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Chapter 8 - Small Pelagic Fishthe fall, as well as throughout the Gulf of Maine andon Georges Bank, on the outer portions of the shelf insouthern New England and the Mid-Atlantic Bight, andat an isolated spot southeast of Nantucket (Figure 8-12b).Because they are a sub-annual species, it is possible thatthey are simply more abundant in the fall. There appearsto be no strong trend in population size in spring, whilethe fall map indicates a significant, broad decline mirroringwhat NMFS has detected in their long-term data set(Figure 8-11c, d).Important Areas for Northern ShortfinSquid:Spring: Edge of Continental Shelf, Georges Bankto Cape HatterasFall: Gulf of Maine, outer Continental Shelf watersfrom Georges Bank to Cape HatterasABFigure 8-12. Areas with high persistence and abundance over 40 years for northern shortfin squid during the springand fall seasons.Northwest Atlantic Marine Ecoregional Assessment • Phase 1 Report 8-15