Much greater uncertainty in estimating annual catch limits for multiple reef fish will occur if this survey is not conducted. Without this survey, there will be greater uncertainty and thus decreased stakeholder confidence in stock assessment results for myriad reef fish species. When uncertainty increases, there is a larger window of opportunity for industry to dispute management actions with lawsuits. For example, without continued collection of SEFIS data in the South Atlantic, it will be nearly impossible to reassess red snapper, meaning the fishery may be closed longer than needed, with significant lost revenue and economic losses for the fishing community. On legs 1 and 2, we will deploy baited traps with attached video cameras at a variety of stations in the U.S. South Atlantic. Traps have a single line connected to two surface buoys. Vessel operations will occur over a 24-hour workday. Trapping, video, hook-andline sampling, and CTD operations will occur from approximately 0700 to approximately 1900 each day, during which time at least three vessel crew members will be needed on deck. We will use the time between approximately1900 and 0700 each day for multibeam sonar mapping, transit to the next day’s sampling stations, or for hook-andline sampling. We will also be continuously running the calibrated EK-80 to collect acoustics data for fish during trap deployment and retrieval. The FPC has already supplied the ship with GPS points of most trap/video sampling locations, and trap sampling will commence at approximately 0700 each morning. We expect that six traps will be deployed off the stern of Pisces (down the stern ramp while the vessel is traveling at approximately 4.5 kt) over the course of approximately 20 min, one trap being deployed at a time and no closer than 200 m from another trap. After a group of six traps are deployed in an area, a single CTD cast will be conducted, and then traps will be retrieved after each trap has soaked for approximately 90 min (but no more than 150 min). Trap retrieval will take place at the side sampling station using the pot hauler (note the need to be careful to not let the trap and cameras hit the bottom of ship upon retrieval), and then the scientists will move traps to the back deck for subsequent deployments. On each day, we expect at least three trap “sets” (set = 6 simultaneously deployed traps) to be deployed and retrieved on leg 1 and four trap “sets” to occur on leg 2. The biggest key to successful sampling on Pisces is picking up traps as quickly as possible so trap samples soak for a similar amount of time. If not, trap samples will be excluded from analyses, considerably reducing efficiency. After discussions with the Chief Survey Technician in March of 2024, it has been agreed that he will work either the noon to midnight or midnight to noon shift, while the Junior Survey Technician will work the opposite shift. This will allow one Survey Technician to be on shift each hour of the day over the entire 24-hour period. From 0700-1900 on legs 1 and 2, the Survey Technicians will assist with CTD casts, SCS operation, EK-80 data collection, and address any other technical issues encountered during trap-video sampling. From 1900-0700, the Survey Technicians may be asked to map the seafloor using the EM2040 multibeam sonar unit. During leg 3, no trap-video sampling will occur – multibeam sonar mapping will occur 24-hours per day. (A) Fisheries Acoustic Surveys: Split-beam acoustic surveys using Pisces Simrad EK-80 scientific echosounder (18 kHz, 38 kHz, 120 kHz, 200 kHz) will be conducted during the day to help determine exact trap-video sampling locations and quantify fish abundance around sampling sites. The science party is familiar with EK80 operation and will be capable of self-operation following orientation to the vessel’s computer network and data storage procedures. It is imperative that the EK80 is calibrated before the SEFIS cruise. EK80 calibration

