Spring Bottom Trawl Survey

The standardized NEFSC Spring Bottom Trawl Survey was initiated in 1968 and covered an area from Cape Hatteras, NC, to Nova Scotia, Canada, at depths >27m. Throughout the years, coverage has extended as far south as Florida and sampling depths have ranged from <27m to 366m. Currently, the survey coverage is from Cape Lookout, NC to Nova Scotia, including Georges Bank and the Gulf of Maine. The depth range minimum is >18 m, as the result of a change in the sampling platform. This has resulted in the exclusion of many inshore strata.

The purpose of the Spring Bottom Trawl Survey is to determine the seasonal distribution, relative abundance, and biodiversity of fish and invertebrate species found on the continental shelf during the spring months, typically February to April. Other cruise objectives are: to collect biological samples for age determinations and growth studies, fecundity, maturity, and feeding ecology; opportunistically test trawl dear, methods, or survey-related equipment that may benefit the trawl survey in the future; collect oceanographic data, including CTD casts as well as samples of ichthyoplankton and zooplankton for relative abundance and distribution studies; and to collect hydroacoustic data between stations. Fishery scientists use the data to assess 45 stocks of commercially and recreationally important fish and invertebrate species in the northeastern United States.

The information contained in the data set relate to spring bottom trawl surveys. Data records include: station, catch, length, age, feeding ecology, and oceanographic data, in addition to sensor data collected during a tow.

Available to qualified researchers.

1. Formal request in writing usually to the data owner/contact or Center Director.

2. Requester is contacted by data owner to review and verify the request content and details for data delivery options.

3. If data is confidential then owner will determine is the data may be released to the requester.

4. If data can be released, the data is downloaded and packaged for delivery electronically; or the requester may be directed to where the data is available online.

If data is stored on an internal NEFSC network, the requester may not have direct access to query the data unless they are also authorized for network access.

User must read and fully comprehend the metadata prior to use. Applications or inferences derived from the data should be carefully considered for accuracy. Acknowledgement of NOAA/NMFS/NEFSC, as the source from which these data were obtained in any publications and/or other representations of these, data is suggested.

RDBMS: Oracle

SCS and FSCS data collection software programs employ real-time validation and must meet database integrity constraints. Data are then subject to post-audits.

Archiving solution for Oracle Data Sets is yet to be determined.

Archival of source data preserving unaltered collected data, Scheduled backups, Remote storage backups, Password protection.

Vessel sensor data are collected electronically using SCS. Catch and biological data are collected electronically using FSCS 2.0. At the completion of each cruise leg, a database copy is inserted into the shoreside database.