Walden, John

A field survey was conducted to collect vessel and effort information on the New England gillnet fleet. Gillnet vessels eithersold their catch for human consumption, sold fish to the bait market, or kept their catch for personal use. Most vessels which sold their catch for human consumption fished seasonally and used other gear types during the year. Most vessels which supplied seafood markets were from Massachusetts, followed by Maine. Maine had the greatest number of gillnet vessels which fished for bait. Study results were combined with external data sources to estimate the number of vessels in the New England gillnet fleet and to identify 'gaps' in existing data collection systems.

National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS)

New England