Atlantic Coastal Fisheries Cooperative Management Act

Atlantic Coastal Fisheries
Cooperative
Management Act

FY 2017–2018 Report to Congress

Atlantic Coastal Fisheries Cooperative
Management Act Report to Congress
FY 2017–2018
Atlantic Coastal Fisheries Cooperative Management Act

With the passage of the Atlantic Coastal Fisheries Cooperative Management Act (the Act) in
December 1993, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Adminsitration’s National Marine
Fisheries Service (NOAA Fisheries), in cooperation with the United States Fish and Wildlife
Service (USFWS), was charged with the responsibility of supporting the interstate fisheries
management efforts of the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC). When
Congress reauthorized the Act in 2000 (Public Law 106-555) it required that the Secretary of
Commerce submit biennial reports to Congress on the use of federal assistance provided to the
ASMFC and the Atlantic Coast states, and an evaluation of the success of the funded activities in
implementing the Atlantic Coastal Act.
Federal assistance is executed via a grant program authorized by the Act. The projects funded by
the grant program are carried out to gather information and conduct activities that support
management of U.S. multijurisdictional fisheries. These projects respond to fishery management
planning, data collection (including statistics), research, habitat, and law enforcement needs
under the Act. Many of the projects funded are core elements that support fishery management
programs for interstate fisheries.
Funding provided to the
ASMFC, the Atlantic Coast
Cooperative Statistics Program
(ACCSP), member states,
NOAA Fisheries, and the
USFWS through the Act
continues to be integral to
realizing state and federal
alignment of fishery
management and data collection
programs carried out in U.S.
Atlantic Coast waters. All
beneficiaries of the funding have
come to depend upon it for
essential services as well as for
short-term projects supporting
immediate fishery management
objectives.

Access Point Angler Intercept Survey interviewers practice collecting fish
weights and measurements while recording survey responses with the
Dockside Interceptor Application. Photo credit: Trevor Scheffel, ACCSP.

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Use of Federally Appropriated Assistance
Commissions and States
Following the annual Congressional appropriation, NOAA Fisheries determines the total
available funds. NOAA Fisheries uses a formula to distribute available funds among recipients,
which is based on the value of each state’s commercial and recreational fisheries, the number of
ASMFC fishery management plans (FMPs) in which each state participates, and other factors.
“Eligible states” under the Act include all the ASMFC member states from Florida to Maine, the
District of Columbia, and the Potomac River Fisheries Commission (PRFC). The ASMFC and
eligible states submit grant applications identifying the projects the funds will be used to support.
The projects are monitored closely by NOAA Fisheries Regional Program Offices and through
NOAA’s online reporting and monitoring program, Grants Online.
The ASMFC, including the ACCSP, receives
approximately 75 percent of their funding as direct funds
under the Act. Together the ASMFC and the ACCSP
employ 36 staff in their offices in Alexandria, Virginia.
From 2017 to 2018, the ASMFC cooperatively managed
33 fish stocks, covering 26 species of marine fish from
Maine to Florida. The ACCSP has grown to establish
coast-wide data collection and reporting standards and
now serves as a data warehouse for more than 50 years
of complete fisheries landings data. The ACCSP
developed and runs the Standard Atlantic Fisheries
Information System (SAFIS), which is the principal
electronic seafood dealer reporting system on the
Atlantic Coast.
The ACCSP Coordinating Council—an oversight group comprised of the ASMFC, eligible
states, NOAA Fisheries, USFWS, and the three Atlantic Coast fishery management councils—
serves as a centralized budgeting and coordinating body for the implementation of the ACCSP.
ACCSP funds are allocated to recipients based on the recommendations of the Coordinating
Council’s Operating Committee. In contrast to general state projects, which are based on each
individual state’s discretion and are comprised of diverse projects that support the Act, ACCSP
funding is more centralized and coordinated coast-wide.
Section 804 of the Act directs the Secretary of Commerce, in cooperation with the Secretary of
the Interior, to develop and implement a program to support the interstate fishery management
efforts of the ASMFC. The program shall include activities to support and enhance state
cooperation in:
1. The collection, management, and analysis of fishery data (statistics).
2. Fisheries management planning.
3. Fisheries research, including stock assessment, and biological and economic
research.
4. Fisheries law enforcement.
5. Habitat conservation.

