How Hard Can it Really be to Count Fish - Fisheries Dependent Data Collection

It’s hard to count fish. Not only do they move, but they are hidden from plain sight within the depths of the ocean. To complicate things, an overwhelming number of variables like weather, tide, and habitat make straightforward data collection difficult and test the limitations of gear and technology.  

Fisheries science is just as complex and multifaceted as the subject it studies. Biology, ecology, oceanography, population dynamics, economics, and sociology are all woven together to create the discipline of fisheries science, which formulates our understanding of fisheries and informs fisheries management decisions.

There are two very general categories of data that are used in tandem by fisheries scientists to assess fish stocks. The first is fisheries independent data in which scientists use a variety of different sampling techniques like netting, trapping, and direct observation to collect fisheries information. The second is fisheries dependent data, which relies on fishing activity and is collected with the help of professional and recreational fishermen.

Fisheries dependent data collected from commercial and recreational anglers plays an important role in determining the status of fish stocks. Harvest, especially as it relates to the amount of fishing effort, can help fisheries scientists identify trends in fish populations over time. Fisheries dependent data is also used to predict and monitor harvest during a fishing year. This is particularly important for species that are managed with a quota.  Fishing seasons are set based on past trends of fishing activity, and in-season monitoring of fishing activity prevents overfishing of a stock by tracking harvest so a sector can close when a quota is met.

Commercial Data Collection

In the Gulf of Mexico, fisheries dependent data is fairly easily and accurately collected from commercial fishermen, in part because there are fewer than 900 commercial reef fish vessels Gulf-wide. Also, the commercial Individual Fishing Quota (IFQ) Program, a management tool used to constrain the commercial harvest of certain fish species, created requirements that have improved data collection among the commercial fishing sector. The following is a list and brief description of the fisheries dependent data collection techniques used in the commercial fishery that contribute to stock assessments. 

Onboard Observers - NOAA fisheries personnel ride along to observe fishing activities on about 1% of all commercial fishing trips. The vessels are randomly selected for participation and observations are conducted in all seasons, around the Gulf, aboard vessels using each type of fishing gear.

Logbooks - All commercial reef fish fishermen are required to document their effort and catch for each fishing trip.  A random 20% of all the commercial fishermen are also required to fill out logbooks detailing their dead discards. Ten percent of al logbooks are audited by NOAA Fisheries.

Vessel Monitoring - Commercial reef fish vessels participating in the IFQ program must be equipped with a tracking device (vessel monitoring system) that is active at all times. The vessels are also required to notify NOAA Fisheries before departing on a trip and 3 hours before the boat returns to shore.

Electronic Reporting and Trip Tickets - Commercial fishing vessels in the IFQ program must report their catch before the boat reaches shore.  Once the boat lands, the fish dealers purchasing fish harvested under the IFQ program must enter data about the price, amount, and species of fish purchased.

Dockside Monitoring - Interviews are conducted by dockside monitors who collect information on species, size, age, and fishing effort from commercial fishermen returning from fishing trips.

Recreational Data Collection

The recreational fishing sector includes both private fishermen and fisherman on for-hire trips. The for-hire component of the fishery is fairly easy to track because, like the commercial fishermen, the universe of participating vessels is relatively small and well known.

Unfortunately, the collection of private recreational fishing data is more complicated because the universe of recreational fishermen and their fishing effort is hard to define, and tracking the activity and harvest of an estimated 4,500,000 people participating in the fishery is not practical.  

Why is it hard to figure out how much recreational fishing there is?

Many people assume that recreational fishing effort can be quantified by simply counting fishing licenses. Unfortunately, it’s more complicated for private recreational anglers.  For starters, not all fishermen are required to be licensed; in many states, you don’t need a license if you’re over 60 or under 16.  Also, licenses don’t distinguish between fishermen targeting federal species and fishermen targeting state managed species.  Finally, some fishermen fish frequently and some fish only on rare occasions; the actual fishing effort of different anglers cannot be estimated based on possession of a license. 

