What is the Integrated Survey?
The vision for the Integrated West Coast Pelagics Survey is a robust fisheries-independent survey that collects data that supports sustainable Pacific hake and coastal pelagic fisheries, increases ecosystem data collection, and maintains the survey schedule. It is an opportunity to ensure we collect the data we need and improve how we survey, including accounting for evolving oceanic/ecosystem conditions. Importantly, an integrated survey maintains the integrity of the CPS and Pacific hake biomass time series to help meet industry needs.
The Integrated survey is likely to include one NOAA Fishery Survey Vessel with other charter vessels and autonomous platforms covering the ocean from Mexico to Canada. It will gather acoustics data, biosampling data, and ecosystem data and be coordinated with Canada’s Department of Fisheries and Oceans and Mexico's Instituto Nacional de Pesca to sample in their waters.
Data Collection off the West Coast Supports the Pacific Hake and Coastal Pelagic Fisheries
The Pacific hake and coastal pelagics fisheries rely on data collected through NOAA surveys and the fisheries. These data are essential for tracking our changing environment and creating accurate stock assessments that ensure these fisheries remain productive and sustainable today and in the future.
Currently, we conduct two fishery-independent surveys to gather data on these crucial West Coast fisheries:
- Our Southwest Fisheries Science Center, in partnership with Mexico's Instituto Nacional de Pesca, conducts the Coastal Pelagic Species (CPS) Survey annually.
- Our Northwest Fisheries Science Center, in partnership with Fisheries and Oceans Canada, conducts the Joint U.S.-Canada Integrated Ecosystem and Pacific Hake Acoustic Trawl Survey (Hake Survey) biennially in odd years and a coordinated hake/ecosystem and survey methods research cruises biennially in even years.
The two surveys cover mostly the same ocean areas off the US West Coast. And both use the acoustic-trawl method to provide biomass estimates vital to stock assessments. But there are differences, including the time of day, depth, and net configuration used to trawl. Further, the surveys are conducted separately by their respective Science Centers, which have developed working relationships with their corresponding fishing communities.
Drivers for an Integrated Survey
The NOAA Fisheries Survey Vessels we rely on for our current surveys will begin major mid-life repairs on a rotating basis for 12-18 months at a time for the next several years starting in late 2025. Only one of either the hake (NOAA Ship Shimada) or CPS (NOAA Ship Lasker) survey vessels will be available for the next several years. Repair delays or other disruptions to vessel availability could create additional risk to surveying.
A changing ocean ecosystem requires more robust ecosystem data collection to understand shifts in ecosystem dynamics and their impacts on fisheries.
With short-term funding becoming available through the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), we have a unique opportunity to invest in the integrated survey now.
Building an Integrated Survey
Our solution is to create one integrated survey for the West Coast that ensures we maintain the scientific integrity of the hake and CPS fisheries' biomass time series in the face of a changing ocean. Integrating the surveys can give us more flexibility by creating unified and nimble capabilities, developing resource and process efficiencies, and incorporating the latest technologies into the survey and data analysis. It is also an opportunity for industry experts to weigh in on how the survey can be designed and improved by sharing expertise, proven methods, and technology innovations. We have seen over the years that strong collaboration between NOAA and industry produces better surveys and better data for the fisheries.
Lessons Learned from Past Efforts
Three times in the past eleven years, we had to combine the two surveys on short notice because of vessel and other issues. Each time, we collected data such that the biomass estimates became part of their respective time series. We are building on past lessons learned from 2012, 2013, and 2015 to build a stronger approach to an integrated survey.
For example, we are exploring using a single net to catch representative hake and coastal pelagics samples. We are also looking into whether other nets, and vessels, can be used to catch fish samples. We will thoroughly test any new method against our current methods. If the new method works, we’ll ask the relevant fishery management processes for input before implementing it.
Also, we are coordinating with Fisheries and Oceans Canada and Mexico's Instituto Nacional de Pesca to sample in their waters. And we’re working with several state agencies and the fishing community to continue sampling in nearshore waters using their vessels.
