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.

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.

The Headboat Survey provides many products to fishery managers through its data collection programs. Annual landings estimates, by species, area and month are provided for all species encountered in the survey. These fishery dependent estimates were used by stock assessment scientists in all SEDARs in both the south Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico in all stock assessments both before and after the SEDAR process began

The Hook and Line Survey will collect species-specific aggregate weight and abundance, as well as individual lengths and biological characteristics (e.g., age, maturity, genetics, diet, energetics). Tagging will also be conducted opportunistically and by request. In addition to deploying hook and line gear, the survey will deploy a benthic stereo camera system to collect additional information on fish density, abundance, and demographics. A suite of environmental data will be collected via conductivity, temperature, and depth (CTD) deployments at each survey station. Habitat data will be collected using seafloor imaging (still or video) techniques. Finally, operational and gear deployment data will be collected for every gear set. The Hook and Line Survey is a new survey, so all data uses are prospective. Once the survey is mature, the data will be used in stock assessments for a variety of commercially and recreationally important species and for analyses that support management actions. This will encompass species covered by the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council (MAFMC), New England Fishery Management Council (NEFMC), and Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC), including but not limited to Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua), haddock (Melanogrammus aeglefinus), pollock (Pollachius pollachius), white hake (Urophycis tenuis), red hake (Urophycis chuss), summer flounder (Paralichthys dentatus), scup (Stenotomus chrysops), black sea bass (Centropristis striata), bluefish (Pomatomus saltatrix), spiny dogfish (Pomatomus saltatrix), Atlantic croaker (Micropogonias undulatus), and skates. At least 5 years of Hook and Line Survey data will be required before abundance indices from the survey are integrated into stock assessments, but habitat and biological data could be used immediately to supplement existing data streams. Beyond stock assessments and management, the data from the Hook and Line Survey will also be used in research to understand the cumulative impacts of offshore wind on resource species and their habitats. Note that the Hook and Line Survey is a new survey and is still in planning and review. The exact geographic extent and survey strata are still under review. The geographic extent displayed here is tentative.

Small vessel surveys are conducted within estuarine and nearshore coastal waters to collect tissue biopsy samples from bottlenose dolphins. Visual surveys are conducted to find bottlenose dolphin groups, and then close approaches are made to collect tissue samples using specialized darts that are deployed using either air rifles or crossbow. Photographs are collected during the encounter to identify individuals and document the response to the sample collection. The skin and blubber samples collected support genetics, stable isotope, and contaminant analyses. These data have been used to delineate different stocks of bottlenose dolphins in estuaries of the Gulf of Mexico.

This dataset is a summary of the amount of angler effort in the headboat fishery. The number of anglers fished from trip reports and the length of trip is used to calculate the angler effort in angler days. These estimates of effort are used to calcuate the catch per unit effort (CPUE) which is then used in the abundance indicies in stock assessments.

This is a summary of the number of trips by vessel/area/month/trip type through time and is a means of gauging headboat fishery effort and compliance through time.

The Biological Sampling Database (BSD) is an Oracle relational database that is maintained at the NMFS Panama City Laboratory and NOAA NMFS Beaufort Laboratory. Data set includes port samples of reef fish species collected from commercial and recreational fishery landings in the U.S. South Atlantic (NC - FL Keys). The data set serves as an inventory of samples stored at the NMFS Beaufort Laboratory as well as final processed data. Information that may be inlcuded for each sample is trip level information, species, size meansurements, age, sex and reproductive data.

Small vessel surveys were conducted within estuarine and nearshore coastal waters of Barataria Bay, LA and Mississippi Sound, MS to collect tissue biopsy samples from bottlenose dolphins. Visual surveys are conducted to find bottlenose dolphin groups, and then close approaches are made to collect tissue samples using specialized darts that are deployed using either air rifles or crossbow. Photographs are collected during the encounter to identify individuals and document the response to the sample collection. The skin and blubber samples collected support genetics, stable isotope, and contaminant analyses. These data have been used to delineate different stocks of bottlenose dolphins in estuaries of the Gulf of Mexico to support the injury assessment related to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.

This dataset is a record of trips selected during pilot procedures for the PPS design project designed to track the port agents ability to follow the PPS design and used to evaluate the effectiveness of this design.