POPULATION & ECOSYSTEMS MONITORING DIV

The Population and Ecosystems Monitoring Division performs large-scale fishery-independent surveys and applied research. Our science supports fisheries stock assessments and ecosystem-based fisheries and protected species management in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico, southeastern Atlantic (South Atlantic), and Caribbean regions.

Fishery-independent surveys use consistent, standardized sampling methods to assess changes in focal species’ abundance and other population metrics (e.g., age and size structure) over space and time. We use trawls, plankton nets, longlines, scuba divers, video cameras, and fish traps to survey. Our surveys support stock assessments for approximately 40 stocks in the Gulf of Mexico, Caribbean Sea, South Atlantic, and Atlantic high seas. The data we collect and analyze supports management advice to three regional fishery management councils, two interstate marine fisheries commissions, and the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas.

Our applied research focuses on topics including fish population dynamics (including the effect of habitat, climate, ecosystem, and anthropogenic drivers), habitat ecology and restoration, fisheries and community ecology, and the application of advanced technologies to fisheries- and habitat-focused research. We also coordinate closely with the NOAA Fisheries Southeast Regional Office to address habitat science needs.