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NOAA Fisheries leaves it to the discretion of the ASMFC and the eligible states for development
of projects for funding, with the stipulation that submitted projects must support one of the five
project priorities listed above. This process has enhanced individual state agency capabilities to
perform activities that support the ASMFC’s Interstate Fisheries Management Program, which
includes the development of FMPs and addenda and amendments to these FMPs. Projects are
designed to strengthen individual agencies in areas where the recipients have the greatest internal
needs. For instance, many states use the funding to provide better marine commercial fisheries
statistics, while other states use their funding for fisheries law enforcement. Table 1 contains the
breakdown of funding under the Act by state recipients for FY 2017 and 2018. See Appendix 1
for a list of individual state projects.

Measuring Jonah crab (Cancer borealis) during the Gulf of Maine Northern Shrimp Survey. Photo credit: ASMFC.

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Table 1. Atlantic Coastal Act funding by state for FY 2017 and 2018.
Total
Projects

FY17

FY18

Atlantic Coastal Cooperative Statistics Program

1

$1,425,000

$1,500,000

Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission

1

$2,019,536

$2,125,827

Connecticut

2

$168,375

$175,408

Delaware

1

$175,137

$185,513

District of Columbia

2

$38,000

$40,000

Florida

3

$207,272

$216,291

Georgia

3

$150,495

$156,169

Maine

3

$205,631

$223,065

Maryland

3

$199,593

$209,767

Massachusetts

3

$251,082

$252,982

New Hampshire

2

$144,549

$150,589

New Jersey

1

$228,566

$237,360

New York

1

$192,209

$200,451

North Carolina

1

$202,448

$216,074

Pennsylvania

1

$107,087

$115,712

Potomac River Fisheries Commission

1

$97,850

$103,000

Rhode Island

5

$175,089

$182,160

South Carolina

4

$159,269

$166,861

Virginia

1

$206,802

$220,938

TOTAL:

39

$6,353,990

$6,678,167

Recipient

Federal Government
NOAA Fisheries and USFWS use the Act’s funds to participate in quarterly ASMFC meetings,
as well as technical committee and ACCSP meetings; program administration; and research.
Table 2 provides the funding allocation for NOAA Fisheries and USFWS for these activities. In
order to provide more financial assistance to the states and ASMFC for these important
activities, NOAA Fisheries removed any administrative and programmatic costs from the Act’s
appropriation and provided that funding from base funding.

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U.S. Department of Commerce | National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration | National Marine Fisheries Service

Table 2. Atlantic Coastal Act funding by federal agency/office for FY 2017
and 2018.
Federal Allocation

FY17

FY18

Habitat Conservation

$16,000

$0

Greater Atlantic Regional Fisheries Office

$17,600

$0

Northeast Fisheries Science Center

$138,000

$0

Southeast Regional Office

$4,500

$0

Southeast Fisheries Science Center

$111,400

$0

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

$90,000

$90,000

TOTAL:

$377,500

$90,000

Evaluation of Projects Funded in FY 2017 and 2018
Projects funded through the Act are evaluated by
many different metrics. Common metrics
include the number of enforcement actions,
permits issued, service calls to seafood dealers
and commercial harvesters, meetings attended,
observed fishing trips, and fish sampling tows.
Each recipient submits semi-annual and annual
reports to the NOAA Fisheries Greater Atlantic
and Southeast regional program offices. In many
cases the funding provided through the Act
enables the states to conduct essential fisheries
work that it would be unable to support
otherwise. An important overarching metric by
which to evaluate the success of these projects is
the status of the fisheries resources themselves.

ASMFC Definitions
Rebuilt/Sustainable: Stock biomass is equal to or above
the biomass level established by the FMP to ensure
population sustainability.
Recovering/Rebuilding: Stocks exhibit stable or
increasing trends. Stock biomass is between the
threshold and target level established by the fishery
management plan.
Unknown: There is no accepted stock assessment to
estimate stock status.
Depleted: Reflects low levels of abundance though it is
unclear whether fishing mortality is the primary cause for
reduced stock size.
Concern: Those stocks developing emerging issues

