Fish captured in trawls by the SWFSC Fisheries Resources Division during surveys for coastal pelagic species. Most tows were targeted for sardine using a Nordic trawl on the surface at night. The database includes identification to various taxonomic levels depending on species, length frequencies, biomass data, and some age data for sardine based on analysis of otoliths.

The Alaska Fisheries Science Center's Status of Stocks and Multispecies Assessment (SSMA) Programs Fishery Interaction Team (FIT) conducted a fish survey in the marine offshore waters of the Beaufort Sea during the month of August, 2008. The Mineral Management Service (MMS) provided funding for the survey. The results of the survey provided estimates of abundance, species composition and biological information of marine fish and invertebrates, oceanographic properties and information on the macro- and micro- zooplankton communities.

Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) conducts an annual multidisciplinary scientific survey with a bottom trawl in the Estuary and the northern Gulf of St. Lawrence since 1978. Over the years, this survey has been conducted on four vessels: the MV Gadus Atlantica (1978-1994), the MV Lady Hammond (1984-1990), the CCGS Alfred Needler (1990-2005) and the CCGS Teleost (2004-2021). It is important to note that the objectives, the methods used and the identification of the species during these surveys have improved over time in response to DFO requests and mandates. The data are therefore not directly comparable between these surveys. The specificities of the missions onboard the MV Lady Hammond are described below. Objectives: 1. Assess groundfish populations abundance and condition 2. Assess environmental conditions 3. Inventory species biodiversity 4. Monitor the pelagic ecosystem 5. Collect samples for various research projects Survey description The survey covers the northern Gulf of St. Lawrence, that is the divisions 4R, 4S and the northern part of division 4T of the Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organization (NAFO). A stratified random sampling strategy is used for this survey and the fishing gear used on the MV Lady Hammond is a bottom trawl Western IIA. Standard trawling tows last 30 minutes, starting from the time the trawl touches the sea floor. Towing speed is 3.5 knots. Data For each fishing tow, the catch is sorted and weighed by taxa; individuals are counted and biological data are then collected. For fish, crab and squid, size and weight are gathered by individual and, for some species, sex, gonad maturity, and the weight of certain organs (stomach, liver, gonads) are also evaluated. The soft rays of the anal fin are counted for redfish and otoliths are collected for redfish and Atlantic cod. Invertebrates are weighted and counted (no individual measurements). The catches per tow for fish taxa are available below. For more information please contact the data management team (gddaiss-dmsaisb@dfo-mpo.gc.ca).

Paper logs are the primary data collection tool used by observers of the Northeast Fisheries Observer Program and Industry Funded Scallop Program deployed on commercial fishing vessels. Data collected on paper logs are used to enter critical data fields into a web-based data entry program, OBPRELIM, and loads data directly into Oracle tables. OBPRELIM is used to enter trip, incidental take, and haul level data for in-season quota monitored fisheries and discard log data for the herring and longfin squid fisheries to track slippage events. OBPRELIM contains built in audit checks to increase data quality. OBPRELIM is also used for post-entry Fisheries Sampling Branch processing and verification.

Paper logs are the primary data collection tool used by observers of the Northeast Fisheries Observer Program and Industry Funded Scallop Program deployed on commercial fishing vessels. Data collected on paper logs are used to enter critical data fields into a web-based data entry program, OBPRELIM, and loads data directly into Oracle tables. OBPRELIM is used to enter trip, incidental take, and haul level data for in-season quota monitored fisheries and discard log data for the herring and longfin squid fisheries to track slippage events. OBPRELIM contains built in audit checks to increase data quality. OBPRELIM is also used for post-entry Fisheries Sampling Branch processing and verification.