The Ecosystem Monitoring surveys contribute to stock assessments, protected species assessments, ecosystem assessments, and climate assessments. As such, the surveys are multi-objective. Ichthyoplankton and hydrographic data are collected for stock assessments. A range of ecosystem observations are made, from nutrients and ocean acidification to marine mammals, and these measurements are used in NEFSC ecosystem assessment products. The ocean acidification and hydrographic measurements are incorporated into the region’s climate assessments. This survey is multidisciplinary and as such will integrate all these operations. The cruise plan will evolve with input from scientists as well as the officers and crew of Pisces. A post-cruise meeting will focus on lessons learned and improvements to make for subsequent The survey consists of 120 random-stratified and 42 fixed stations in the Middle Atlantic Bight, Southern New England, Georges Bank and the Gulf of Maine (Figure 1). These stations are distributed at varying distances, and as such there is no fixed expectation of number to be covered each day. Rather, the progress of the survey will depend on transit time, sea state, and water depth of the stations, with deeper stations requiring more time to complete operations. Some stations will also have more complex operations scheduled, such as a water cast and a bongo tow, which will increase the amount of time spent on-station. All station locations and a detailed cruise track will be provided to the vessel prior to sailing to allow the navigation officer ample time to load this information into the navigation systems. The Mid-Atlantic Bight, Southern New England, Georges Bank, and western Gulf of Maine stations will be prioritized for sampling. A cruise track will be planned to best sample these regions. All of this is dependent on weather conditions and may be altered by the vessel command in coordination with the Chief Scientist. The Commanding Officer and Chief Scientist will jointly modify the track during the cruise as weather conditions and time constraints vary to best achieve the cruise objectives. Highest reasonable cruising speeds should be employed to improve the potential to complete the cruise missions. Supplemental sampling may be added to the cruise track if essential cruise objectives will be completed before the scheduled return date. Potential areas of interest include the central Gulf of Maine, warm core eddies along the northeast shelf-break, and regions near wind energy lease areas. The Commanding Officer and Chief Scientist will jointly modify the track during the cruise to add supplemental science sampling if cruise objectives are met and the cruise can continue to provide valuable science for NOAA. The deployments of the Seabird 19+ (with and without bongos) and 911+ CTD units will use the two hydrographic winches and a CTD computer located in the dry lab. (A) Random Plankton Stations: A Seabird CTD profiler attached to an array of two bongo nets (61 and 20 cm diameters) will be deployed at 120 randomly selected stations, time permitting (Figure 2). In addition, a Seabird CTD 19+ profiler will be deployed alone to collect seawater for salinity calibrations, at deep stations (>205 m), following the bongo tow, which only goes to a maximum depth of 200 m depth (B) Fixed Oceanography Stations: A Seabird 911+ CTD will be deployed on a rosette frame with a carousel water sampling system (SBE32) and 12 10-liter Niskin bottles at 35 of the fixed stations (Figure 3). This package will collect profiles of water temperature, salinity, chlorophyll-a and oxygen levels to within 5 meters of the bottom, or to a maximum depth of 500 meters. Water samples collected by the Niskin sampling bottles at multiple depths along the upcast will be processed for nutrients, dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) analysis, a water filtered for chlorophyll analysis. A sub-set of stations, approximately 18, will also conduct a bongo tow. (C)

