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Chapter 7 - Demersal FishRed hake and silver hake are managed under the SmallMesh Multispecies FMP administered by NEFMC.Amendment 12 to this FMP established limited access inthe fishery and retention limits based on net mesh size,adopted overfishing definitions for northern and southernstocks, identified essential fish habitat for all life stages,and set requirements for fishing gear.Northern sea robin, longhorn sculpin, Atlantic wolffish,and cusk are not included in any regional fishery managementplan, although the NEFMC is currently consideringadding wolffish and cusk to the Northeast MultispeciesFMP.Species AccountsGadidsInhabiting circumpolar to temperate waters mainly inthe northern hemisphere, gadids are primarily marinefishes, but a few inhabit estuaries and one is restrictedto freshwater (Collette and MacPhee 2002). Gadids arecharacterized by the presence of three dorsal fins and twoanal fins and, sometimes, barbels on their chin used in locatingfood. Gadid species included in this assessment areAtlantic cod (Gadus morhua), cusk (Brosme brosme), haddock(Melanogrammus aeglefinus), pollock (Pollachius pollachius), redhake (Urophycis chuss), silver hake (Merluccius bilinearis), andwhite hake (Urophycis tenuis).Species included in the gadid group are distributed acrossmuch of the North Atlantic, with Atlantic cod, haddock,pollock, and cusk occurring in both the Northeast andNorthwest Atlantic, and white, silver, and red hake limitedto the Northwest Atlantic. Within the NorthwestAtlantic, gadids generally occur from the Gulf of St.Lawrence to the Mid-Atlantic Bight, with highest densitiesfound in the Gulf of Maine and along Georges Bankand the Great South Channel.A number of the species in the gadid group make distinctinshore/offshore migrations in response to seasonalchanges in water temperature. Atlantic cod in the Gulfof Maine typically move into coastal waters during thefall and over-winter for their peak spawning season, thenreturn to deeper waters in the spring. In the Great SouthChannel area, cod move southwest in the fall, over-winterin Southern New England and along the mid- Atlanticcoast and return to the Great South Channel in the spring(Lough 2005). Haddock do not make extensive migrations,however, adults undertake seasonal movements inthe western Gulf of Maine, the Great South Channel, andon the Northeast Peak of Georges Bank, spending muchof winter in deeper waters and moving to shoaler waters inspring to spawn (Brodziak 2005).Juvenile and adult white hake distribution patterns indicatea pronounced inshore movement in warmer months,dispersing to deeper water in winter months (Chang etal. 1999). Red and silver hake also migrate seasonally inresponse to changes in water temperature. During thespring and summer months, they move into shallower,warmer waters where spawning occurs during late springand early summer. During the winter months, red hakemove offshore to deep waters in the Gulf of Maine andthe edge of the Continental Shelf along Southern NewEngland and Georges Bank. Silver hake from the northernstock move to deep basins of the Gulf of Maine in thewinter months, while fish in the southern stock move tothe outer Continental Shelf slope waters (Lock and Packer2004; Steimle et al. 1999b).Species included in the gadid group utilize a variety ofbenthic, pelagic, and nearshore habitats within the regionduring various stages of their life history. Adult cod arefound inshore and offshore on a variety of bottom habitats,especially along rocky slopes, ledges, and other hardbottom substrates (Lough 2005; Stevenson 2008). Adulthaddock are found on offshore bottom habitats composedof gravel, pebbles, clay, broken shells, and smooth,hard sand between rocky patches. They are not commonon rocks, ledges, kelp, or soft mud (Stevenson 2008).Substantial areas of suitable substrate for haddock arefound on Georges Bank while fewer suitable areas arefound within the Gulf of Maine (Brodziak 2005). Adultpollock show little strong preference for particular bottomtypes and are commonly found in a variety of pelagic and7-74Northwest Atlantic Marine Ecoregional Assessment • Phase 1 Report