The ASMFC’s July 2019 status report indicates
(e.g., impacts due to environmental conditions).
there were 33 fish stocks, covering 26 species
(excluding the 40 Atlantic coastal shark species)
Overfished: Occurs when stock biomass falls below the
threshold established by the fishery management plan.
managed all, or in part, through the ASMFC. Of
these 33 stocks, the stock status is fully known
Overfishing: Occurs when fish are removed from a
(both overfished and overfishing or depleted
population at a rate that exceeds the threshold
status is known) for 22 stocks, partially known
established in the fishery management plan.
(either overfished, overfishing, or depleted
status is known) for six stocks, and fully unknown for five stocks. Of the 33 managed stocks, 21
stocks are not subject to overfishing, four stocks are subject to overfishing, and the overfishing
status is unknown for eight stocks. Of the 33 managed stocks, 13 stocks are not overfished or not
depleted (with three of these stocks rebuilt), 12 stocks are depleted or overfished, and the
depleted or overfished status of eight stocks is unknown (See Table 3, and the ASMFC’s
definitions).

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The number of species and stocks referred to in Table 3 does not include 40 species of Atlantic
coastal sharks because these species are principally managed by NOAA Fisheries. The ASMFC
has a limited fishery management plan for Atlantic coastal sharks to complement federal
management actions.

Table 3: Stock status of species managed in whole or part by the Atlantic
States Marine Fisheries Commission as of July 2019
Species

Stock

American Eel
Gulf of Maine
(GOM)

American Lobster

Georges Bank (GBK)

Southern New
England

Overfishing

Rebuilding Status and Schedule

Depleted

Unknown

2017 stock assessment update indicates
resource remains depleted.

Not depleted

N

Not depleted

N

Depleted

N

Rebuilt/Sustainable; GOM/GBK stock
abundance has increased since the
1980s.
Rebuilt/Sustainable; GOM/GBK stock
abundance has increased since the
1980s.
SNE stock has collapsed and is
experiencing recruitment failure.

American Shad

Depleted

Unknown

Depleted on coastwide basis;
Amendment 3 established 2013
moratorium unless river specific
sustainability can be documented;
benchmark assessment scheduled for
2020.

Atlantic Croaker

Unknown

Unknown

Overfished status unknown; Traffic
Light Analysis indicates relatively low
harvest in 2017; no management action
triggered.

Atlantic Herring

N

N

Atlantic Menhaden

N

N

Atlantic Striped
Bass

Y

Y

Atlantic Sturgeon

6

Overfished

Y

N

Black Drum

N

N

Black Sea Bass

N

N

2018 stock assessment indicates
declines in total biomass, spawning
stock biomass (SSB), and recruitment
over the past 5 years.
2018 and 2019 total allowable catches
set at 216,000 mt.
Overfished and overfishing occurring
on a coastwide basis; Board has
initiated management action to reduce
fishing mortality.
40+ year moratorium; to be rebuilt by
~2038. Listed in 2012 under the
Endangered Species Act. Benchmark
assessment indicates stock is depleted
coastwide though slow recovery has
been occurring since 1998 and total
mortality is sustainable.
FMP approved in 2013; status based on
2015 benchmark assessment which
found 2012 median biomass well above
median biomass that produces
maximum sustainable yield.
Improved recruitment and declining
fishing mortality rates since 2007 have
led to steady increases in SSB;

U.S. Department of Commerce | National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration | National Marine Fisheries Service

Species

Stock

Overfished

Overfishing

Rebuilding Status and Schedule
operational assessment scheduled for
2019.
Biomass above threshold but below
target; operational assessment scheduled
for 2019.
FMP approved in 2017; SouthEast Data,
Assessment, and Review (SEDAR)
research track assessment scheduled for
2019 and SEDAR operational stock
assessment scheduled for 2020.
2019 benchmark assessment found
Northeast region and Delaware Bay
stocks are neutral; the New York region
stock is poor; and the Southeast region
stock is good. Coastwide abundance has
fluctuated, with many surveys
decreasing after 1998 but increasing in
recent years. Adaptive Resource
Management Framework has been used
since 2013 to set harvest levels for
horseshoe crabs of Delaware Bay origin.

Bluefish

N

N

Cobia

N

N

Horseshoe Crab

Unknown

Unknown

Jonah Crab

Unknown

Unknown

No range-wide assessment; Interstate
FMP adopted in 2015.

Depleted

N

2018 benchmark assessment indicates
biomass has declined precipitously
since 2010 and recruitment in recent
years has been low; fishery moratorium
in place since 2014 to protect remaining
spawning population.

