Alaska Fisheries Science Center has just launched its biennial comprehensive survey in the Gulf of Alaska, during which National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration researchers will help determine the next catch rates.
NOAA is using two chartered commercial fishing vessels, each carrying six scientists in addition to the crews, to conduct a bottom trawl groundfish survey over the next 90 days. AFSC’s deputy director of Resource Assessment and Conservation Division, Guy Fleischer, said that about 750 tows will be completed during this time.
Once complete, scientists will calculate the data on fishing efforts, catch rates and biological data to generate fishery-independent estimates of geographic and depth distribution, abundance and population size and age. These estimates should be completed by the end of September.
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