Variability in recruitment and equilibrium catch of the Southern New England yellowtail flounder fishery

Abstract

The significance of biotic and abiotic regulation of the Southern New England yellowtail flounder fishery was investigated. Analysis of the published data provided no evidence of biotic regulation of the fishery. This analysis included the estimation of the annual equilibrium catch and recruitment to the fishery during the period 1944–1965. The multiple correlation coefficients of regressions fitted between the natural log of the annual equilibrium catch and recruitment of the fishery with three and four year moving averages of atmospheric temperature at Block Island, Rhode Island (U. S. A.) ranged from 0.862 to 0.927. According to these regressions, the decline of the fishery during the late 1940's resulted from the adverse effect of a general warming trend in the region.