In the spring of 2003, California Department of Fish and Game (CDFG) personnel began quarterly sampling of Salton Sea fish at fourteen stations around the sea, as the basis of a long term monitoring program. To allow comparison of current and future monitoring efforts by CDFG to past results, the protocol was adapted from those previously used by researchers at the Salton Sea. Each quarter, if conditions allow, this protocol will produce about 816 net-hours of sampling. To date data collection was started in the spring of 2003, continuing quarterly. Data collection is ongoing as of 2008. Two seasons were missed due to unavailability of launch sites: Fall 2007 and Winter 2007. *Note: This dataset should be viewed with the Quarterly Water Quality Surveys - Salton Sea [ds429] dataset. Methods: The 11 sampling sites comprise three broad habitat types: pelagic (3 sites), near-shore (8 sites), and estuarine (3 sites). The pelagic sites are in the approximate middles of the north basin, south basin and inter-basin areas of the Sea. The near-shore sites are spaced widely apart, four each, near the west and east shores, to capture as much breadth of habitat as possible. The estuarine sites are in the body of the Sea, close enough to the mouths of the New, Alamo, and Whitewater Rivers, to be under the influence of their outflows. Sampling takes place during each of the putative seasons, as follows: spring- April and May; summer- July and August; fall- October and November; winter- January and February. We attempt to compress the total sampling period into as few days as possible, to the extent that the weather, equipment maintenance, and personnel scheduling constraints allow. Nets are typically set at one or two sites in the morning, and hauled in after approximately 24 hours. The exact number of hours set is recorded for each net, to the nearest quarter-hour. Fish are sampled by deploying multi-panel monofilament gill nets with 6 X 30 foot panels of 0.5, 1, 2, 3, and 4 inch mesh. Two nets are set at all sites at the waters surface. The nets are set far enough apart to allow room for maneuvering a boat during setting and retrieval, usually 100-200 meters. The nets at near-shore and estuarine sites are set in 2.5 to 4.5 meters of water, typically 200-300 meters from the shore. Two additional nets are set at the bottom of water column at the three pelagic sites. The conditions fish experience at the bottom in deep water is different enough from the surface water, in dissolved oxygen, light, food availability and temperature, that this can be considered a discrete habitat, and thus we sample it as though it were a separate site. At the time of each set and retrieval, water depth, water temperature, conductivity, salinity, and dissolved oxygen are measured and recorded. When nets are pulled in the following day, all fish are removed and immediately stored on ice. Data are collected from these fish as soon as possible, almost always the same day they are hauled in. All fish are identified to species level and counted. For the four sport fish in the Salton Sea, (tilapia, Gulf croaker, orangemouth corvina and sargo) weights, lengths (fork length), sex, physical condition, and reproductive status are recorded. Fish above five pounds are weighed to the nearest ounce. Fish below five pounds are weighed to the nearest half ounce. Lengths of fish under 50 centimeters are recorded to the nearest millimeter. Lengths of fish over 50 centimeters are recorded to the nearest centimeter. The sex of adult fish is determined by dissection. A sample of at least ten fish of each species is also dissected to determine physical condition and breeding status. Changes to Protocol after Year One: For previous researchers, deep water habitats provided some low level of productivity for the fisheries, and were important habitat components to sample. During the first year of sampling, however, the three deep water sites (north basin, south basin and inter-basin)

In the spring of 2003, California Department of Fish and Game (CDFG) personnel began quarterly sampling of Salton Sea fish at fourteen stations around the sea, as the basis of a long term monitoring program. To allow comparison of current and future monitoring efforts by CDFG to past results, the protocol was adapted from those previously used by researchers at the Salton Sea. Each quarter, if conditions allow, this protocol will produce about 816 net-hours of sampling. To date data collection was started in the spring of 2003, continuing quarterly. Data collection is ongoing as of 2008. Two seasons were missed due to unavailability of launch sites: Fall 2007 and Winter 2007. *Note: This dataset should be viewed with the Quarterly Water Quality Surveys - Salton Sea [ds429] dataset. Methods: The 11 sampling sites comprise three broad habitat types: pelagic (3 sites), near-shore (8 sites), and estuarine (3 sites). The pelagic sites are in the approximate middles of the north basin, south basin and inter-basin areas of the Sea. The near-shore sites are spaced widely apart, four each, near the west and east shores, to capture as much breadth of habitat as possible. The estuarine sites are in the body of the Sea, close enough to the mouths of the New, Alamo, and Whitewater Rivers, to be under the influence of their outflows. Sampling takes place during each of the putative seasons, as follows: spring- April and May; summer- July and August; fall- October and November; winter- January and February. We attempt to compress the total sampling period into as few days as possible, to the extent that the weather, equipment maintenance, and personnel scheduling constraints allow. Nets are typically set at one or two sites in the morning, and hauled in after approximately 24 hours. The exact number of hours set is recorded for each net, to the nearest quarter-hour. Fish are sampled by deploying multi-panel monofilament gill nets with 6 X 30 foot panels of 0.5, 1, 2, 3, and 4 inch mesh. Two nets are set at all sites at the waters surface. The nets are set far enough apart to allow room for maneuvering a boat during setting and retrieval, usually 100-200 meters. The nets at near-shore and estuarine sites are set in 2.5 to 4.5 meters of water, typically 200-300 meters from the shore. Two additional nets are set at the bottom of water column at the three pelagic sites. The conditions fish experience at the bottom in deep water is different enough from the surface water, in dissolved oxygen, light, food availability and temperature, that this can be considered a discrete habitat, and thus we sample it as though it were a separate site. At the time of each set and retrieval, water depth, water temperature, conductivity, salinity, and dissolved oxygen are measured and recorded. When nets are pulled in the following day, all fish are removed and immediately stored on ice. Data are collected from these fish as soon as possible, almost always the same day they are hauled in. All fish are identified to species level and counted. For the four sport fish in the Salton Sea, (tilapia, Gulf croaker, orangemouth corvina and sargo) weights, lengths (fork length), sex, physical condition, and reproductive status are recorded. Fish above five pounds are weighed to the nearest ounce. Fish below five pounds are weighed to the nearest half ounce. Lengths of fish under 50 centimeters are recorded to the nearest millimeter. Lengths of fish over 50 centimeters are recorded to the nearest centimeter. The sex of adult fish is determined by dissection. A sample of at least ten fish of each species is also dissected to determine physical condition and breeding status. Changes to Protocol after Year One: For previous researchers, deep water habitats provided some low level of productivity for the fisheries, and were important habitat components to sample. During the first year of sampling, however, the three deep water sites (north basin, south basin and inter-basin)