Our teams have experience adapting to bumps in the road to data collection by “working the levers” to make a survey successful. For example, with a loss of sea days on a NOAA vessel we would look to redirect charter or autonomous vessels and/or adjust the sampling scheme. In exploring different biosampling methods, we are exploring platform flexibilities and can adjust and test different methods.
Working on the ocean is hard. That's why we want to work with the fishing community and those with diverse on-the-water experiences. Collectively, we are problem-solvers with decades of experience planning and executing fisheries surveys. As part of that experience, we plan for different contingencies and solve issues as they arise, even if unanticipated. We bring all this experience and a commitment to strive for scientific excellence. Further, as we implement the integrated survey, we commit to sharing how things are working with you and our management partners.
Integration Timeline
2023 - 2024
Prepare and test new survey methods and gears.
Work with partners to ensure new survey design provides the data needed.
2025
Begin integrated survey.
2026 and beyond
Conduct the survey and make improvements based on experience and feedback.
Recent Updates
Upcoming Outreach Opportunities
- November 13, 2023 - 9:30 am - NOAA SWFSC Pacific Room, La Jolla, CA
- January 3, 2024 - 4:00 pm Virtual
- February 7, 2024 - 4:00 pm Virtual (TBD if Hybrid)
- March 6, 2024 - 6:00 pm*
More to be scheduled
* TBD pending final PFMC meeting schedule.
In September 2023, the Government awarded a contract to supply a multi-function trawl net system, with field testing and training. The net system will be used to trawl both midwater and at the surface, to facilitate an integrated survey of hake and coastal pelagic fish species.
We Welcome Your Feedback
How can we make the new integrated survey the most successful? For example, what are your ideas for a net configuration that can catch a representative size range of both coastal pelagics and Pacific hake simultaneously or separately? What other biosampling or observing tools or technologies do you think we can use to improve our understanding of these stocks and how they are affected by a changing ocean? Are there charter vessel opportunities to consider for the survey platforms?
You can share your ideas and thoughts or ask questions anytime using the contact information below. Or you can join us at an upcoming outreach event.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS (FAQ)
Acronyms:
CPS Coastal pelagic species (such as sardine, anchovy, Pacific mackerel, jack mackerel)
INAPESCA Mexico’s Instituto Nacional de Pesca
NMFS National Marine Fisheries Service, aka NOAA Fisheries
NWFSC Northwest Fisheries Science Center
PFMC Pacific Fishery Management Council
SWFSC Southwest Fisheries Science Center
What is the Integrated Survey?
The Integrated West Coast Pelagics Survey (aka integrated survey) is an effort to integrate the SWFSC survey for CPS and the NWFSC-Fisheries and Oceans Canada survey for Pacific hake (hereafter, “hake”) into a single survey that collects data on both CPS and hake and also for the broader California Current Ecosystem. Currently the SWFSC CPS survey takes place annually and the NWFSC-Fisheries and Oceans Canada hake survey takes place biennially in odd years, with hake/ecosystem and survey methods research conducted in even years. The integrated survey will take place annually during summer months and will use both acoustics and biosampling (currently trawling) to produce estimates of biomass for CPS and hake. Maintaining the scientific integrity of the CPS and hake biomass time series is the primary goal.
The integrated survey is envisioned to use one NOAA research vessel coordinated with other vessels including Canada and Mexico research vessels, industry vessels, and possibly autonomous vehicles to survey all along the coast starting from Baja California, Mexico and ending in Dixon Entrance, Alaska. The integrated survey will permanently replace the SWFSC Summer CPS survey and the NWFSC-portion of the Joint US-Canada Hake Survey.
What is the Timeline?
The integrated survey is planned to be operational in the summer of 2025. Efforts in 2023 and 2024 will include testing methods to biosample hake and CPS (such as testing a different net) and developing streamlined and more-automated data systems and pipelines.
Is There a Contingency Plan and What Is it?
