NOAA's Fish Hunt in Untrawlable Zones: Fishers Join the Quest
Published Date: 3/28/2025
Notice
Summary
NOAA is teaming up with fishing folks along the Pacific Coast to gather new info about fish living in tricky, untrawlable spots. This new survey will fill in missing data, helping manage fish stocks better without adding much work—just about 20 minutes per person. The project kicks off soon, asking around 200 fishers to share their knowledge, making sure our ocean friends stay healthy and thriving.
Analyzed Economic Effects
3 provisions identified: 1 benefits, 2 costs, 0 mixed.
Survey to inform survey expansion
NMFS will use information from the collection to inform expansion of industry-collaborative groundfish research surveys in untrawlable habitats along the Pacific Coast to close spatial gaps, reduce scientific uncertainty, and better manage groundfish such as quillback rockfish, copper rockfish, yelloweye rockfish, and lingcod. The collection is intended to support more effective stock assessments and management decisions.
You may be asked to give 20 minutes
NOAA will ask about 200 members of the recreational and commercial fishing communities along the Pacific Coast to voluntarily complete a one-time survey that averages 0.33 hours (about 20 minutes) per person. The total annual burden for the collection is 66 hours and participation is voluntary.
What data you will be asked to provide
Respondents will be asked, on a voluntary basis, to provide GPS coordinates and depths for potential sampling locations, the habitat type and target species for each location, and the most appropriate gear type for sampling. NMFS will distribute a spreadsheet template to collect this information from knowledgeable members of recreational and commercial fishing communities.
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Key Dates
Department and Agencies
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