The Southeast Fisheries Science Center Mississippi Laboratories has conducted standardized groundfish trawl surveys in the Gulf of Mexico since 1987. Prior to 1987, the summer survey was conducted under Southeast Area Monitoring and Assessment Program (SEAMAP) protocols; however, the fall survey operated independent of SEAMAP and dates back to 1972. Data from these standardized surveys were provided to the Natural Resources Damage Assessment (NRDA) to support assessment of the environmental impacts of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill which occurred in the Gulf of Mexico in 2010.

Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) conducts an annual multidisciplinary scientific survey with a bottom trawl in the Estuary and the northern Gulf of St. Lawrence since 1978. Over the years this survey has been conducted on cinq vessels: the MV Gadus Atlantica (1978-1994), the MV Lady Hammond (1984-1990), the CCGS Alfred Needler (1990-2005), the CCGS Teleost (2004-2022) and the CCGS Cabot (2022-present). It is important to note that the objectives, the methods used and the identification of the species during these surveys have improved over time in response to DFO requests and mandates. The data are therefore not directly comparable between these surveys. The specificities of the missions onboard the CCGS Teleost are described below. Objectives: 1. Assess groundfish and northern shrimp population abundance and condition 2. Assess environmental conditions 3. Inventory species biodiversity 4. Assess phytoplankton and mesozooplankton abundance 5. Monitor the pelagic ecosystem 6. Inventory marine mammals populations 7. Inventory seabirds populations 8. Collect samples for various research projects Survey description The survey covers the Estuary and the northern Gulf of St. Lawrence, that is the divisions 4R, 4S and the northern part of division 4T of the Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organization (NAFO). Since 2008, coverage of division 4T has been increased in the upstream part of the Lower Estuary in order to sample the depths between 37 and 183 m. A stratified random sampling strategy is used for this survey and the area of the study area is 118,587 km². The fishing gear used on the CCGS Teleost is a four-sided Campelen 1800 shrimp trawl equipped with a Rockhopper footgear (“bicycle”). The trawl lengthening and codend are equipped with a 12.7-mm knotless nylon lining. Standard trawling tows last 15 minutes, starting from the time the trawl touches the sea floor. The aimed towing speed is 3 knots. Data For each fishing tow, the catch is sorted and weighed by taxa; individual are then count and biological data are then collected on a subsample. For fish, crab and squid, size and weight are gathered by individual and, for some species, sex, gonad maturity, and the weight of certain organs (stomach, liver, gonads) are also evaluated. The soft rays of the anal fin are counted for redfish, and the otoliths are sampled for several species such as Atlantic cod, Atlantic halibut, and witch flounder. A roughly 2-kg shrimp sample is sorted and weighed by species (and by stage of maturity for northern shrimp). The shrimps are measured individually. The other invertebrates are counted (no individual measurements) and photographed. The catches per tow for fish taxa are available below. This data is also available via the 'Biodiversity' application on the St. Lawrence Global Observatory (SLGO). For more information please contact the data management team (gddaiss-dmsaisb@dfo-mpo.gc.ca).

Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) has been conducting surface water trawl surveys since 1992 in the coastal waters of British Columbia, Washington, Oregon and Alaska and in the high seas of the Gulf of Alaska. These surveys initially focused on determining the migratory patterns (1992-2002) and on the growth and physiology (2003-2016) of juvenile Pacific Salmon. Since 2016, these surveys have been broadened to monitor the whole pelagic ecosystem, retaining a focus on juvenile Pacific Salmon. Surveys have been conducted on the continental shelf of north and west Vancouver Island, included associated sounds and inlets since 1992 and are ongoing. These data are for tows conducted in the continental shelf area for depths shallower than 400 meters.