 45 Hake Eggs (Incl. Urophycis sp. and Phycis.sp.)

44-MARMAP Ichthyoplankton Surveys 61-cm Bongo Net; 0.505-mm mesh ex 43!

October; 1978 to 1987

42.

Number of Tows = 1044: with oggs 42]

41*

39d 37-Eggs /10~m

-None

• I to-ot h0toot100 100 1-1000 1 (000 1o,2419 74 73 72 71 70 69 66 67 66 65 Figure 11. cont'd.

Page 23 Figure 11. cont'd.

Page 24 Red Hake July (1982 to 1987) 4-Larv.. <26.0.mi N7he-To..

594, wib 25 44 MARMAP ]chthyoplankton Surveys 44 61-cm Bongo Net: 0.505-mm mesh July to December; 1992to 1917 43 Numtrm <I Tows = 3400. with or?'

e = 273

,=,

43-42-42 39-3 481-.

38 Numbe of 4ava/I-m Number of Larvaea/ IrOva None I to < 10 1 to < 10 37-0 to< 100 37 10 to 77 IMX to 643

.36-'

36 -

76 5

74

.73 72 71 70 69 69 67 66 65 76 75 74 73 72 71 711 69 68 67 66 65 45 4 -

1 1

I

-1 W5i Au us (198 it 1987) 4 -

August (9 2

1o 19 7).September 1982 to 1987)

Number ofTe,

.584. with lur..c 45 Number,f To.,

656. with

o. -

981-43 43-1 42-!

42-41-1411-39-.,

3.9

/

rN'None, 0<I0 3to

<lO 37"

< 00t 0 "I to 213 60 100to643 76 75 74 73 72 71 70 69 69 67 66 65 76 75 74 73 72 71 701 69 69 67 66 65 Figure 12. Distribution of red hake larvae collected during NEFSC MARMAP ichthyoplankton surveys, July through December 1982-1987 [see Reid et al. (1999) for details]. Urophycis larvae are difficult to identify to species, and misidentification was a problem until 1982. Due to the short period of reliable identifications, the distribution presented in this figure probably represents a minimum occurrence.

Page 25 October (1982 o 1987)

Number of Tows = 526. wilh larvae = 5I 44]

43-42-41i Number of Larvae / Smo None I lto< 10 10 t(:,< 1,0 0 100o3111 76 75 74 73 72 71 70 69 66 67

ý6 December (1992 to 987) 4 NMuher 4l'Tm = 349. with la-ac =2 44J 43-1 39-39-Number of Larvae / l)m2 None I to 6 3 5 -, -

76 75 74 73 72 71 7(0 69 6K Figure 12. cont'd.

Page 26 Red Hake Red Hake NMFS Trawl Surveys NMFS Trawl Surveys Autumn 1963 - 96 Winter 1964-97 Juveniles (<26cm)

Juveniles (<26cm)

.~x~p.-

~Abse~nt 05

=Pesn SX1e.

ý V4.

/A V'

.Number/Tow S1 to25 25 to 100 I

~

15('X)): 5I(5X)

I5*M) to 2492 Red Hake Red Hake NMFS Trawl Surveys NMFS Trawl Surveys g -97

'Su mr16 - 95 Spring 1968-97 Summer 1963-9'"

Juveniles (<26cm)

Juveniles (<26cm)

//%'::..:1."

Absent

(

6

=Present Number/Tow 0

50 to I(S) 5(X) to 587 Figure 13. Distribution of juvenile (< 26 cm) and adult (Ž26 cm) red hake collected during NEFSC bottom trawl surveys during all seasons, 1963-1997. Densities are represented by dot size in spring and fall plots, while only presence and absence are represented in winter and summer plots [see Reid et al. (1999) for details].

Page 27 Red Hake NMFS Trawl Surveys Autumn 1963 -96 Adults (>=26cm)

Number/Tow I to 50 5

0 to 100 I M00 to 200 0

2(X) to 500 5(A) to 870 Red Hake NMFS Trawl Surveys Spring 1968-97 Adults (>=26cm)

Number/Tow

] t to 25 25 to t00 I tW) to 500 5W) to I)W)O L

1)(0) to 1675 Figure 13. cont'd.

Page 28 Figure 14. Distribution of juvenile (< 25 cm) and adult (> 24 cm) red hake collected in the Hudson-Raritan estuary, based on Hudson-Raritan trawl surveys during winter (January-March), spring (April and June), summer (July-August),

and fall (October-December) from January 1992 to June 1997 [see Reid et al. (1999) for details].

Page 29 Figure 14. cont'd.

Page 30 i State of Connecticut DEP Long Island Sound Trawl Survey A pply.

S SPRING 1992-1997

,~~

IM-'"

.1 Red Hake

',0*.'

150. ý2()(

400 20 S100 i ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! i ! ! ý ! ! !

00 00 r

~...

.0.

0 0

.N.

OD OD 00

)

00 IN 00 c

IN 20 to' I

a1....~.

00 00 00 00 00 00 00 V

00 00 00 00 00 00 00 0'

00 L.ngd, (a~o)

Figure 15. Abundance, distribution and size frequency distribution of red hake in Long Island Sound in spring and autumn, from the Connecticut bottom trawl surveys, 1992-1997 [see Reid et al. (1999) for details].

Page 31 Red Hake Juveniles (<26cm)

Figure 16. Seasonal distribution of juvenile (< 26 cm) and adult (Ž 26 cm) red hake collected in Narragansett Bay during 1990-1996 Rhode Island bottom trawl surveys. The numbers shown at each station are the average catch per tow rounded to one decimal place [see Reid et al. (1999) for details].

Page 32 Red Hake Adults (>=26cm)

Figure 16. cont'd.

Page 33 Red Hake Red Hake Mass. Inshore Trawl Survey Mass. Inshore Trawl Survey Autumn 1978-1996 Spring 1978-1996 Juveniles (<26cm)

Juveniles (<26cm)

/ ....*

,.,.2 Number/Tow o#,Number/Thw SI to 25 1 to25

• 25 to 50 1'*

25 1.50 S50I(X) 50.

100 S

1(5) to 200 10010 200 200,

418 200 "t514

,:: **~

Joo,',

-Red Hake Red Hake Mass. Inshore Trawl Survey Mass. Inshore Trawl Survey Autumn 1978-1996 Spring 19782-1996 Adults (>=26cm)

Adults (>=26cm)

"T" fI"

.Nunmtwrrrow

• ~~~

I i

50 115 54 fn 0

50 to 100 o00 i1 20-100 to 200 20~

200 to W0%!200 Wo 500 300 to 447 500 It 1893

..-:...: = i:* *........

Figure 17. Distribution of juvenile (< 26 cm) and adult (Ž26 cm) red hake in Massachusetts coastal waters during spring and autumn Massachusetts trawl surveys, 1978-1996 [see Reid et al. (1999) for details].

Page 34 Gulf of Maine - Northern Georges Bank 18 16 14 00 o12 10 c:

6 4

2 10 8 ~

0

-C C.-

Cz 4

E 2

U)

I I I

I V..

I

. I I

.0 1960 1965 1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 Year Southern Georges Bank - Middle Atlantic 120 100 0

o 80 X

60 40 CU

-J 20 8

Landings (mt)

Autumn survey index (kg)

Smoothed survey index (kg) 6 0

CU C-E

'0 "U

0 0

1960 1965 1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 Year Figure 18. Commercial landings and abundance indices (from the NEFSC bottom trawl surveys) for northern and southern red hake populations.