This data set contains data that were collected by trained observers aboard Japanese pelagic longline vessels operating in the US EEZ. Observers collected information on the catch, bycatch, and fishing effort details of these fishing operations. Of particular concern were catches of bluefin tuna, and bycatch of marlins.

This data set contains data that are collected by trained observers aboard pelagic longline vessels in the Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico. The fishery observers are deployed to collect catch and effort data and record information on the types and numbers of fish that are discarded and interactions with marine mammals or endangered species. Vessels that have Federal permits to fish for swordfish are required to take a fishery observer onboard for the duration of a trip if the vessel is selected. The data that are submitted to the mandatory pelagic longline logbook program are used as the population from which the vessels are randomly selected. A 5 to 8 percent sample of vessels is selected to carry an observer for at least one trip during a calendar quarter.

The Southeast Fisheries Science Center Mississippi Laboratories conducts standardized fisheries independent resource surveys in the Gulf of Mexico, South Atlantic, and U.S. Caribbean to provide abundance and distribution information to support regional and international stock assessments. In 2010, Congress appropriated supplemental funding to expand these surveys in the Gulf of Mexico in response to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. Bottom longline stations were conducted throughout the northern Gulf of Mexico during 2011. Sampling occurred on multiple contracted fishing vessels simultaneously in the eastern, central and western Gulf of Mexico during all seasons. Data on species-specific catch rates, body lengths and sex were recorded.

The Northeast Fisheries Observer Database System (OBDBS) contains data collected on commercial fishing vessels by observers from 1989 - present and at-sea monitors from 2010 - present. The data include detailed gear, effort, catch, bycatch of finfish and protected species as well as biological samples of priority and protected species. Data is collected by trained fishery observers and at-sea monitors for scientific and fisheries management purposes.

Vessel, gear and biological data collected by fishery observers from the Gulf of Mexico commerical reef fish fishery.

The Southeast Fisheries Science Center Mississippi Laboratories conducts standardized fisheries independent resource surveys off the east coast of the United States to provide abundance and distribution information to support regional and international stock assessments. A pilot pelagic longline survey was conducted in 2006 off the U.S. east coast. The objective of the survey was to examine the feasibility of using pelagic longline gear to collect fisheries independent data on stocks of offshore fishes and to establish protocols for future use of data. Additional objectives included examining the distribution and relative abundance of pelagic fishes in the region and to collect biological and environmental data.

Vessel, gear and biological data collected by fishery observers from the commerical Gulf of Mexico menhaden fishery.

This data set contains catch and effort for fishing trips that are taken by vessels with a Federal permit issued for the swordfish and sharks under the Highly Migratory Species (HMS) fishery management plan. Fishermen that own vessels with permits in these fisheries are required to complete a vessel logbook for every trip in which any species in the Highly Migratory Species fishery management plans are caught and landed. Fishermen are not required to report fishing trips in which other than these species are caught. However, fishermen are required to submit a no-fishing report if they did not fish for or catch any HMS species during a calendar month. In 1986, the Southeast Fisheries Science Center (SEFSC) initiated a logbook program for vessels that held a federal vessel permit to fish for swordfish in the Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico. In 1993, a similar program was initiated for vessels with a federal permit to fish for sharks that are included in the HMS fishery management plan. In order to provide sufficient level of detail for fishing effort by the longline vessels, the catch and effort data need to be reported for each longline set. Consequently, a single logbook form was designed for the fishermen to record the catch (numbers of animals caught) and effort, which includes data on the length of the longline, the number of hooks and the duration of the set. To reduce the number of times that fishermen need to record certain pieces of information, e.g., location of unloading, duration of trip, number of crew, a trip summary form was designed in 1999 that includes the trip-related information that is the same for every set. This redesign of the logbook form resulted in two forms, the trip summary and the set forms. Only one trip summary needs to be completed for each trip, but a separate set form needs to be completed for each longline set made during the trip. At the same time, additional questions were added to the trip summary form to collect information on the expenses that the vessels incurred during the trip. Initially, this information was voluntary and the fishermen did not have to provide the cost data whereas the catch and effort data are mandatory and the vessels permit will not be renewed if logbooks are not received for every trip where swordfish and/or sharks are caught and landed.

To document interactions and harvesting of birds by fishing vessels in which there is an observer aboard

Longline catch data collected by commercial fishery vessels. Collected data include gear information and individual species' morphometric data (length, weight, and sex). Marsden square entered for location information. Latitude and longitude are found in the RP022AA1 (CONF) dataset.