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.

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.

Paper logs are the primary data collection tool used by observers of the Northeast Fisheries Observer Program deployed on commercial fishing vessels. After the data collected on the paper are entered into a database, the paper logs are scanned for each trip. After all trips for a calendar year are scanned, they are archived at the National Archives and Records Administration.

The Fisheries Research Survey team proposes to conduct the West Coast Groundfish Bottom Trawl Survey from May to October 2019. The goal of the survey is to ensure the sustainability of marine fisheries with a focus on ending overfishing. The groundfish fishery supports management for 90+ commercially fished stocks off Washington, Oregon, and California and is the primary source of fishery-independent data necessary for stock assessments of managed groundfish species inhabiting trawlable habitat along the upper continental slope and shelf. The survey provides data on abundance, spatial distributions, sex, length, maturity, weight, and age structure of groundfish in trawlable habitats. The survey also collects key environmental data (temperature, depth, dissolved oxygen, turbidity, in vivo fluorescence, irradiance, wind speed, location) in association with each tow for use in ecosystem based fisheries management. This data set contains information on date, time, vessel, trawl identification (i.e. unique number), trawl performance, location, depth, area swept, trawl duration, temperature, species, haul weight, average individual weight, sex, length, length method, fish age and age structure.

NOAA Fisheries and its partners conduct bottom-trawl surveys in 7 regions in the US (Northeast, Southeast, Gulf of Mexico, West Coast, Gulf of Alaska, Bering Sea, Aleutian Islands). These surveys are designed to collect information on the seasonal distribution, relative abundance, and biodiversity of fish and invertebrate species found on the US continental shelves. Over 900 species of fish and invertebrates have been identified in these surveys.

NOAA Fisheries and its partners conduct bottom-trawl surveys in 7 regions in the US (Northeast, Southeast, Gulf of Mexico, West Coast, Gulf of Alaska, Bering Sea, Aleutian Islands). These surveys are designed to collect information on the seasonal distribution, relative abundance, and biodiversity of fish and invertebrate species found on the US continental shelves. Over 800 species of fish and invertebrates have been identified in these surveys.

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.

NWFSC Observer programs are the most comprehensive fishery dependent data collection system for total mortality estimation, protected species monitoring and discard data for stock assessments. Observer data is also used to track quotas in-season for the catch share IFQ fishery. The numerous observer program total mortality and bycatch reports are used by agency and council staff for management of federal and state fisheries on the west coast of the US. Observer program bycatch reports, data collection and research activities are also used to manage ESA listed species and fulfill Biological Opinion obligations. Observer raw data is matched to fish tickets to produce haul specific catch totals.

This data set contains vessels, logbooks, fish size and landings data for three fleets of gillnet vessels that operate within 200 mile of the U.S. west coast, mainly in waters off California. The three fleets consist of set gillnet vessels targeting halibut and angel sharks, small-mesh drift gillnet vessels targeting white sea bass and yellowtail and large-mesh drift gillnet vessels targeting swordfish and thresher sharks. In addition, observer data are available from the large-mesh drift gillnet fleet. The data are owned by CDFW and managed jointly by CDFW and SWFSC.

This data set contains data that were collected by trained observers aboard domestic pelagic longline vessels operating in the Gulf of Mexico and South Atlantic. Observers collected information on the catch, bycatch, and fishing effort details of these fishing operations.