USA (North-East)

There have been notable fisheries for centuries, targeting gadoids, pleuronectiformes, elasmobranchs, invertebrates, and small pelagic species. Fishing intensification during the 1950s-60s resulted in the depletion of many stocks. In the late 70s, after EEZ establishment and exclusion of foreign fleets, some stocks remained depleted while others recovered or expanded, depending on differential fishing pressures. Generally the long term trends (1980-2005) have been improving but recent trends (1996-2005) have not been as positive. Yet compared to many of the other ecosystems, the NEUS ecosystem is doing relatively well, specifically regarding the proportion of predators, proportion of underexploited species, trophic level of landings and mean life span.