Surveys in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic

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Overview

We conduct comprehensive surveys to better understand the interactions between the environment, marine life, and people living and working in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic. Our survey data and information provide reliable and sound science advice to policymakers. We examine the impacts of management actions on the individuals, businesses, communities in our region. Our surveys help support the requirements outlined in the Magnuson–Stevens Act. This act fosters the long-term biological and economic sustainability of marine fisheries by:

• Preventing overfishing
• Rebuilding overfished stocks
• Increasing long-term economic and social benefits derived from fishing
• Ensuring a safe and sustainable supply of seafood
• Protecting habitat that fishery species need to spawn, breed, feed, and grow to maturity

Atlantic Marine Assessment Program for Protected Species Surveys

The Atlantic Marine Assessment Program for Protected Species surveys began in 2010 as a way to collect data and information on our region’s marine mammals, sea turtles, seabirds, and ecosystem. Scientists conduct these surveys aboard planes and vessels from Nova Scotia to Florida, inshore to the Exclusive Economic Zone. These surveys help us provide accurate and precise abundance and trends for many of our region’s protected species, interpret their status, and provide data needed for ocean developers and other ocean users.

Atlantic Surfclam and Ocean Quahog Survey

Our Atlantic Surfclam and Ocean Quahog Survey collects data on the abundance, spatial distribution, and life history of these species from Georges Bank to Cape Hatteras, North Carolina. This standardized fishery-independent survey began in 1982 and has been conducted annually since 2012. Survey data are used in stock assessments and to set commercial fishing catch limits. Our survey is the primary source of fishery-independent data for the management of these species.

Bottom Trawl Survey

Our Bottom Trawl Survey monitors fishery stock abundance and distribution on the Northwest Atlantic continental shelf. It covers a range from the Scotian Shelf off the coast of Nova Scotia, Canada, to Cape Lookout, North Carolina. It is a shelf-wide, multi-season, annual survey that started in the fall of 1963. The spring season survey was added in 1968. The survey collects fish and oceanographic data that are used in stock assessments for more than 40 species. The data are also used in ecosystem assessments that help us understand oceanographic and environmental change. Our survey provides basic ecological data on fish, including growth rates and food habits. This information is critical to understanding the relationship between fish and their environment. Our survey also provides biological samples and taxonomic reference specimens for others. Because of the data we collect, we’re able to monitor trends in:

• Recruitment
• Biomass
• Growth
• Maturity
• Mortality
• Geographic distribution

Photos from the 2025 Bottom Trawl Survey

Photos from the 2024 Bottom Trawl Survey

Cooperative Atlantic States Shark Pupping and Nursery Survey

Each summer since 1998, we survey for sharks that use the estuarine and nearshore waters from Delaware Bay to Florida. With the help from state and academic institutions, we monitor shark habitat use and identify nursery habitat. The data we collect during the Cooperative Atlantic States Shark Pupping and Nursery Survey are used to help characterize distributions and abundances for stock assessments and essential fish habitat updates for management. During our survey we also:

• Tag sharks for migration studies
• Inject tagged sharks with tetracycline for age validation studies
• Collect biological samples for age, growth, food habits, and reproductive studies
• Collect morphometric data

Learn more about our Cooperative Atlantic States Shark Pupping and Nursery Survey

Cooperative Gulf of Maine Bottom Longline Survey

We conduct the Cooperative Gulf of Maine Bottom Longline Survey in the western and central Gulf of Maine. In 2013, we worked with commercial fishermen to design a survey to collect data on fish species that prefer rocky bottom habitats. Because these habitats are a challenge to sample with trawl survey gear, we use bottom longline gear. Data from this survey complement our annual Bottom Trawl Survey data and are used in a variety of stock assessments, including:

• Haddock
• Pollock
• Atlantic cod
• White and red hake
• Spiny dogfish
• Thorny skate
• Atlantic wolffish
• Atlantic halibut

Learn more about our Cooperative Gulf of Maine Bottom Longline Survey

Photos from the 2024 Bottom Longline Survey

Ecosystem Monitoring Survey

Our Ecosystem Monitoring Survey, EcoMon, is the most comprehensive ongoing program exploring marine plankton and oceanographic conditions on the Northeast U.S. Continental Shelf. We conduct this survey from the Gulf of Maine, including the Bay of Fundy and the Western Scotian Shelf in Canadian waters, to Cape Hatteras, North Carolina. It began in 1977, originally as the Marine Resources Monitoring and Assessment Program before becoming the EcoMon Program. The hydrography, ocean chemistry, and plankton data we collect and analyze are used in a variety of research, from marine mammals to fishery stock assessments. We also collaborate with the fishing industry and academic and government partners to improve our understanding of the shelf ecosystem.

Learn more about our EcoMon Survey

Photos from the 2024 EcoMon Survey 

Integrated Atlantic Sea Scallop and HabCam Research Survey

Our Integrated Atlantic Sea Scallop and HabCam Research Survey collects data on abundance, spatial distribution, and life history of marine species, with emphasis on sea scallops. It covers the Northwest Atlantic Ocean from Georges Bank to the Mid-Atlantic. The Dredge Survey first began in 1979, and the Habitat Camera Survey (HabCam) was incorporated into this survey in 2012. Beginning in 2024, these surveys were split into two distinct surveys. The Dredge Survey has developed into a collaborative survey between our science center and the scallop industry using an industry vessel. The HabCam Survey now operates on its own. Data from these surveys are used in Atlantic sea scallop stock assessments and inform setting catch limits for the commercial scallop fishery.

Learn more about our Atlantic Sea Scallop Surveys

Large Coastal Shark Bottom Longline Survey

Since 1996, we’ve surveyed coastal shark species from the mid-Atlantic to Florida every 2–3 years during their spring migrations using commercial style bottom longline gear. The data we collect during the Large Coastal Shark Bottom Longline Survey help characterize distributions and abundances for stock assessments and management. During our survey we also:

• Tag sharks for migration studies
• Inject tagged sharks with tetracycline for age validation studies
• Collect biological samples for age, growth, food habits, and reproductive studies
• Collect morphometric data

Learn more about our Large Coastal Shark Bottom Longline Survey

North Atlantic Right Whale Aerial Survey

Since 1998, we’ve been conducting the North Atlantic Right Whale Aerial Survey to monitor endangered North Atlantic right whales in our region. Under the Marine Mammal Protection Act and Endangered Species Act, we’re required to evaluate the status of the population and reduce mortality to help recovery efforts. Today, we conduct surveys year-round aboard a NOAA Twin Otter aircraft over U.S. and Canadian waters. Our survey charts whale distribution, identifies areas of fishing gear entanglement and vessel strike risks, and monitors the population and injury rates from entanglements and strikes.

Seal Abundance Aerial Survey

Roughly every five years we conduct aerial population surveys on gray and harbor seals to collect data on their numbers and distributions. We use these data in a few different ways, including:

• Marine Mammal Protection Act requirements
• Stock assessment
• Unusual Mortality Event investigations
• Environmental Impact Reports
• Public data portals

We time our abundance surveys during the pupping season after pups have been born—early January for gray seals and late May for harbor seals. We conduct our gray seal pupping surveys over islands in the Gulf of Maine and off Cape Cod, including Muskeget Island, the largest pupping colony. For harbor seals, we survey rock formations called ledges along coastal Maine. We also conduct seasonal haul-out surveys at other times and locations along the East Coast, from the U.S. and Canadian border to Virginia.

Surveys in Other Regions

• Research Surveys in the Pacific
• Southeast Science Surveys and Research
• Alaska Fish Research Surveys