Numbers From Fish (Yearly Averages)

Every year, the Northeast Fisheries Science Center compiles valuable information from more than 600,000 fish* collected by fishermen, scientists, and observers. These fish parts fit together like a puzzle, giving scientists a picture of the overall condition and health of the fishery. The goal is to provide the science needed to sustainably manage our fisheries.

The infographic shows the average total numbers collected annually for different fish parts connected by dotted white lines to the approximate area where the parts are located on an orange haddock illustration with a dark aqua blue background and lighter blue waves. — * These numbers include data collected from fish, sharks, skates, and rays.

New England/Mid-Atlantic

WHOLE FISH (SIZE)

The icon for whole fish shows three orange haddock illustrations from smallest at the top to the largest at the bottom to represent fish growth rates with a white dotted line under the largest fish to indicate collection of the entire fish.

1. Whole fish (Size): 656,000

We measure the length of fish to determine growth rates and identify when small fish enter the population from recent spawnings. When paired with length data, fish weight can be used to better understand fish condition and to determine the size of the total population. We collect these data from more than 200 species of fish.

MUSCLES (HEALTH)

The icon for fish muscles shows the orange haddock illustration underwater with small lines coming from its fins to indicate energy and movement.

2. Muscles (Health): 1,900

Comparing the percent "dry" weight to “wet” weight in fish muscle is one way to measure energy content, an indicator of fish condition. Studying the energy content of fish gives us insight to the quality of food available for predators that eat them.

GONADS (MATURITY)

The icon for fish gonads shows the orange haddock illustration above five fish eggs to represent fish maturity and spawning.

3. Gonads (Maturity): 29,500

Gonads provide information about how many fish in the population are spawning. We evaluate maturity at sea during the research cruises. For some species, the gonad samples are analyzed under a microscope at the lab to confirm the maturity determined at sea. This deeper look also helps us better estimate maturity for fish sampled at time of the year when they are not spawning.

STOMACHS (DIET)

The icon for fish stomachs shows the orange haddock illustration above a network of light dotted lines connecting to small blue Atlantic herring and orange starfish; the herring is then connected to orange copepods and larval shrimp, to indicate predator-prey interactions in the food web.

4. Stomachs (Diet): 12,300

Stomach contents help us understand what, and how much, fish eat providing insight into predator-prey interactions.

LIVERS (HEALTH)

The icon for fish livers shows the orange haddock illustration in the center of three concentric circles of white dotted lines to represent the overall health of a fish and a small circle under the gills to show the approximate location of the liver.

5. Livers (Health): 1,200

Fish liver weight gives us an indication of the overall health of a fish. Some fish, like cod, store a large amount of energy in their liver. Liver weight gives us an indication of the overall health of a fish.

OTOLITHS (AGE)

The icon for fish otoliths shows illustrations of a small fish egg, larval fish, and juvenile fish, leading from the top left down to the adult orange haddock at the center, connected by dotted lines to indicate fish age, next to an illustration of an otolith showing the growth rings in the bones.

6. Otoliths (Age): 76,400

Growth rings in fish otoliths allow us to determine fish age and to examine the overall health of a fish population. “Otolith” comes from the Greek for ear (“oto”) and stone (“lith”), so scientists usually call them “ear stones.” These small, hard structures float in the ear canal just under the brain, and help a fish with balance and hearing.