Since 1991, an annual fishery-independent acoustic survey of early fall (September-October) concentrations of Herring has been conducted in the sGSL. The standard annual survey area occurs in the 4Tmno areas where both NAFO Div. 4T Herring spawning components aggregate in the fall. The survey uses a random stratified design of parallel transects within predefined strata. Surveys are conducted at night and use two vessels: an acoustic vessel to quantify the fish schools biomass using a hull-mounted 120 KHz split-beam transducer, and a fishing vessel to sample aggregates of fish with a pelagic trawl (details in LeBlanc et al. 2015; see also LeBlanc and Dale 1996). Trawl samples are used to separate the estimated biomass by spawning component and age, determine species composition, and size distribution for the estimation of the target strength (LeBlanc and Dale 1996; LeBlanc et al. 2015). A standardized abundance index is generated from this acoustic survey. This index includes catch-at-age data since 1994. This survey also provides the age-disaggregated acoustic abundance index for ages 2 to 10 for spring spawners and fall spawners.

PURPOSE: To provide demographic parameters and relative indices of abundance for Atlantic herring in NAFO Division 4T. DESCRIPTION: The experimental gillnet survey is conducted in collaboration with Atlantic herring harvesters and uses standardized multi-mesh gillnets. Gillnets are set on spawning grounds in the spring and fall. Data (fish and sample) are collected to provide: (1) relative age-disaggregated indices of abundance, (2) an indicator of relative changes in fishery selectivity over time, and (3) information on the demographic composition of herring on the spawning grounds. PARAMETERS COLLECTED: Sample: sample location; sample weight; mesh size; length frequency Biological: length; weight; gonad weight; maturity stage (biological); sex (biological); ring count (biological) USE LIMITATION: To ensure scientific integrity and appropriate use of the data, we would encourage you to contact the data custodian.

PURPOSE: These data have been updated following a Canadian Science Advice Secretariat (CSAS) Regional Science Advisory Process. Associated publications are available in the citation section below or will be posted on the Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) Science Advisory Schedule as they become available. DESCRIPTION: Atlantic herring NAFO 4T biomass estimates for both spring and fall stock components. Values are provided in kilotons (kt) alongside with confidence intervals 50% (spring) and 95% (spring and fall). USE LIMITATION: To ensure scientific integrity and appropriate use of the data, we would encourage you to contact the data custodian.

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.

This data set contains pounds and value for all seafood products that are landed and sold by established seafood dealers and brokers in the SE Region of the US mainland. In the US Caribbean, the landings are reported by permitted fishers. These types of data, referred to as the general canvass landings statistics, have been collected by the NOAA Fisheries Service, National Marine Fisheries Service and its predecessor agency, the Bureau of Commercial Fisheries. These data are available on computer since the mid 1920s. The quantities and values that are reported in this data set include monthly landings that were initiated in 1972. Between 1926 and 1971, data were collected annually and not monthly. Mixed annual and monthly data occur from 1972-1976 according to State and year. The general canvass landings include quantities and value for all commercially caught marine species and are identified by species or species group. These data are collected from or reported by every seafood dealer or broker that is licensed by each state in the Southeast Region (North Carolina through Texas). In addition, information on the gear and area of capture is available for most of the landings statistics in the data set except for Florida 1977-1996 and Louisiana 1992-1999. However, because these data are summaries, they do not contain information on the quantities of fishing effort or identifications of the fishermen or vessels that caught the fish or shellfish. In early years, these data were collected by field agents employed by the Southeast Fisheries Science Center and assigned to local fishing ports. These individuals would canvass the seafood dealers and record the quantity and value for each species or species category from the sales receipts maintained by the seafood dealers. Based on their detailed knowledge of the fishing activity in the area, the agents would estimate the type of fishing gear and area where the fishing was likely to have occurred. It should be noted that landings by gear and water body (fishing area) does not reside in the monthly landings data set for Florida for the years, 1977-1995, Louisiana 1990-1999, and Texas (for gear) from 1993 to present (this is subject to change for years 2008 and more recent). Annual landings by gear, water body and distance from shore are available in the Annual General Canvass data for Florida. More detailed information on the caveats associated with these data is provided in the Issues section. In more recent years, the states in the Southeast Region began to implement trip ticket programs that required the licensed seafood dealer/brokers to report the landings of all seafood products. A trip ticket program was initiated in Florida in 1985, in North Carolina in 1994, in Louisiana in 1999, in Alabama in 2000, and in Texas in 2007. In addition to the quantities of these landings, the states require dealers to report the price, the type of gear and the fishing area for each trip. Through cooperative agreements with each of the states, monthly summaries of the states trip ticket programs are provided to the Southeast Fisheries Science Center (SEFSC) and are included in the general canvass landings data set. In addition, summarized data are extracted from the NOAA-SEFSC Gulf Shrimp System for commercial landings of shrimp species that are landed at port in the coastal area of the Gulf of Mexico.

