Figure III.C.3-7

Landings of Tilefish in the Mid-Atlantic Region from 1970 to 1983. (Data from USDOC, NMFS, annually 1971 through 1984; except for 1980, data supplied by Steve Turner, personal communication).

Striped bass (Morone saxatilis) represents one of the most sought after species in the mid-Atlantic region, both by sport and commercial fishermen. "The midAtlantic coast is particularly important for striped bass, because most of the major Atlantic coast spawning grounds and an extensive recreational fishery occur within the region" (Fay et al., 1983). Since 1973, commercial landings have been steadily declining (see Figure III.C.3-8). Landings have only been this low during one other period --during the late 1930s (McHugh and Ginter, 1978).

Striped bass is an anadromous species which spawns in many of the mid-Atlantic rivers and upper estuaries. Mid-Atlantic habitats utilized for spawning include the Roanoke River (VA), James River (VA), York River (VA), Rappahannock River (VA), Potomac River (VA), Patuxent River (VA), Choptank River (VA, MD), Nanticoke River (VA, MD), Delaware River (DE, NJ, PA), Hudson River (NY), and Connecticut River (CT) (Fay et al., 1983). Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries appear to be the most important spawning grounds, contributing more than 50 percent of the Atlantic coast striped bass catch (Setzler et al., 1980). Although the Chesapeake Bay stocks migrate and contribute heavily to the mid-Atlantic region, some populations, such as those occurring in the Hudson River (NY), appear to move very little.

One hypothesis for the decline in abundance of striped bass is the poor recruitment. Fay et al. (1983) state that "Survival of the striped bass larval stage is considered to be the most crucial for future population abundance of mid-Atlantic striped bass stocks."

Another postulated cause for the decline of mid-Atlantic striped bass stocks is overfishing. The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission has suggested a coastwide management plan be implemented which would place an increased size limit on commercially harvested striped bass. The new limit would be 14 in (total length) in nursery rivers and bays, and 24 in (total length) on coastal fisheries.

Figure III.C.3-8

Mid-Atlantic Commercial Landings of Striped Bass from 1970 to 1983 (USDOC, NMFS, annually 1971 through 1984).

The decline of striped bass stocks has been serious enough to warrant further investigations funded by an amendment to PL 96-118, Anadromous Fish Conservation and Management Act.

Foreign Fishing and Joint Ventures

After the enactment of the Magnuson Fishery Conservation and Management Act (1976), the level of foreign fishing within the established U.S. fishery conservation zone (FCZ) has fallen off and been replaced largely by domestic efforts. In 1983, the foreign catch of fish (excluding tunas) and shellfish in the U.S. FCZ was just over 1.3 million metric tons. The north Atlantic (mid-Atlantic included) account for approximately 3 percent of this total (USDOC, NMFS, 1984). Squid catches were the most significant, followed by Atlantic cod, Atlantic pollock, haddock, and sea scallops.

In 1984, the total allowable level of foreign fishing (TALFF) is projected to be approximately 36,000 metric tons. The species breakdown of this allocation is shown in Table III.C.3-3, and the majority of the foreign effort is concentrated in the mid-Atlantic (Colosi, 1984, personal communication).

Joint ventures are defined as "an operation authorized under the MFMCA [Magnuson Fishery Conservation and Management Act] in which a permitted foreign vessel receives fish in the U.S. FCZ from a U.S. vessel are part of the U.S. harvest" (USDOC, NMFS, 1984). In 1984, nine joint ventures have been approved by NOAA. They are for two species; Atlantic mackerel and squid. Countries approved to receive Atlantic mackerel include East Germany and the Netherlands. Countries approved to receive squid (both long- and short-finned) are Spain, Japan (two firms), Italy, and Portugal (3 firms) (Keiffer, 1984, personal communication).

Table III.C.3-3.

