DEPT. OF MARINE RESOURCES

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Maine Marine Resource Information by Species

Select an underlined link in the table below for more information about that species.  PDF files may require Adobe Reader software (download here free) to view or print.

Also see the Commercial Fisheries page for current and historical Maine commercial catch data for many of these species, and the Recreational Fishing page for current recreational fishing regulations.

Information on federally managed species is provided here by links to NOAA's Northeast Fisheries Science Center (NEFSC), Office of Sustainable Fisheries, Office of Protected Resources (OPR), National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) FishWatch program, and Northeast Regional Office (NERO) Sustainable Fisheries Division, and by links to the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC).

If you need further regulatory information, please contact your local Marine Patrol officer or one of the three Marine Patrol offices.

For more information, other species, and identification keys, try Leland W. Pollock's A Practical Guide to the Marine Animals of Northeastern North America from Rutgers University Press, available in part here free via Google Books or the 1953 classic, Bigelow and Schroeder's Fishes of the Gulf of Maine, available here free via the Gulf of Maine Research Inst.

Species Information

Species Name	Picture and Basic Info from Do You Know Your Catch?	More Information
Alewife	Alewife Description	Maine River Herring Info | River Herring Info c/o NEFSC | River Herring Info c/o ASMFC
Asian Shore Crab		Asian Shore Crab Fact Sheet and Questionnaire
Black Sea Bass	Black Sea Bass Description	Black Sea Bass Info c/o NEFSC | Black Sea Bass Fishery Info c/o NERO | Black Sea Bass Info c/o ASMFC | Black Sea Bass Info c/o NMFS FishWatch
Blueback Herring	Blueback Herring Description	Maine River Herring Info | River Herring Info c/o NEFSC | River Herring Info c/o ASMFC
Blue Shark	Blue Shark Description	see Sharks below
Bluefin Tuna	Bluefin Tuna Description	Recreational Fishing Info for Large Pelagics | Tuna Info c/o NOAA | Bluefin Tuna Info c/o NMFS FishWatch
Bluefish	Bluefish Description	Bluefish Info c/o NEFSC | Bluefish Fishery Info c/o NERO | Bluefish Info c/o ASMFC | Bluefish Info c/o NMFS FishWatch
Brown Trout	Brown Trout Description
Clams		Shellfish Safety and Management
Cod	Atlantic Cod Description	Multispecies Fishery | Cod Tagging Program c/o GMRI | Cod Info c/o NEFSC | Multispecies Fishery Info c/o NERO | Cod Info c/o NMFS FishWatch
Cunner	Cunner Description
Cusk	Cusk Description	Cusk Info c/o NEFSC
Dab		see Plaice below
Dogfish	Spiny Dogfish Description	Spiny Dogfish Info c/o NEFSC | Spiny Dogfish Fishery Info c/o NERO | Spiny Dogfish Info c/o ASMFC | Dogfish Info c/o NMFS FishWatch
Eelgrass		Maps of Maine Eelgrass Beds
Eels and Elvers		American Eel and Elver Info
Flounder		see Windowpane, Witch, Winter, and Yellowtail Flounder below
Goosefish	Goosefish Description	see Monkfish below
Groundfish (multispecies)		Multispecies Fishery The species managed under the northeast multispecies fishery plan include: American Plaice, Atlantic Cod, Atlantic Halibut, Atlantic Wolffish, Haddock, Ocean Pout, Offshore Hake, Pollock, Red Hake, Redfish, Silver Hake, White Hake, Windowpane Flounder, Winter Flounder, Witch Flounder, and Yellowtail Flounder
Haddock	Haddock Description	Multispecies Fishery | Haddock Info c/o NEFSC | Multispecies Fishery Info c/o NERO | Haddock Info c/o NMFS FishWatch
Hake		see Offshore Hake, Red Hake, White Hake, and Whiting below
Halibut	Atlantic Halibut Description	Multispecies Fishery | Maine Halibut Research and Fishing Info | Halibut Info c/o NEFSC | Multispecies Fishery Info c/o NERO
Herring	Atlantic Herring Description	Maine Atlantic Herring Info | Atlantic Herring Info c/o NEFSC | Atlantic Herring Fishery Info c/o NERO | Atlantic Herring Info c/o ASMFC | Atlantic Herring Info c/o NMFS FishWatch
Horseshoe Crab		Horseshoe Crab Info c/o ASMFC
Invasive Species		Non-Native Invasive Marine Species in Maine  | Asian Shore Crab | Chinese Mitten Crab
Lobsters		Lobster Biology, Fishery, Management, and More!
Mackerel	Atlantic Mackerel Description	Mackerel Info c/o NEFSC | Mackerel Fishery Info c/o NERO | Mackerel Info c/o NMFS FishWatch
