Bottomfish Fishery-Independent Survey in Hawaii (BFISH) - Camera Surveys

Accurate and precise stock assessments are predicated on accurate and precise estimates of life history parameters, abundance, and catch across the range of the stock. In its continued efforts to improve the data used in stock assessments, the NOAA Pacific islands Fisheries Science Center (PIFSC) implemented a Bottomfish Fishery-Independent Survey in Hawaii (BFISH) in 2016. The BFISH survey utilizes two gear types, Cooperative Research hook-and-line fishing operations (CRF) and the Modular Optical Underwater Survey System (MOUSS). Survey sampling is conducted annually, typically in the fall, surrounding the Main Hawaiian Islands (MHI), in accordance with a stratified-random sampling design. Under this design, the waters surrounding the MHI are gridded at 500 meter resolution. Each grid is given attributes of depth, slope, and seafloor hardness. Depth categories are Shallow (75-200 meters), Medium (200-300 meters) and Deep (300-400 meters). Slope categories are Low slope (0-10 degrees) and High (10-90 degrees). Seafloor categories are Hardbottom and Softbottom. Annual survey data are processed to produce relative and absolute abundance and biomass estimates for the Stock Assessment for the Main Hawaiian Islands Deep 7 Bottomfish Complex.

MOUSS operations are conducted by researchers at the NOAA PIFSC. Two MOUSS units are deployed within each survey grid. Each MOUSS is left on the seafloor for a minimum of 15 minutes. Once recovered and returned to the lab, MOUSS videos are analysed using the MaxN method to produce species-specific, size-structured abundance estimates for Deep7 species.

To generate abundance and size estimates from underwater stereo-video camera systems to generate species-specific, size-structured, abundance estimates for use in the Stock Assessment for the Main Hawaiian Islands Deep 7 Bottomfish Complex.

Langseth, B., Syslo, J., Yau, A., Kapur, M., Brodziak, J., United States Department of Commerce, 2018. Stock Assessment for the Main Hawaiian Islands Deep 7 Bottomfish Complex in 2018, with Catch Projections Through 2022.

Richards, B.L., Smith, S.G., Ault, J.S., DiNardo, G.T., Kobayashi, D., Domokos, R., Anderson, J., Taylor, J., Misa, W., Giuseffi, L., Rollo, A., Merritt, D., Drazen, J.C., Clarke, M.E., Tam, C., 2016. Design and Implementation of a Bottomfish Fishery-Independent Survey in the Main Hawaiian Islands. NOAA Technical Memorandum NMFS-PIFSC-53, 66.

Ault, J.S., Smith, S.G., Richards, B.L., Yau, A.J., Langseth, B., Humphreys, R., Boggs, C.H., DiNardo, G.T., 2018. Towards Fishery-Independent Biomass Estimation for Hawaiian Deep7 Bottomfish NOAA Technical Memorandum NMFS-PIFSC-67, 67.

Amin, R., Richards, B.L., Misa, W.F.X.E., Taylor, J.C., Miller, D.R., Rollo, A., Demarke, C., Singh, H., Young, G.C., Childress, J., Ossolinski, J.E., Reardon, R.T., Koyanagi, K.H., 2017. The Modular Optical Underwater Survey System. Sensors 17, 1–14. https://doi.org/10.3390/s17102309

Misa, W.F.X.E., Richards, B.L., DiNardo, G.T., Kelley, C.D., Moriwake, V.N., Drazen, J.C., 2016. Evaluating the effect of soak time on bottomfish abundance and length data from stereo-video surveys. Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology 479, 20–34. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jembe.2016.03.001