We compared nekton use of Vallisneria americana Michx. (submerged aquatic vegetation, SAV) with marsh shoreline vegetation and subtidal nonvegetated bottom (SNB) using a 1-m2 drop sampler in the oligohaline area of Barataria Bay, Louisiana. Mean densities of most abundant species were significantly different among six habitat types. Harris mud crab Rhithropanopeus harrisii, Ohio shrimp Macrobrachium ohione, blue crab Callinectes sapidus, daggerblade grass shrimp Palaemonetes pugio, white shrimp Litopenaeus setiferus (fall), rainwater killifish Lucania parva, naked goby Gobiosoma bosc, code goby Gobiosoma robustum (fall), speckled worm eel Myrophis punctatus (fall), and gulf pipefish Syngnathus scovelli (spring), were much more abundant, and species richness also was greater, in Vallisneria than over SNB. Vallisneria supported densities of most species that were similar to those in marsh vegetation, although naked goby and gulf pipefish were more abundant in Vallisneria, and speckled worm eel and saltmarsh topminnow Fundulus jenkinsi were more abundant in marsh. Within the Vallisneria bed, densities of Harris mud crab, rainwater killifish, and speckled worm eel were higher at sites near the marsh (SAV Inside Edge) than at sites more distant from the marsh (SAV Outside Edge), and Ohio shrimp (fall) densities were higher in the interior of the bed than along the edges. The mean size of blue crab was larger in marsh than Vallisneria and larger in Vallisneria than SNB. White shrimp did not differ in size among habitat types. Vallisneria beds may provide an important nursery habitat for young blue crab and white shrimp that use oligohaline estuarine areas. These SAV beds can provide an alternative structural habitat to emergent vegetation during periods of low water, because Vallisneria occurs in the subtidal and generally persists throughout the year on the Gulf coast. Species whose young thrive in low-salinity waters and also depend on structure would benefit most from Vallisneria habitat in estuaries.

This data set, in the table ALS.ALS_LANDINGS7278 contains annual and monthly quantities and values for all seafood products that are landed within the Southeast Region and sold by established seafood dealers and brokers. It complements the table ALS.ALS_LANDINGS. These types of fishery-dependent 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 and more recently by our State partner agencies under the Cooperative Statistics Program. These data are available on computer since the early 1960's. The quantities and values that are reported in this data set include the annual and monthly landings that were initiated in 1972. Between 1962 and 1971, the data for were collected annually and not monthly. See the sections on Links for the reference to the annual general canvass landings. The general canvass landings from 1972-1976 include quantities and values for all marine commercial landings and are identified by species (usually the local or common name). 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). Information on the gear and area of capture is available for most of the landings statistics in the data set (please see Issues for exceptions); however, they are summary records and do not contain information on the quantities of fishing effort or identify the fishermen or vessels that caught the fish or shellfish. This table contains data from FL-TX for the years 1972-1976. The ALS.ALS_LANDINGS table contains data for GA-NC for the same period as well as all the more recent monthly data. In the early years, the data in this data set were collected by field agents employed by the Southeast Fisheries Science Center and assigned to local fishing ports. The field agents canvassed the seafood dealers and recorded the quantity and value for each species or species category from the dealer?s receipts. Based on interviews with dealers and fishermen as well as their own detailed knowledge of the fishing activity in the area, the agents would determine the type of fishing gear and area where the fishing occurred. In addition, summarized data are extracted from the NOAA-SEFSC Gulf Shrimp System for commercial landings of shrimp species that are landed at ports in the coastal area of the Gulf of Mexico.

We examined the distribution of nekton across the marsh landscape using a 1-m2 drop sampler to compare nekton densities across three different salinity zones (intermediate, brackish, saline), three pond sizes (diameter 40 msmall, 250300 mmedium, 750 mlarge), and two habitat types (pond, adjacent marsh) in the Barataria Bay Estuary, Louisiana. Nekton assemblages of ponds and the adjacent marsh appeared to be structured by the responses of individual species to the estuarine salinity gradient at the landscape scale and to pond habitat attributes locally. Our results indicate that ponds in the brackish and saline zones are more important nursery areas for most fishery species than ponds in the intermediate zone. Medium and large ponds supported higher densities of most species than small ponds. Most species of nekton were associated with vegetation structure, and individuals of these species were either concentrated among plant stems at the marsh edge or within submerged aquatic vegetation in ponds.