Mako Shark	Shortfin Mako Shark Description	Shortfin Mako Shark Info c/o NMFS FishWatch | also see Sharks below
Marine Mammals		Marine Mammal Info, and Strandings | Whales
Menhaden	Atlantic Menhaden Description	Atlantic Menhaden Info c/o ASMFC
Monkfish	Goosefish Description	Goosefish Info c/o NEFSC | Monkfish Fishery Info c/o NERO | Monkfish Info c/o NMFS FishWatch
Mussels		Blue Mussel Fact Sheet | Shellfish Safety and Management | Aquaculture | Dragging Restrictions in Taunton Bay
Ocean Pout	Ocean Pout Description	Multispecies Fishery | Ocean Pout Info c/o NEFSC | Multispecies Fishery Info c/o NERO
Offshore Hake		Multispecies Fishery | Multispecies Fishery Info c/o NERO
Plaice (American), Dab		Multispecies Fishery | American Plaice Info co NEFSC | Multispecies Fishery Info c/o NERO
Pollock	American Pollock Description	Multispecies Fishery | Pollock Info c/o NEFSC | Multispecies Fishery Info c/o NERO | Pollock Info c/o NMFS FishWatch
Porbeagle Shark	Porbeagle Shark Description	see Sharks below
Redfish	Redfish Description	Multispecies Fishery | Redfish Info c/o NEFSC | Multispecies Fishery Info c/o NERO
Red Hake		Multispecies Fishery | Red Hake Info c/o NEFSC | Multispecies Fishery Info c/o NERO
River Herring		see Alewife and Blueback Herring above
Rockweed		Rockweed brochure (PDF file, 4 pages, 2.1 MB) | 2010 Rockweed Research Symposium | Cobscook Bay Rockweed Management Area
Salmon	Atlantic Salmon Description	Maine Atlantic Salmon Commission | Maine Salmon Projects | Atlantic Salmon Info c/o NEFSC | Atlantic Salmon Fishery info c/o NERO | Atlantic Salmon Info c/o NMFS FishWatch | Maine Aquaculture
Scallops		Maine Sea Scallop Info | Sea Scallop Info c/o NEFSC | Sea Scallop Fishery Info c/o NERO | Sea Scallop Info c/o NMFS FishWatch
Sculpin	Longhorn Sculpin Description
Sea Cucumbers		Sea Cucumber Info
Sea Raven	Sea Raven Description
Sea Urchins		Green Sea Urchin Info
Seals		Marine Mammal Info, and Strandings
Shad	American Shad Description	Maine River Restoration Projects | Shad Info c/o NEFSC | Shad Info c/o ASMFC
Sharks	Blue Shark Description | Spiny Dogfish Description | Shortfin Mako Shark Description | Porbeagle Shark Description | Thresher Shark Description	Recreational Fishing Info for Large Pelagics | Coastal Sharks Info c/o ASFMC | Shark Info c/o NOAA | also see Dogfish and Mako Sharks above and Thresher Shark below
Shrimp		Northern Shrimp Info
Skate	Little Skate Description	Skate Info (several species) c/o NEFSC | Skate Complex Fishery Info c/o NERO
Smelt	Rainbow Smelt Description	Rainbow Smelt Info | Smelt Info c/o NOAA OPR | ME-MA-NH Smelt Info
Striped Bass	Striped Bass Description	Maine Striped Bass Assessment | Striped Bass Info c/o NEFSC | Striped Bass Info c/o ASMFC | Striped Bass Info c/o NMFS FishWatch
Sturgeon	Atlantic Sturgeon Description	Maine River Restoration Projects | Atlantic and Shortnose Sturgeon Info c/o NEFSC | Atlantic Sturgeon Info c/o ASMFC
Tautog	Tautog Description
Thresher Shark	Thresher Shark Description	Thresher Shark Info c/o NMFS FishWatch | also see Sharks above
Tomcod		Atlantic Tomcod Species Profile, 1987, pdf file, 17 pages
Tunas	Bluefin Tuna Description	Recreational Fishing Info for Large Pelagics | Tuna Info c/o NOAA | Tuna Info c/o NMFS FishWatch
Whales		Whale Info
Whelks		Waved Whelk Info
White Hake		Multispecies Fishery | White Hake Info c/o NEFSC | Multispecies Fishery Info c/o NERO
Whiting	Silver Hake Description	Multispecies Fishery | Silver Hake Info c/o NEFSC | Whiting Fishery Info c/o NERO
Windowpane Flounder		Multispecies Fishery | Windowpane Flounder Info c/o NEFSC | Multispecies Fishery Info c/o NERO
Winter Flounder	Winter Flounder Description	Multispecies Fishery | Winter Flounder Fishery info c/o NEFSC | Multispecies Fishery Info c/o NERO | Winter Flounder Info c/o ASMFC | Winter Flounder Info c/o NMFS FishWatch
Witch Flounder		Multispecies Fishery | Witch Flounder Info c/o NEFSC | Multispecies Fishery Info c/o NERO
Wolffish	Atlantic Wolffish Description	Multispecies Fishery | Wolffish Info c/o NEFSC | Multispecies Fishery Info c/o NERO
Yellowtail Flounder		Multispecies Fishery | Yellowtail Flounder Info c/o NEFSC | Multispecies Fishery Info c/o NERO | Yellowtail Flounder Info c/o NMFS FishWatch

 

Please contact DMR's webmaster if any of these links fail.

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