Northern Region

Unknown

N

Southern Region

Unknown

N

Northern Shrimp

Red Drum

Spawning potential ratio above target
and threshold.
Spawning potential ratio above target
and threshold, though high uncertainty.

River Herring

Depleted

Unknown

2017 assessment update indicates stock
remains depleted on coastwide basis;
Amendment 2 established 2012
moratorium unless riverspecific
sustainability can be documented.

Scup

N

N

Rebuilt/Sustainable

Spanish Mackerel

N

N

Rebuilt/Sustainable

Spiny Dogfish

N

N

Rebuilt/Sustainable

Spot

Unknown

Unknown

Status unknown; Traffic light approach
indicates relatively low harvest in 2017;
no management action triggered.

Spotted Seatrout

Unknown

Unknown

Omnibus Amendment includes
measures to protect spawning stock and
establish 12” minimum size limit.

Summer Flounder

N

Y

2016 assessment update shows biomass
trending downward since 2010;

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Species

Stock

Overfished

Overfishing

Rebuilding Status and Schedule
benchmark stock assessment scheduled
for release in 2019.

Massachusetts –
Rhode Island
Long Island Sound
New Jersey – New
York Bight
Delaware – Maryland
– Virginia

Tautog

Weakfish

Winter Flounder

N

N

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

N

Depleted

N

Gulf of Maine

Unknown

N

Southern New
England/MidAtlantic

Y

N

Amendment 1 establishes regional stock
units and reference points.

6-year rebuilding period if spawning
stock biomass is below threshold level;
restricted harvest since 2009; Stock
assessment update scheduled for 2019.
Biomass unknown; unknown why stock
is not responding to low catches and
low exploitation rates.
Current biomass at 18% of SSB target
based on 2017 operational assessment.

Success of Federal Activities
For FY 2017, NOAA Fisheries used funds to participate in the ASMFC science and management
process, the northern shrimp trawl survey in the Gulf of Maine, menhaden port sampling in
Beaufort, North Carolina, and lobster management activities. In FY 2018, NOAA Fisheries
adjusted its internal funding and no longer used Atlantic Coastal Act funds, and directed these
funds to the states as described in Table 1.
The USFWS used FY 2017
and 2018 funds to participate
in the ASMFC science and
management process, North
Carolina anadromous fish
population characterization,
deployment and maintenance
of the Cape Hatteras, North
Carolina, acoustic array and
tagging database for striped
bass, Atlantic sturgeon, and
horseshoe crab recaptures.

Tagging Atlantic striped bass. Photo credit: Kirby Rootes-Murdy, ASMFC.

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Details of the federal activities
funded under the Act in FY
2017 and 2018 can be found
in Appendix 2.

U.S. Department of Commerce | National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration | National Marine Fisheries Service

Appendix 1 – List of Individual Eligible State Efforts to Support the Act
during FY 2017 and 2018
Maine Department of Natural Resources – Marine Resources Monitoring of Maine Fisheries;
Managing Mandatory Dealer Reporting in Maine; and Portside Commercial Catch Sampling and
Comparative Bycatch Sampling for Atlantic Herring, Atlantic Mackerel, and Atlantic Menhaden
Fisheries.
New Hampshire Fish and Game Department – Law Enforcement of ASMFC Managed Species in New
Hampshire; and Programs Improving Management of ASMFC Managed Species in New Hampshire.
Massachusetts Department of Fish and Game – Massachusetts Fisheries Dependent Data Collection,
Analysis & Dissemination; Electronic Trip-level Reporting for the For-Hire Sector; and Northeastern U.S.
Black Sea Bass (Centropristis striata) Otolith Age Validation and Otolith Micro-Chemical Investigation
using Marginal Increment Analysis and LA-ICP-MS.
Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management – Administrative Support to the ASMFC
Fishery Management Process; Advancing Fishery Dependent Data Collection for Black Sea Bass in the
Southern New England and Mid-Atlantic Region Utilizing Modern Technology and a Fishing Vessel
Research Fleet Approach; Implementation of a Barcode Commercial Fishing License in Rhode Island;
Maintenance and coordination of Fisheries Dependent Data Feeds to ACCSP from the State of Rhode
Island; Fisheries Dependent Data Collection, Analysis and Dissemination; and Voice Recognition and
Head Boat Survey Mobile Application.
Connecticut Department of Energy & Environmental Protection – Atlantic Coastal Fisheries
Cooperative Management Act; and Connecticut Department of Energy & Environmental Protection –
Connecticut Interstate Marine Fisheries Management.
New York State Department of Environmental Conservation – Interstate Management of Marine
Fisheries in New York State.
New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection – Atlantic Coastal Fisheries Cooperative
Management Program.
Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission – Bio-monitoring and Assessment Project for American Shad
and River Herring in the Susquehanna River Basin.
Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control – Coastal Fisheries
Management Assistance.
Maryland Department of Natural Resources – Maryland Limited Entry for Fisheries Management;
Maryland American Eel Population Study; and To Implement and Maintain the Limited Entry
Commercial Fisheries Management System for Interjurisdictionally-managed Fisheries in Maryland.
Virginia Marine Resources Commission – Virginia Enforcement of Atlantic States Marine Fisheries,
Commission Fishery Management Plans.

