The purpose of this project is to develop spatially discrete end-to-end models of the northern Gulf of California, linking oceanography, biogeochemistry, food web interactions, habitat, fisheries, economics, monitoring, and management into a common model framework. This framework allows for thought experiments, including evaluation of alternate management strategies, identifying robust indicators, and assessing relative importance of different ecosystem drivers in regulating important processes. NMFS personnel are conducting this work in broad collaboration with a consortium of Mexican federal, state, NGO and academic scientists. The specific work entails model development, scoping issues with stakeholders and policy makers, running scenarios, and analyzing and writing up the results. Products include peer-reviewed papers, presentations, and workshops with modelers and/or stakeholders. Management audiences include Mexican governmental bodies and conservation organizations. The project is an on-going, stand-alone project with no firm deadline for completion. Outputs of Atlantis model scenarios.

Each sample that is received by NSIL is assigned a laboratory number and a case file is initiated by the sample custodian. The case file will contain all relevant paperwork for that sample including the sample submission sheet, laboratory raw data worksheets, the final results report and any other relevant documentation. The sample custodian enters the client information into the NSIL Sample tracking system (Sample receipt database) and generates appropriate client and sample receipt information. The laboratory analysts perform the appropriate analyses and record the results and whether the results are compliant or non-compliant with the assigned acceptance levels. The analysts also record the record of charges and the analytical and quality assurance units that were used to complete all analysis. The database is used to track samples analyzed by NSIL from sample receipt to reporting of results. It tracks numbers of samples, number of analytical units, types of samples, purpose for sampling ans analytical costs.

In the interest of efficiency, clarity and standardization of stock assessment materials, the stock assessment reports for the 2015 Groundfish update have been streamlined. Additional information is now available through the SASINF website, a public web based repository of information supplemental to assessment update summary documents. Managers, stakeholders, and other interested parties can view or download figures, tables, model input and output, background information and maps pertaining to each species.

Fishery Independent Survey System (FINSS) is a national system that characterizes NMFS ocean observation activities, stock and ecosystem data collections during fishery-independent surveys conducted by NMFS Science Centers.

This data set contains summarized pounds of select coastal fish species bought by selected federally permitted seafood dealers in the SE Region of the US mainland. Data was collected 2 times each month and used for quota monitoring.

The Status Determination dataset within the Species Information System (SIS) contains information related to overfishing, overfished, and approaching overfished status determinations; FSSI score for FSSI stocks; management action required, based on stock status; and information related to rebuilding programs for overfished and rebuilding stocks.

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. The reef fish survey is conducted primarily on the outer continental shelf of the Gulf of Mexico along topographic features (e.g. reefs, banks and ledges) between Brownsville, TX to the Dry Tortugas, FL. A two-stage sampling design is used with the first stage or primary sampling units being blocks 10 minutes of latitude by 10 minutes of longitude and the second stage being randomly selected sites within the blocks. The first-stage units are selected by stratified random sampling, with stratum boundaries defined by geographic region (4 regions: South Florida, Northeast Gulf, Louisiana-Texas Shelf, and South Texas), and by reef habitat area (Blocks < 20 km² reef, Blocks > 20 km² reef). Sampling is conducted using a video camera array, vertical line gear and chevron traps with approximately 400 video cameras, 400 vertical line and 100 traps conducted. The camera array consists of four housings positioned orthogonally and center mounted at a height of 51 cm above the bottom of the array. Each housing contains a pair of black-and-white Videre stereo cameras along with a color mpeg camera. Sampling of reef sites with video cameras occurs only during daylight hours, with the first gear deployment one hour after sunrise and the last gear retrieval one hour prior to sunset. Video arrays soak for 35 minutes. At sites selected for fish sampling, a chevron (or arrow) fish trap or vertical line is used to capture fish for biological samples. The chevron fish trap is constructed with 1.5-inch vinyl-clad mesh. In its greatest dimensions, the trap is 1.76 m in length, 1.52 m in width and 0.61 m in depth. A 0.4 m by 0.29 m blow out panel is placed on one side and kept closed using 7-day magnesium releases. The fish trap soaks for one hour and is baited with squid. The vertical line consists of a mainline with 10 gangions. One 8/0, 11/0 or 15/0 circle hook is attached to each gangion and baited with mackerel (Scomber scombrus). The mainline is soaked for five minutes. Most of the animals captured are measured, weighed, tagged and then released. Those individuals which are moribund or have expired are retained to collect biological data pertaining to the life history of these fishes. Habitat mapping is conducted using the SIMRAD ME70 multibeam echosounder. At each site hydrological data is collected using Conductivity Temperature Depth sensor (CTD).

The main market sampling program in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) is the new biosampling program implemented in late 2010 on the island of Saipan. It is a joint Division of Fish and Wildlife (DFW) and industry project with a local environmental consulting firm doing most of the field work, data processing, and obtaining of life history samples. DFW is working up some of the life history samples for that aspect of the project. It is strictly a voluntary data collection system requiring ingenuity to obtain the participation of a large percentage of the main fish vendors on the islands of Saipan, Rota and Tinian. All catches are from the CNMI with some of them coming from up to 100 miles from Saipan. It is a census sampling program of 100% of the commercial harvest of a subsample of the trips landing during any sampling period. Due to logistics and resource limitations, the majority of sampling was initially (Dec 2010-late 2012) focused on the spearfish reef fish fishery on Saipan. This has since expanded to include information on the bottomfish fishery as well data from Tinian and Rota. Life history samples are also being collected on several species on reef fish and one deep bottomfish. These data are considered confidential.

NOAA Fisheries and its partners conduct fisheries-independent surveys in 8 regions in the US (Northeast, Southeast, Gulf of Mexico, West Coast, Gulf of Alaska, Bering Sea, Aleutian Islands, Hawai’i Islands). These surveys are designed to collect information on the seasonal distribution, relative abundance, and biodiversity of fish and invertebrate species found in U.S. waters. Over 900 species of fish and invertebrates have been identified in these surveys.