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Scientific Excellence • Resource Protection & Conservation • Benefits for Canadians I 111111 .11111111mapoN111111A1• Arrik Atlatic Pelagic and Diadromous Fis aglitak Fisheries Peches 1+1 and Oceans et Oceans Canada 2 Underwater World ish that range through the water The sides and belly are silvery. The Fcolumn are known as "pelagic" body is very deep but relatively slender species, to differentiate them from and the mouth is large with the lower Atlantic "groundfish" which feed and dwell jaw projecting a little beyond the near the bottom. Feeding mainly in upper. The tail is deeply forked and Pelagic and surface or middle depth waters, pelagic there is a single dorsal fin. The scales fish travel mostly in large schools, are large and loosely attached. turning and manoeuvring in close for- Herring may attain a length of Diadromous Fish mation with split-second timing. 43 cm and a weight of .68 kg. How- Best known of the pelagic popula- ever, average-sized herring in the catch tions of Canada's Atlantic coast are weigh only about .23 kg. herring, but others in order of Weirs and purse seines are the prin- economic importance include mack- cipal methods of fishing in the Bay of erel, swordfish, bluefin tuna, and Fundy sardine fishery, which is based capelin. Most of the diadromous fish, on immature herring. Weirs operate notably the salmon, smelt and gas- during the spring and summer months pereau, migrate from freshwater to the and purse seines account for a con- sea and back again for spawning. Eels siderable portion of the catch in all migrate in the opposite direction, seasons. spawning in saltwater but entering The gillnet is the major gear used in freshwater to feed. the spring spawning herring fishery of Pelagic species are generally very the Chaleur Bay, Northumberland streamlined. They are blue or blue-gray Strait and Magdalen Islands. Traps are over their backs and silvery-white also important in some areas. The underneath — a form of camouflage purse seine is the major fishing gear in when in the open sea. the herring fisheries off the Atlantic They are caught both in inshore and coast of Nova Scotia. offshore waters, principally with mid- Herring are processed and marketed water trawls, purse seines, gillnets, in various forms. About half of the traps and weirs. catch is marketed fresh or as frozen whole dressed fish and fillets, one quarter is cured, including salted and Herring (Clupea harengus) vinegar-cured, and the rest is either Herring is a major component of canned, mainly as sardines, kippered Atlantic Canada's annual fisheries snacks and fillets, or used for fish meal catch. They are found all along the and oil. northwest Atlantic coast from Cape Hatteras to Hudson Strait. Herring fishing areas in Canadian waters include the Bay of Fundy, Chedabucto Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) Bay, N.S., the Gulf of St. Lawrence, Atlantic salmon are world-renowned and along the northeast and south as sport fish notable particularly for coasts of Newfoundland. their fighting qualities as well as their Atlantic herring have a streamlined succulent, delicious pink flesh. They body which is steel-blue or greenish- are also caught commercially and com- blue on the back with green reflections. mand a higher price on the food market than most other fish. Reared in freshwater, they migrate to the sea where they live for one or more years, returning to their native streams to spawn. They are found on both sides of the North Atlantic. On the North American side they range from Ungava Bay to northern New England. Most Canadian rivers, in- cluding those flowing into the Gulf of St. Lawrence, support runs of salmon. Underwater World 3 they head out to sea for the zone of warmer water which flanks the outer edge of the Continental Shelf. Their migratory patterns vary somewhat from year to year as does their abundance. Among the handsomest of fish, Atlantic mackerel are easily distin- guished by the dark, tiger-like stripings on the back, the blue and silver body and the small finlets near the tail. The scales are very small. They are known to reach a length of 53 cm and to weigh as much as 1.8 kg. Mackerel populations are found on Like other members of the salmon both sides of the North Atlantic family, Atlantic salmon have a stout Ocean. On the North American side but streamlined body, small scales and they are found from Black Island, a small fleshy fin on the back just in Labrador, to Cape Hatteras off North front of the tail. Colour varies with age Carolina. and stage of development, but when In Canadian waters mackerel are in the sea they are silvery on the sides fished from the Bay of Fundy to New- and belly. The back varies through foundland, with