Table of Contents

• Coverage
• Dataset Description
  • Methods & Sampling
  • Data Processing Description
• Data Files
• Supplemental Files
• Related Datasets
• Parameters
• Instruments
• Deployments
• Project Information
• Program Information
• Funding

Hauls were made in southern New England marine waters encompassing approximately 2000 square miles extending from Point Judith, RI in the west to Martha’s Vineyard, MA in the east and extending south to include Rhode Island Sound and portions of the Atlantic Ocean.

Subsamples of the catch were taken during each tow for length frequency distribution analysis. For each tow, 100 individual length measurements were taken for scup and windowpane flounder. All fish were measured if there were less than 100 per tow. The subsample length frequencies were expanded to the entire catch [www.bco-dmo.org/dataset/686700] to determine the length frequency distribution for the catch. For each tow, the total catch numbers at length were calculated as the subsample numbers at length multiplied by the species-specific ratio of catch weight to subsample weight. Catch numbers were calculated for each net as the sum of the expanded numbers at length per tow. Each length bin includes fish that are within 0.5 cm of the bin value.

The methodology is available in the final report (pdf). See Supplemental Files section.

BCO-DMO Processing Notes:
- added conventional header with dataset name, PI name, version date
- modified parameter names to conform with BCO-DMO naming conventions
- reduced number of significant digits of individual fish weights (wgt_fish_avg) due to sampling precision methods

Extracted from the NSF award abstract:

Currently, bycatch of windowpane flounder in the northwestern Atlantic is a concern of fishery management. Exceeding the Annual Catch Limit (ACL) for windowpane has the potential to trigger Accountability Measures that restrict fishing activities. This project sought to enhance the opportunity for fishermen to fully access ACLs by validating the effectiveness of an innovative gear modification. CCE tested and evaluated a large mesh belly panel for use as an avoidance gear to reduce windowpane flounder bycatch in small mesh trawl fisheries in Southern New England. Statistical analysis of the data indicated that there was a significant reduction in catch of windowpane flounder in the control net compared to the experimental net with the large mesh belly panel when analyzed in terms of both catch weights and in number of individual fish.

A Final Report to The Northeast Consortium and The New England Fishery Management Council Groundfish Research Program (PDF)

At the 2008 Maine Fisheremen's Forum, the Northeast Consortium organized a session on data collection and availability. Participants included several key organizations in the Gulf of Maine area, sharing what data are out there and how you can find them. 

The Northeast Consortium has joined the Gulf of Maine Ocean Data Partnership. The purpose of the GoMODP is to promote and coordinate the sharing, linking, electronic dissemination, and use of data on the Gulf of Maine region.

The Northeast Consortium was created in 1999 to encourage and fund effective, equal partnerships among commercial fishermen, scientists, and other stakeholders to engage in cooperative research and monitoring projects in the Gulf of Maine and Georges Bank. The Northeast Consortium consists of four research institutions (University of New Hampshire, University of Maine, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution), which are working together to foster this initiative.

The Northeast Consortium administers nearly $5M annually from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration for cooperative research on a broad range of topics including gear selectivity, fish habitat, stock assessments, and socioeconomics. The funding is appropriated to the National Marine Fisheries Service and administered by the University of New Hampshire on behalf of the Northeast Consortium. Funds are distributed through an annual open competition, which is announced via a Request for Proposals (RFP). All projects must involve partnership between commercial fishermen and scientists.

The Northeast Consortium seeks to fund projects that will be conducted in a responsible manner. Cooperative research projects should be designed to minimize any negative impacts to ecosystems or marine organisms, and be consistent with accepted ethical research practices, including the use of animals and human subjects in research, scrutiny of research protocols by an institutional board of review, etc.