Distribution, Biology and Management

Goosefish (Lophius americanus), also called monkfish, are distributed in the Northwest Atlantic from the Grand Banks and northern Gulf of St. Lawrence south to Cape Hatteras, North Carolina. Goosefish may be found from inshore areas to depths of at least 900 m (500 fathoms). Seasonal onshore-offshore migrations occur and appear to be related to spawning and possibly food availability (Collette and Klein-MacPhee 2002).

Goosefish rest partially buried on soft bottom substrates and attract prey using a modified first dorsal fin ray that resembles a fishing pole and lure. Goosefish are piscivorous and commonly eat prey as large as themselves. Growth is rapid at about 10 cm per year, and is similar for both sexes up to age 6 and lengths of around 60 cm (24 in.). Few males are found older than age 7, but females can live to 12-14 years or older (NEFSC 2002, 2005). Goosefish as large as 138 cm (54 in.) have been captured in NEFSC bottom trawl surveys.

Genetic studies have revealed a genetically homogeneous population of goosefish off the U.S. east coast (Chikarmane et al. 2000) and survey information indicates little or no difference in growth and maturation rates between goosefish from southern and northern management regions (NEFSC 2002, 2005). However, because of differences in how the fisheries in these two regions are prosecuted, goosefish are managed separately as two “stocks”: the "northern stock" (Gulf of Maine and northern Georges Bank) and the "southern stock" (southern Georges Bank and Middle Atlantic (Figure 14.1)).

Commercial fisheries for goosefish occur year round using gillnets, trawls and scallop dredges. No significant recreational fishery exists. The primary goosefish products are tails, livers and whole gutted fish. Peak fishing activity occurs during November through June, and value of the catch is highest in the fall due to the high quality of livers during this season.

Most goosefish catch went unreported until the mid-1970s (Figure 14.2 [Fig 14.2 Data]). Annual USA commercial landings (live weight) increased to 6,000 mt in 1978 (NEFSC 2005), remained stable at 8,000-10,000 mt during the 1980s, and then increased rapidly in the 1990s, peaking at 28,300 mt in 1997 (Table 14.1). Landings in 2004 were 21,100 mt, and averaged 22,800 mt during 2000-2004.

U.S. fisheries for goosefish are managed under the Monkfish Fishery Management Plan (FMP) by the New England and Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Councils. The primary goals of the Monkfish FMP are to end and prevent overfishing and to optimize yield and economic benefits to various fishing sectors involved with the goosefish fisheries (NEFMC and MAFMC 1998). Current regulatory measures vary with type of permit but include limited access, limitations on days at sea, mesh size restrictions, trip limits, minimum size limits and other measures.

The information provided in this section reflects the results of the most recent peer-reviewed assessment for goosefish in the northern and southern management areas (NEFSC 2005).

The Fishery

In the northern management area, bottom trawls are the dominant gear type and account for 80% of the landings. Gillnets account for most of the rest of the landings, with scallop dredges accounting for less than 1% in recent years. Most landings of goosefish in the north are taken as bycatch in the multispecies groundfish fishery. Northern goosefish landings increased from less than 1,000 mt per year in the early 1970s to over 10,000 mt in the mid-1990s (Figure 14.2 [Fig 14.2 Data]). Landings peaked at 15,100 mt in 2003 and were 10,200 mt in 2005 (Table 14.1).

Fishery-Independent Surveys

NEFSC autumn bottom trawl survey biomass indices of goosefish in the northern area peaked in the late 1970s and then declined through the mid-1990s (Figure 14.3 [Fig 14.3 Data]), accompanied by decline in the average and maximum sizes of goosefish in the survey (Figure 14.4 [Fig 14.4 Data]). In 2005, the biomass index was 1.1 kg/tow, a record-low. The age structure since the early 1990s has been dominated by goosefish less than 6 years old (Figure 14.5 [Fig 14.5 Data]).

Biological Reference Points

The median of the three-year moving average of the NEFSC autumn survey biomass index during 1965-1981 has been defined as a proxy for B_MSY (2.496) for goosefish in the northern area (Table 14.2). Goosefish in the northern management area are defined as being overfished when the three-year moving average of the NEFSC autumn biomass index falls below one half of B_MSY (i.e. below 1.25) (NEFMC and MAFMC 1998). The most recent 3-year average of the biomass index (2003-2005) was 1.21.

F_max is the F_MSY proxy in the FMP and is currently estimated as F=0.2 based on yield-per-recruit analyses (Figure 14.6 [Fig 14.6 Data]) (NEFMC and MAFMC 2003). Recent estimates of F have exceeded F_max.

Figure 14.2

Figure 14.3

Figure 14.4

Figure 14.5

Figure 14.6

The Fishery

In the southern management area, bottom trawls and scallop dredges each accounted for roughly half of the landings until the early 1990s. Since then, most of the landings have been by gillnets; in 2003, about 66% of goosefish landings were taken in gillnets, 18% in trawls and 16% by scallop dredges (NEFSC 2005). Southern goosefish landings increased in the late 1970s, exceeded landings from the north during the 1990s, and reached a peak of 19,300 mt in 1998 (Figure 14.2 [Fig 14.2 Data]). Subsequently, southern goosefish landings have declined and were 8,600 mt in 2005 (Table 14.1).

Fishery-Independent Surveys

Figure 14.6

Figure 14.7

Figure 14.8

Figure 14.9

Table 14.1 Recreational and commercial landings of northern and southern goosefish (thousand metric tons).

Table 14.2 MSY-based reference points for goosefish in the northern and southern management regions.