In 1995, special licenses for bait bycatch in fisheries for cod, white hake and American plaice; fishing were eliminated in the southern Gulf to however, since closure of the cod fishery, winter flounder reduce the catches of juvenile flatfish. [...] Annual variations in the depth there is not an evident long-term trend in winter distribution of winter flounder or the distribution of flounder landings. [...] In 1995, the average catch in all 10 strata with winter Winter flounder were important in bait fisheries flounder was 165 winter flounder per tow, a where catches were not fully accounted for in official substantial rise over the number caught in 1994 (61 landing statistics. [...] In catches of winter flounder declined from 12,000 days the Miramichi sector, catch rates were relatively low in 1991 to approximately 1000 days in 1995. [...] In the area 1995, nominal effort declined to 453 days, for 305 t southeast of PEI, catch rates were highest in the mid- of winter flounder landed.