Study compared densities of nekton, benthos, and seagrass among newly deposited dredged sediments and nearby and distant natural seagrass sites over a three year period. Recovery of seagrass and nekton communities from dredged material placement was predicted to take from 4-8 years.

This dataset contains information angler experiences and preferences for recreational fishing in the Gulf of Mexico.

Measured fine-scale distributions of nekton on the vegetated marsh surface using drop samplers and utilized these patterns to estimate population size. Natant decapod crustaceans were most abundant in the marsh, while densities of juvenile brown shrimp, white shrimp, and blue crabs were highest 1-m from the marsh edge interface, declining rapidly towards open water. Developed regression models to describe fine-scale density patterns and used this information to estimate the population of natant decapods in a highly fragmented marsh in the Galveston Bay system.

Terracing uses existing bottom sediments to form terraces or ridges at marsh elevation and the intertidal zone is planted with marsh vegetation. This study examined the habitat value of terracing at Sabine National Wildlife Refuge, Louisiana in the spring and fall of 1999 by quantifying and comparing nekton densities in a 9-yr old terrace field and nearby reference area using a 1 m2 drop sampler. Using density and biomass patterns and the percentage of marsh and pond area in the terrace field, we concluded that terrace fields support higher standing crops of most fishery species compared with shallow marsh ponds of similar size. Future restoration projects could include design changes to increase the proportion of marsh in a terrace field and enhance the habitat value of marsh terraces for fishery species.

During September 1995 and May 1996, a total of 100 drop samples were taken in Upper Galveston Bay to assess potential oil spill damage to salt marsh habitats and fishery resources. Few statistically significant negative relationships were found between animal density and hydrocarbon concentration.

Sablefish (Anoplopoma fimbria) have a wide distribution along the Pacific coast, extending from Baja California to Alaska, the Bering Sea and through to the eastern coast of Japan. A unique feature of these fish is the wide variation in temperature and depth that sablefish experience throughout their life cycle, extending from depths 200m as adults to the surface as larvae and juveniles. While the landed weight of sablefish in the commercial fishery is relatively small, the exceptionally high value of this species ranks it 3rd in economic value to walleye pollock and Pacific cod. As such, sablefish are highly managed throughout the Pacific, and understanding the biology of this species is essential for proper management. The aim of this project is to characterize the reproductive life history of two populations of sablefish in coastal Washington and California. Fish will be collected from the same geographical location on a monthly basis for one year. The reproductive status will be determined from gonadal histology and plasma sex steroid levels, and age will be determined from otoliths. It is expected that data on size, age, rate of gonadal development, seasonal timing of spawning, fecundity, frequency of reproduction, and potential shifts in distribution of sexes will be obtained. This study applies directly to the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Reauthorization Act, because the data will be used to improve stock assessments and estimates of spawning biomass in this commercially important species. This project is a cooperation with the commercial fishing industry and scientists at the Northwest Fisheries Science Center (NWFSC) and Southwest Fisheries Science Center (SWFSC). Size, sex, gonad stage, fecundity.

This data set contains annual quantities and value for all seafood products that are landed and sold by established seafood dealers and brokers in the Southeast Region (North Carolina through Texas). 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. The data are available on computer since the early 1960's. The quantities and values that are reported in this data set include the annual landings that were initiated in 1962. Beginning in 1976, the data were collected monthly. See the sections on Links for the reference to the monthly general canvass landings. The annual general canvass landings include quantities and value for all living marine species and are identified by species (usually the local or common name). These data were collected by field agents employed by the National Marine Fisheries Service or the Bureau of Commercial Fisheries and assigned to local fishing ports. The agents contacted the majority of the seafood dealers or brokers in their assigned areas and recorded the quantities and value for each species or species category from the sales receipts maintained by the seafood dealers. In addition, information on the gear and area of capture is available for most of the landings statistics in the data set. Based on their 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. More detailed information on the caveats associated with these data is provided in the Characteristics, Caveats and Issues section. 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.