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Potomac River Fisheries Commission – Compliance with Atlantic Coastal Fisheries Cooperative
Management.
District of Columbia Department of Environment – American Shad Population Dynamics and Stock
Enhancement Assessment; and Invasive Flathead Catfish Population Dynamics, Movement Patterns and
Dietary Preferences.
North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources – Enhancement of North
Carolina Commercial Fisheries Data and Statistics.
South Carolina Department of Natural Resources – Atlantic Coastal Fisheries Cooperative
Management Act Program in South Carolina; ACCSP Data Reporting from South Carolina's Commercial
Fisheries 1) 100 % Trip-Level Catch and Effort Data Collection 2) Biological Sampling for Hard
Part/Aging of Offshore Species; South Atlantic Pilot Implementation Proposal - Charterboat Electronic
Data Collection; and Atlantic Coastal Fisheries Cooperative Management Act Program in South Carolina
with the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources, Atlantic Coastal Fisheries Cooperative
Management Act of 1993.
Georgia Department of Natural Resources – Atlantic Coastal Fisheries Cooperative Management Act
Planning and Implementation for the conducting of surveys, administration and education to support the
Atlantic Coastal Act; Piloting Electronic Commercial Data Collection/Sharing System in Georgia; and
Data Entry and Management of Commercial Fisheries Paper Trip Tickets in Georgia.
Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission – Florida Atlantic Coast Stock Assessments;
Increase At Sea Sampling Levels for the Recreational Headboat Fishery on the Atlantic Coast of Florida;
and Fisheries Dependent Data Collection, Analysis & Dissemination.

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U.S. Department of Commerce | National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration | National Marine Fisheries Service

Appendix 2 – List of Individual Federal Projects to Support the Act during
FY 2017 and 2018
In FY 2017, NOAA Fisheries used funds to implement the following (NOAA did not use FY 2018
funds from the Act):
Support of the ASMFC Science & Management Process – Funds provided partial support for NOAA
Fisheries staff to participate in the ASMFC science and management process, and joint processes with
the regional fishery management councils (New England, Mid-Atlantic, and South Atlantic). This
included participation on management and policy boards, as well as technical committees, providing
leadership and assistance with workshops, development and analysis of management actions, plan
development, stock assessments, and identification of habitat needs.
Northern Shrimp Trawl Survey – The Gulf of Maine Northern Shrimp survey was initiated in 1983 and
has since been conducted annually aboard the R/V Gloria Michelle. It is a standardized survey conducted
during July and August that employs a stratified random design and standard field data collection
procedures similar to those used in Northeast Fisheries Science Center (NEFSC) multispecies bottom
trawl surveys. This survey, which was developed and implemented with support from the ASMFC,
provides the primary fishery-independent data source for the assessment and management of the Gulf of
Maine Northern shrimp stock. The NEFSC has held lead responsibility for conducting this survey and for
processing and archiving the resulting data. The Northern Shrimp Technical Committee of the ASMFC
plays a supporting role in staffing this survey.
Menhaden Port Sampling, Beaufort, North Carolina – The objective of this effort is to provide
science-based stock assessment support to the ASMFC to ensure Atlantic Coast states compliance with
conservation measures for Atlantic menhaden. The efforts and inputs include staff time and analysis for
sampling, sample work-up and related data activities at a Chesapeake Bay processing plant (Reedville,
Virginia), and for aging the menhaden, processing data, maintaining records, monitoring landings, and
conducting assessments at the NOAA Fisheries Beaufort Lab.
Lobster Management Activities – The service of an environmental technician was being funded to
provide programmatic and administrative support services to the Greater Atlantic Regional Fisheries
Office’s Sustainable Fisheries Division. Services provided were specific to the development and
implementation of federal lobster management actions under the authority of the Act and consistent with
the recommendations of the ASMFC’s Interstate Fishery Management Plan for American Lobster.
Lobster services/deliverables provided under the contract were limited to following tasks: lobster trap tag
program, lobster trap limited access program, lobster trap transfer program, and general Atlantic Coastal
Act fisheries program support.
In FY 2017 and 2018, the USFWS used funds to implement the following:
Support of the ASMFC Science & Management Process – Provide partial support for participation of
USFWS personnel in the ASMFC science and management process, and joint processes with MidAtlantic Fishery Management Council and South Atlantic Fishery Management Council. This includes
participation on management and policy boards, as well as technical committees, providing leadership
and assistance with workshops, development and analysis of management actions, plan development,
stock assessments, and identification of habitat needs. USFWS also coordinates and implements the