Projected foreign fishing activity in the mid- and North
Atlantic during 1984 (in metric tons)

* Projected for the time period of April 1, 1984 through March 31, 1985 (Source - Dave Kieffer, 1984 - Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council; personal communication)

Projected for the 1984 calendar year (Source - Pete Colosi (USDOC,
NMFS, 1984, personal communication)

Sport Fisheries

Sport fishing in the mid-Atlantic region is an important activity. In 1979, it was estimated that approximately 82,452,000 fish were caught by recreational fishermen in the mid-Atlantic and Chesapeake regions (see Table 11 Appendix G). The most popular finfish harvested by sport fishermen were bluefish, summer flounder, winter flounder, spot, white perch, weakfish, scup, porgy, searobins, and seabasses. The species, taken together comprise approximately 81 percent of the total recreational catch recorded in 1979. The top three species, bluefish, summer flounder and winter flounder, account for 47 percent of the catch. All these species are nearshore and coastal inhabitants capable of being caught from shore, piers, jetties, or small private boats. Figure III.C.3-8 shows the relative contribution of each State to total mid-Atlantic sport landings. New York leads all States in the number of fish caught by recreational fishermen. The top five species landed in each State are also shown in Figure III.C.3-9. For more complete accounts of sport fishing grounds in the mid-Atlantic region, refer to the NOAA, Angler's Guide series (sections III, IV, V), which provides data on prime fishing spots for a particular species, water depths and locations of sport fish resources, common navigational aids, boating services offered, and commonly-used gear and methods. A similar account is given for the State and offshore waters adjacent to New Jersey by Long and Figley (1982).

Figure III.C.3-9.

Mid-Atlantic Marine Recreational Fishing Profile (USDOC,
NMFS, 1980). [Species listed for each State are given in
order of importance]

The mid-Atlantic coastal region contains 12 refineries with a total capacity of approximately 1,331,300 bbl/d, about 8 percent of the total U.S. refinery capacity (see Visual No. 5). This is a decrease of 1 percent from 1983 capacity, and 21 percent from 1981 capacity. The decline is attributed to the closing of two refineries and the idling of the others. Mid-Atlantic refineries represent 98 percent of all the refining capacity on the U.S. east coast. The Delaware Bay area with 8 refineries has the area's greatest refinery capacity with just under 1 million bbl/d. The Raritan Bay area has a capacity of approximately 270,000 bbl/d (includes 88,000 bbl/d idle capacity), and approximately 66,000 bbl/d (includes 14,200 bbl/d idle capacity) can be refined in the two small Chesapeake Bay area refineries.

The majority of the crude oil delivered to these refineries arrives by tanker or barge from foreign sources, with only a small amount supplied by the Gulf of Mexico and Alaska. There is a limited existing network of onshore oil pipelines in the study area, but these carry only refined oil (see Visual No. 5).

Currently there are no natural gas processing plants in the study area. Natural gas is delivered from the Gulf of Mexico region by large diameter, high pressure interstate pipelines (see Visual No. 5). These pipelines bisect Virginia, pass west of the Chesapeake Bay, and travel through the Philadelphia area to New York and Boston. These include pipelines owned by Algonquin Gas Transmission Corporation, Transcontinental Gas Pipeline Corporation, Texas Eastern Transmission Corporation, and Tennessee Gas Pipeline Company. In addition, there is an extensive network of small diameter, low pressure, intrastate gas distribution pipelines.

The major commercial ports of the Mid-Atlantic include New York City; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Baltimore, Maryland; and Norfolk, Virginia. On a relative basis, large quantities of crude petroleum are handled only at New York and Philadelphia. In 1979, the port of New York received approximately 60x106 short tons of merchandise (Hampton Roads Maritime Association, 1984), decreasing to approximately 48x106 short tons in 1982. These included only foreign, water-borne commerce. During 1979, the port of New York received approximately 21x106 short tons (147x106 barrels) of crude petroleum from foreign and domestic sources, which accounted for 27 percent of total combined foreign and domestic receipts. In the same year the port of Philadelphia received 59x106 short tons of crude (413x106 barrels) from foreign and domestic sources, accounting for 71 percent of total combined foreign and domestic receipts. Of the total crude received at New York, 1.6 percent was from domestic sources with corresponding figure of 6.5 percent for Philadelphia (U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, 1980). Because it is assumed that crude petroleum produced on the OCS will replace foreign crude, the oil handling capabilities of these ports should not be stressed by any commercial oil and gas finds on the U.S. OCS. Thus, during the production phase, no conflict with present ship traffic is expected. During 1993 the peak of the exploration and development phases, 126 support vessels trips per month