This data set contains pounds and value for all seafood products that are landed and sold by established seafood dealers and brokers in the SE Region of the US mainland. Data is collected electronically and transmitted to the NMFS and its state partners from each purchase the seafood dealer makes from a federally permitted fishing vessel.

Tow, catch, and length frequency for fish caught during the August sentinel surveys in the southern Gulf of St. Lawrence (NAFO Division 4T). Abundance indices and spatial distribution patterns of commercial groundfish. Note: Due to delays caused by logistic complexities and Covid the project did not take place in 2020

These datasets show commercial fisheries catch weight landings of directed fisheries and bycatch from the Scotian Shelf, the Bay of Fundy, and Georges Bank from NAFO Divisions 4VWX and the Canadian portions of 5Y and 5Z. Atlantic Canadian inter-regional maps of four species (Atlantic Halibut, Bluefin Tuna, Redfish and Scallop) are also included from NAFO Divisions 4RST, 3KLMNOP, and 2GHJ. Five-year composite maps (2014–2018) that aggregate catches for each map series are publicly available. The maps aggregate catch weight (kg) per 10 km2 hexagon grid cell for selected species, species groupings and gear types to identify important fishing areas. These maps may be used for decision making in coastal and oceans management, including marine spatial planning, environmental emergency response operations and protocols, Marine Stewardship Council certification processes, marine protected area networks, and ecological risk assessment. These datasets have been filtered to comply with the Government of Canada's privacy policy. Privacy assessments were conducted to identify NAFO unit areas containing data with less than five vessel IDs, licence IDs or fisher IDs. If this threshold was not met, catch weight locations were withheld from these unit areas to protect the identity or activity of individual vessels or companies. Maps were created for the following species, species groupings and gear types: 1. Groundfish (all species) 2. Groundfish Bottom Trawl 3. Groundfish Gillnet 4. Groundfish Bottom Longline 5. Groundfish (quarterly composites Q1, Q2, Q3, Q4) 6. Atlantic Cod 7. Atlantic Cod, Haddock and Pollock 8. Flatfish 9. Atlantic Halibut 10. Greenland Halibut (Turbot) 11. Hagfish 12. Cusk 13. Dogfish 14. Redfish 15. Red Hake 16. Silver Hake 17. White Hake 18. Monkfish 19. Sculpin 20. Skate 21. Wolffish 22. Squid 23. Herring 24. Mackerel 25. Large Pelagics 26. Bluefin Tuna 27. Other Tuna 28. Swordfish 29. Porbeagle, Mako and Blue Shark 30. Snow Crab 31. Other Crab 32. Scallop 33. Scallop (quarterly composites Q1, Q2, Q3, Q4) 34. Offshore Clam 35. Shrimp 36. Offshore Lobster 37. Disputed Zone Area 38B Lobster 38. Whelk