Haddock (Melanogrammus aeglefinus) drawn by H. L. Todd
“Haddock are very plentiful all around the open Gulf (of Maine), as well as on all the offshore banks, especially on Georges where they greatly out-number the cod. This is, in fact, one of the two species that now rank at the top among Gulf of Maine fishes, from the commercial standpoint; the rosefish (Acadian redfish) is the other.”
From Fishes of the Gulf of Maine by Bigelow and Schroeder (1953) online courtesy of MBL/WHOI http://www.gma.org/fogm/Melanogrammus_aeglefinus.htm
Massachusetts landings declined from 130 million pounds in 1966 to 7.7 million pounds in 1973. Landings in 2016 were 10.7 million pounds.
Cumulative 1950-2016 reported Massachusetts landings were 3,064,610,662 pounds with a value of $639,412,505 (NOAA)
Acadian redfish in the same period, 1,576,336,078 pounds valued at $128,657,587
The 2002 edition of Fishes of the Gulf of Maine reports that the growth rate of haddock increased within 30 to 40 years, since about 1960 when they were more abundant, reaching an average size of 48-50 cm in 3 years compared to 4 years.
Good Morning Gloucester 