Much greater uncertainty in estimating annual catch limits for multiple reef fish will occur if this survey is not conducted. Without this survey, there will be greater uncertainty and thus decreased stakeholder confidence in stock assessment results for myriad reef fish species. When uncertainty increases, there is a larger window of opportunity for industry to dispute management actions with lawsuits. For example, without continued collection of SEFIS data in the South Atlantic, it will be nearly impossible to reassess red snapper, meaning the fishery may be closed longer than needed, with significant lost revenue and economic losses for the fishing community. On legs 1 and 2, we will deploy baited traps with attached video cameras at a variety of stations in the U.S. South Atlantic. Traps have a single line connected to two surface buoys. Vessel operations will occur over a 24-hour workday. Trapping, video, hook-andline sampling, and CTD operations will occur from approximately 0700 to approximately 1900 each day, during which time at least three vessel crew members will be needed on deck. We will use the time between approximately1900 and 0700 each day for multibeam sonar mapping, transit to the next day’s sampling stations, or for hook-andline sampling. We will also be continuously running the calibrated EK-80 to collect acoustics data for fish during trap deployment and retrieval. The FPC has already supplied the ship with GPS points of most trap/video sampling locations, and trap sampling will commence at approximately 0700 each morning. We expect that six traps will be deployed off the stern of Pisces (down the stern ramp while the vessel is traveling at approximately 4.5 kt) over the course of approximately 20 min, one trap being deployed at a time and no closer than 200 m from another trap. After a group of six traps are deployed in an area, a single CTD cast will be conducted, and then traps will be retrieved after each trap has soaked for approximately 90 min (but no more than 150 min). Trap retrieval will take place at the side sampling station using the pot hauler (note the need to be careful to not let the trap and cameras hit the bottom of ship upon retrieval), and then the scientists will move traps to the back deck for subsequent deployments. On each day, we expect at least three trap “sets” (set = 6 simultaneously deployed traps) to be deployed and retrieved on leg 1 and four trap “sets” to occur on leg 2. The biggest key to successful sampling on Pisces is picking up traps as quickly as possible so trap samples soak for a similar amount of time. If not, trap samples will be excluded from analyses, considerably reducing efficiency. After discussions with the Chief Survey Technician in March of 2024, it has been agreed that he will work either the noon to midnight or midnight to noon shift, while the Junior Survey Technician will work the opposite shift. This will allow one Survey Technician to be on shift each hour of the day over the entire 24-hour period. From 0700-1900 on legs 1 and 2, the Survey Technicians will assist with CTD casts, SCS operation, EK-80 data collection, and address any other technical issues encountered during trap-video sampling. From 1900-0700, the Survey Technicians may be asked to map the seafloor using the EM2040 multibeam sonar unit. During leg 3, no trap-video sampling will occur – multibeam sonar mapping will occur 24-hours per day. (A) Fisheries Acoustic Surveys: Split-beam acoustic surveys using Pisces Simrad EK-80 scientific echosounder (18 kHz, 38 kHz, 120 kHz, 200 kHz) will be conducted during the day to help determine exact trap-video sampling locations and quantify fish abundance around sampling sites. The science party is familiar with EK80 operation and will be capable of self-operation following orientation to the vessel’s computer network and data storage procedures. It is imperative that the EK80 is calibrated before the SEFIS cruise. EK80 calibration

Operations focused on continental shelf and shelf-break waters between the NC-VA border and St. Lucie Inlet, Florida, between 18-200 m deep. Leg 1 consisted entirely of sonar mapping during the ship's northward transit, beginning at St. Lucie Inlet, FL. On legs 2 and 3, we deploy traps with attached video cameras at a variety of stations in the U.S. South Atlantic. Traps have a single line connected to two surface buoys. On legs 2 and 3, vessel operations will occur over a 24-hour workday. Trapping, video, hook-and-line sampling, and CTD operations will occur from approximately 0700 to approximately 1900 each day, during which time at least three vessel crew members will be needed on deck. We will use the time between 1900 and 0700 each day for transit to the next day’s sampling stations, multibeam sonar mapping, or for hook-and-line sampling. We will also be continuously running the calibrated EK-80 to collect acoustics data for fish during trap deployment and retrieval. The FPC has already supplied the ship with GPS points of most trap/video sampling locations, and trap sampling will commence at approximately 0700 each morning. We expect that six traps will be deployed off the stern of Pisces (down the stern ramp while the vessel is traveling at approximately 4.5 kt) over the course of approximately 20 min, one trap being deployed at a time and no closer than 200 m from another trap. After a group of six traps are deployed in an area, a single CTD cast will be conducted, and then traps will be retrieved after each trap has soaked for approximately 90 min (but no more than 150 min).

Operational objectives were to: (1) collect biological data with 61-cm and 20-cm bongo nets; (2) collect ocean acidification water samples with rosette water sampler; (3) collect underway data using TSG, SCS, EK80, and ADCP; (4) collect marine mammal and seabird observations; (5) subsample pteropods from plankton nets collected at ocean acidification stations; (6) collect along track imagery of phytoplankton and ciliates using Imaging FlowCytobot unit; (7) conduct radiometry cast for photosynthetically available radation (PAR) measurements; (8) subsample plankton from plankton nets for use in plankton energy density estimates; (9) collect supplemental bongo sampoles in Wind Energy Areas in southern New England; (10) subsample plankton for carbon and nitrogen isotope analysis; (11) collect plankton samples with a 75-cm ring net; and (12) collect larval fish with a 90-cm bongo net for use in swim testing.