best catches being shades of brown, green and blue. There made off southwestern Nova Scotia are numerous black spots, usually and in the Gulf of St. Lawrence around x-shaped, scattered along the body. the Magdalen Islands, Prince Edward Salmon may weigh up to 28 kg but Island and Cape Breton. rarely exceed 14 kg. The average About one third of the mackerel weight in the commercial catch is catch is taken with purse seines, 4.5 kg. another third with trapnets and weirs, Commercial fishing for Atlantic and the balance with poundnets, gill- salmon is permitted in some areas with nets and trawls. trapnets or gillnets. Anglers fishing the Mackerel are a delicious fish, but do rivers use rod and line. not keep as well as some other species Salmon are marketed fresh, frozen that have less oil in their tissue. Salted, or smoked. smoked and fresh mackerel are con- sumed in large quantities while salted or pickled mackerel are widely exported. Mackerel (Scomber scombrus) Small quantities are canned or used as Mackerel are streamlined swift- bait for swordfish and lobsters. swimming ocean fish which migrate extensively through the open sea. They approach the Canadian Atlantic coast in late May in large schools. In the fall 4 Underwater World taken almost exclusively by harpoon- ing, they are now caught principally with floating longlines. Swordfish are marketed in fresh or frozen form. Some restrictions have been placed on swordfish sales to United States markets because of mer- cury levels. Marketing is permitted in Canada but limited consumption is advised. Bluefin tuna (Thunnus thynnus) Bluefin tuna are swift wide-ranging fish which are found on both sides of the Atlantic and visit Canadian waters Swordfish (Xiphias gladius) in the summer and early fall months. Swordfish derive their name from They are known to range from the swordlike projection on the upper Labrador south to Brazil. jaw which may be up to one third their In Canadian waters giant bluefin, in full length. They grow to a length of excess of 136 kg, appear in June, and nearly 4.5 m and can weigh over occasionally the smaller jumpers (23 to 450 kg, although the dressed weight 68 kg) are seen in late August or early size in the Canadian catch ranges September. anywhere between 18 and 158 kg. Bluefin are beautifully streamlined Adult swordfish are a dark metallic fish with a bluntly-pointed nose and a blue-purple on the back and upper part robust body that tapers evenly from of the sides, shading to silver-grey and the shoulder region to a long, slim tail white on the belly. Notable character- region. The head has tightly closing istics include the "sword" and the jaws, flat gill-covers and eyes set flush absence of both teeth and scales. with the surrounding surfaces. The Migratory by nature, swordfish are body is completely covered with scales, widely distributed throughout the including a corselet of large scales in tropical and temperate oceans of the the shoulder region. Some of the fins world. They appear in Canadian fold into grooves or depressions thus Atlantic fishing areas in early June and giving a smooth contour to the body. remain until mid-October. With such shape, it is not surprising Offshore fishermen catch them as that bluefin are among the swiftest and far west as the Grand Banks. Once widest-ranging fish in the sea. Adult bluefin are metallic blue with a greenish sheen on the back, shading through silver on the sides to white on the belly. In contrast with adults, young bluefin have conspicuous white vertical bars and spots along the sides which disappear gradually as the fish grow. Bluefin tuna are excellent sportfish. In Canada, only rod and reel fishing for bluefin is permitted, although incidental catches in mackerel traps in St. Margaret's Bay, N.S., may be retained. Most of these latter fish are held in poundnets and fattened to increase their sale value. Unlike some other tuna species which are usually canned, bluefin tuna go to market mostly in fresh and frozen form. Underwater World 5 Although eels are caught commer- cially in all five Atlantic coast prov- inces, about 70 per cent of the total Canadian catch is in Quebec along the St. Lawrence River, particularly be- tween Trois-Rivieres and Cap Chat. Eels are taken with weirs, traps, long- lines and spears. The bulk of the catch goes to market as frozen whole fish, and some are sold fresh or smoked. About two thirds of the catch is exported. Smelt (Osmerus mordax) Smelt are small fish common along the Atlantic coast and highly esteemed as food. They are an inshore species American eels (Anguilla rostrata) which range along the coast from American eels range along the north Labrador to New Jersey, with the American coast from the Caribbean to centre of abundance in the southern Labrador.