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cooperative winter tagging cruise, partnering with the ASMFC, NOAA Fisheries, North Carolina,
Maryland, Virginia, and other states to conduct mandatory tagging of migratory striped bass for mortality
calculations, opportunistic tagging of Atlantic sturgeon (if authorized), as well as to assess winter habitat
use off North Carolina and Virginia for other species. Lastly, the USFWS assists in preparing the Striped
Bass Biennial Report to Congress.
North Carolina Diadromous Fish Population Characterizations and Passage – Provided ongoing
hydroacoustic monitoring of anadromous fish populations in the Roanoke River, one of the least
fragmented, most intact, bottomland hardwood ecosystems on the U.S. East Coast. The watersheds in
coastal North Carolina—including the Roanoke, Tar-Pamlico, Neuse, and Cape Fear drainages—
historically were the epicenter of anadromous fisheries on the U.S. East Coast. Former anadromous
nursery and spawning habitats above the Roanoke Rapids, Gaston, John H. Kerr, Rocky Mount Mills,
Falls, and Cape Fear River Locks and dams are currently entirely or partially blocked.
Tagging Database for Striped Bass, Atlantic Sturgeon, and Horseshoe Crab Recaptures – Provide
funding and coordination of the coast-wide cooperative striped bass, Atlantic sturgeon, and horseshoe
crab tagging programs. Coordination includes tag acquisition, distribution, and recovery; assistance to
partners in sampling and tagging fish; and administration of reward programs. These tagging programs
are a cooperative effort among federal and state agencies, research institutions, private companies, and
commercial and recreational fishermen. The striped bass tagging program provides information on
distribution, migration, and mortality to assist in making management and restoration decisions.
Alewife and American Eel Passage at Mattamuskeet National Wildlife Refuge – Management
concerns over river herring (Alosa pseudoharengus and Alosa aestivalis) and American eel (Anguilla
rostrata) access and abundance in Lake Mattamuskeet (of Mattamuskeet National Wildlife Refuge) and
its four man-made canals that connect it to Pamlico Sound were the impetus for passage research and
water quality monitoring. Once abundant on the refuge, the populations of these species have been in
decline over the past few decades as reported by previous studies and fishery reports. Research was
conducted by agency staff and collaborators will address the fish passage and abundance component of
the critical research needs, as well as providing for continuous water quality monitoring within the lake.
An estimated 2 years (two field seasons) were needed to accurately conduct the proposed studies. Cage
sampling took place mainly in the spring, push net surveys mainly in the summer, eel pot surveys at
certain intervals year-round, and water quality and gate measurements at times of the other surveying
events.

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U.S. Department of Commerce | National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration | National Marine Fisheries Service

U.S. Secretary of Commerce

Wilbur Ross

Assistant Secretary of Commerce for
Environmental Observation and Prediction
Performing the Duties of
Under Secretary of Commerce
for Oceans and Atmosphere

Neil A. Jacobs, Ph.D.

Assistant Administrator for Fisheries

Chris Oliver
April 2020

www.fisheries.noaa.gov
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