Stock Assessment Enhancement Program

The Stock Assessment Enhancement Program was created in response to the BP Deepwater Horizon disaster. Congress allocated $10M to conduct an expanded stock assessment of the fisheries of the Gulf of Mexico. Such expanded stock assessment shall include an assessment of the commercial and recreational catch and biological sampling, observer programs, data management and processing activities, the conduct of assessments, and follow-up evaluations of such fisheries. The funds were appropriated to the Commission via a cooperative agreement in October 2010 and will be available until December 2015. During the duration of the grant, the funds will be allocated to conduct a variety of activities including operation of state trip ticket operations, collection of menhaden data, expansion of fishery-independent sampling in the Gulf of Mexico, collection of biological data from commercial and recreational catches as well as other activities to be determined.

Theme Keywords