From 1950 to about 1974, commercial fishermen saw relatively low total value and prices per pound when landing American Pollock. Then the landings increased and so did the total value and the per pound price. As the big landings began to decline, the price per pound climbed to a range between $.60 and $.80. With…
American Plaice had modest landings by commercial fishermen of one to two million pounds from 1950 through 1976. It then jumped to six million per year that, with a few exceptions, was the minimum landing amount until 1995. It then began to slip, again with a few exeptions, until landngs hit a six decade low…
`Do you know why it’s called a whiting?’ [said the Gryphon] `I never thought about it,’ said Alice. `Why?’ `It does the boots and shoes.’ the Gryphon replied very solemnly. Alice was thoroughly puzzled. `Does the boots and shoes!’ she repeated in a wondering tone. `Why, what are your shoes done with?’ said the Gryphon. `I mean, what…
From 1950 through 2005, commercial fishermen have taken an average of 4.5 million pounds of white hake per year. Since 2005 that average has dropped to 1 million pounds, lower than any other period since 1950. Begginning in 1985 the price per pound value of these fish began to increase so that current prices are…
Once little exploited by commercial fishermen, urchin harvesting began in earnest in the mid-1980s. After reaching a peak in 1993, harvests declined to less than one-tenth of that in the peak year, with the total value falling in step. As urchins became scarce, the price per pound has tripled from the peak harvest year of…
Commercial fishermen who harvest monkfish, also known as American goosefish, have had substantial landings for most of the period 1974 through 2011. However, the recent rapid decline since the peak in 2005 is troubling and may signal several year of closure unless the resource rebounds. As usual, prices per pound rise with declining landings. They…
This species of the commercial fishery has a post-1950 history familiar to many others: moderate or low production, then a spike with several years of substantial landings, then a crash followed by a forced closure to rebuild the stock. It appears that once the good landings created a wide market, the price per pound moved…
After declining from 1950 to 1977, landings spiked then crashed with a consistent decline until the fishery was suspended in 2010. No landings have been recorded through 2016. During the decline in landings and total value, the price per pound continued to rise. In the deep ocean waters off New England’s coast lives one of…