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Chapter 7 - Demersal FishOffshore Wintering GuildWithin the region, the highest numbers of species in thisguild were found from Cape Cod, Massachusetts to CapeHatteras, North Carolina. However, all species also occurredalong the 50 fathom curve of Georges Bank andthe Great South Channel and in the Gulf of Maine,particularly in and around Massachusetts Bay and theJeffreys Ledge and Stellwagen Bank area.Highest numbers of black sea bass were found fromVineyard Sound and Narragansett Bay to the Hudson/Raritan Estuary and Cape Charles, Virginia to AlbemarleSound (Figure 7-41a, b). Distinct seasonal patterns werealso observed, with highest numbers found in coastalwaters in the fall and along the shelf/slope break in thespring. Statistical analyses did not identify significanttrends across much of the species’ range, though variableincreasing trends were observed along the southernflank of Georges Bank in fall and from Cape May, NewJersey to Chincoteague Bay in the spring, while decreasingtrends were observed in offshore waters fromChincoteague Bay to Pamlico Sound in the spring (Figure7-41c, d). Weighted persistence analyses for black seabass identified the shelf/slope break from Delaware Bayto Chesapeake Bay as important during the spring andnearshore waters from Martha’s Vineyard to Albemarle/Pamlico Sound as important in the fall (Figure 7-42).ABFigure 7-42. Areas with high persistence and abundance over 40 years for black sea bass during the spring and fallseasons.Northwest Atlantic Marine Ecoregional Assessment • Phase 1 Report 7-47