Without knowing specifics of what challenges might come up and when, it is hard to come up with a single or even several contingency plans. Both NWFSC/Fisheries and Oceans Canada and SWFSC have a long history of facing unexpected survey challenges and adapting immediately. Given this history and that these surveys were combined in shorter timeframes in 2012, 2013, and 2015, we have reasonable confidence that an integrated survey will proceed in 2025. NMFS is committed to collecting biomass data on hake and CPS to meet fishery management needs.
Each summer survey season will bring more certainty after results of testing biosampling methods are completed and analyzed. For example, after the summer of 2023 we will know whether nighttime purse seining is a viable method to capture both hake and CPS. After the summer of 2024 we will know whether it is viable to use a single net for both hake and CPS.
Every year our teams adapt to bumps in the road to data collection by “working the levers” to make a survey successful. We will continue to do this leading up to 2025 and beyond. For example, with a loss of days at sea on a NOAA research vessel we look to alternatives such as redirecting contracted industry vessels or autonomous vehicles, or we could modify transect spacing in order to cover more area in less time. As we test more than one biosampling method, if we find that one method does not collect adequate data for hake, or CPS, or both, we can modify the method and test again or look to a different method instead.
Why are We Doing This?
The NOAA Fisheries Survey Vessels we rely on for our current surveys will begin major mid-life repairs on a rotating basis for 12-18 months at a time for the next several years starting in late 2025. Only one of either the hake (NOAA Ship Shimada) or CPS (NOAA Ship Lasker) survey vessels will be available for the next several years. Repair delays or other disruptions to vessel availability could create additional risk to surveying. A changing ocean ecosystem also requires more robust ecosystem data collection to understand shifts in ecosystem dynamics and their impacts on fisheries.
It also takes an incredible amount of resources to run two surveys that cover much of the same waters using a very similar method. Integrating the surveys will free up resources including staff time to take on other relevant research, produce a data stream that is more automated with fewer subjective decisions being made (and thus increase reproducibility), increase collaboration across Science Centers, and incorporate newer technologies into survey methods. All of this will put NOAA in a better position to continue surveying for hake and CPS to support fishery management into the future.
With short-term funding becoming available through the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), we have a unique opportunity to invest in the integrated survey now.
Where is the Funding Coming From?
NMFS has identified the integrated survey as a top priority and is dedicating resources including from the IRA (Inflation Reduction Act) to this effort at the NWFSC, SWFSC, and NMFS headquarters levels.
Can the Timeline be Modified or Delayed?
We are still planning to conduct the integrated survey starting in 2025 and beyond. This integrated survey effort has been a multi-year process with discussions starting in the fall of 2020 and biosampling gear testing planned for summers 2023 and 2024. Combined surveys happened in 2012, 2013, and 2015 with even less time to plan.
Will this Effort/Data/Aethods be Reviewed Through the Relevant Fishery Management Processes?
Yes, the integrated survey methods will undergo appropriate reviews for both hake and CPS before being incorporated into biomass time series for management purposes. This includes through Pacific Fishery Management Council and Pacific Whiting/Hake treaty processes. Previous independent reviews of the 2012, 2013, and 2015 combined surveys were favorable.
Will this Change the Number of Hake or CPS Caught by the Survey?
Hake and CPS are captured during the survey in order to provide representative data on length and age distributions, reproductive biology, and distribution in space and time. The goal is to collect this representative data and we will capture the number of fish required to meet this goal. The number of fish caught varies year to year even now and is likely to vary for the integrated survey as well.
Are You Working with Fisheries and Oceans Canada and Mexico’s INAPESCA?
Yes, NWFSC is coordinating with Fisheries and Oceans Canada and SWFSC is coordinating with INAPESCA.
What are Your Future Plans for Engaging with Stakeholders?
We welcome hearing from anyone at any time. You can email us at the numbers below, or attend one of our upcoming outreach events.
CONTACT US:
NWFSC for Hake:
Craig Russell
Julia Clemons
SWFSC for CPS:
Annie Yau
David Demer