A total of 63 sites were targeted for sampling over a period of twelve days. At each station, a Craib corer was deployed, and a relatively undisturbed surface sediment core collected with a penetration depth of about 6-10 cm deep. The core was extruded onboard and sectioned into two layers; the top 0-1 cm and the underlying 1-3 cm layers. Two 5cc subsamples were collected from the 0-1 cm layer for cyst counting (by microscopy) and for molecular analysis (via qPCR). The remaining sediment from the 0-1 cm layer, and the sediment from the 1-3 cm layer were refrigerated and retained for later processing (if needed). Sediment below 3 cm deep in the core was discarded. The two 5cc subsamples were processed onboard using standard cyst techniques, including protocols for dilution of the raw sediment, sonifying and sieving the sample to yield a 20-100 μm particulate fraction. One subsample was initially preserved in 2% formalin for subsequent exchange onboard into 100% methanol until later counting at the Beaufort Lab. The second subsample was centrifuged to remove the overlying water and frozen pending analysis in Beaufort. At up to six stations (to be determined), additional sediment was collected using the Craib corer for a method development project. At each station, a CTD provided by the ship was deployed to measure parameters such as salinity, pressure, chlorophyll, and temperature from the surface of the water to the bottom to characterize water masses moving within the Gulf of Maine.

NOAA Ship Pisces conducted applied fishery-independent sampling focusing on: (1) assessment of spatial and temporal variability in distribution and abundance of various snapper grouper fish species using chevron traps and video cameras, (2) collection of EK-80 acoustics data for fish during trap-video deployment and retrieval, (3) collection of environmental and water quality information using Conductivity-Temperature-Depth sensor (CTD) casts, and (4) periodic hook-and-line sampling for additional life history and diet samples.

Operations focused on continental shelf and shelf-break waters between the NC-VA border and St. Lucie Inlet, Florida, between 18-200 m deep. Leg 1 consisted entirely of sonar mapping during the ship's northward transit, beginning at St. Lucie Inlet, FL. On legs 2 and 3, we deploy traps with attached video cameras at a variety of stations in the U.S. South Atlantic. Traps have a single line connected to two surface buoys. On legs 2 and 3, vessel operations will occur over a 24-hour workday. Trapping, video, hook-and-line sampling, and CTD operations will occur from approximately 0700 to approximately 1900 each day, during which time at least three vessel crew members will be needed on deck. We will use the time between 1900 and 0700 each day for transit to the next day’s sampling stations, multibeam sonar mapping, or for hook-and-line sampling. We will also be continuously running the calibrated EK-80 to collect acoustics data for fish during trap deployment and retrieval. The FPC has already supplied the ship with GPS points of most trap/video sampling locations, and trap sampling will commence at approximately 0700 each morning. We expect that six traps will be deployed off the stern of Pisces (down the stern ramp while the vessel is traveling at approximately 4.5 kt) over the course of approximately 20 min, one trap being deployed at a time and no closer than 200 m from another trap. After a group of six traps are deployed in an area, a single CTD cast will be conducted, and then traps will be retrieved after each trap has soaked for approximately 90 min (but no more than 150 min).

The Ecosystem Monitoring (aka Ecomon) survery uses bongo and CTD sampling to monitor and map the distribution of zooplankton, krill and smaller organisms) and the physical environment. The survey has been conducted four times per year (although fewer times in recent years) in each season on the continental shelf from Cape Hatteras, NC to the Canadian waters of New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. Acoustic data are occasionally collected. Marine mammal and bird observations have been collected in the past.

This cruise was the sixteenth year in which sediment samples were collected across a wide area of the Gulf of Maine to directly support the forecasting of HAB intensity and distribution for the coming year. The cruise took place from October 11-20, 2022 and involved the collection and processing of sediment at 68 stations.