Luckily, there is a surprisingly simple way to determine what the private recreational sector is catching on average:  Fishing Effort x Catch = Harvest. A national program called the Marine RecreationalInformation Program (MRIP) is used to collect information on average effort and average catch of anglers.  Since it’s not practical to ask every private recreational angler what they’ve caught each time they go fishing, fisheries scientists use a sample of the entire population to estimate the activity of the entire fishery. Fishing effort is determined using phone surveys, and average catch is determined using dockside intercept surveys. 

Phone Surveys - In 2012, the number of phone surveys completed in the coastal areas the Gulf states totaled 52,741. The phone survey asks people how many times they fished during a specific time period. Fishing effort is then calculated based on those responses.

Dockside Intercept Surveys - Surveyors from Natural Resources Department of each Gulf state determine the typical catch of a recreational fishing trip by interviewing people when they return from a fishing trip. The surveyors count and measure the fish that are landed. In 2012, there were 26,296 interviews conducted on the Gulf coast of Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana. Texas uses their own creel survey to determine recreational harvest in their state, and reports that information to NOAA Fisheries for use in stock assessments and quota monitoring.

The recreational data collection system has been criticized because it relies on a sample to determine the behavior of the entire population.  At this point, there is no way to get information about the activity of every single private recreational fisherman, so the program focuses on ensuring that the sample they take represents the entire population of fishermen as closely as possible. 

The Council, NOAA Fisheries, and many other organizations are working to find new, innovative ways to improve the accuracy of private recreational angler data. Self-reported angler information, offshore fishing permits, electronic logbooks, and many other methods are being considered as ways to enhance the current data collection system. While improved fisheries dependent data will contribute to more accurate stock assessments and quota monitoring, it will never paint the entire picture of what’s going on beneath the waves.

A full understanding of fish stocks requires scientist to directly study the fish and collecting fisheries independent data. The next installment of this series “How Hard Can it Really be to Count Fish?” will provide a more vivid understanding of fish science by describing the work that fisheries scientists are doing on the water to assess fish stocks through scientific studies of the fish themselves. 

How Hard Can it Really be to Count Fish?

Figuring out how many fish are in the Gulf of Mexico and how many we can harvest isn’t rocket science; it’s harder.

Photo: Stubb

Harder, because fisheries are dynamic; and because there are an overwhelming number of factors like tides, temperature, salinity, composition of the ocean floor, nutrients, and biological interactions among fish that complicate the data and prevent straight forward cause and effect relationships from being identified.

Most fishermen have experienced this firsthand; one day the bite is on fire and fish are practically jumping in the boat, but when you return to the same spot a few days later there is nothing. Fish are finicky, they move, and they are hidden from plain view.

Photo: Muehlstein

Likewise, we all have some magic formula for a good fishing day, whether it be based on tides, moon phases, water temperature, or changes in air pressure. Different variations in the environment give different results even when our approach remains the same.. Add salinity, ocean currents, nutrients, and water chemistry to the mix and there are almost too many variables to handle.

These challenges, and the ever present possibility for surprise or disappointment at the end of your line, are all part of the reason fishing is such a captivating activity.  It’s these same challenges that makes studying fish a very difficult endeavor.

Photo: Cone

Truthfully, we do not, and likely never will, know exactly how many fish are living in the Gulf of Mexico. Marine scientists and fisheries managers from across the country and around the globe share the challenge of getting the best fisheries data possible to make sound fisheries management decisions.

The following series of blogs titled “How hard can it really be to count fish?” will explain how fish stocks are assessed, the difficulties involved, and how scientist are continuously working to overcome the challenges of studying fish.

The first piece of the puzzle titled “Fisheries Dependent Data Collection” will explain how data is collected from fishermen to figure out what is being caught. 

The second piece titled “Fisheries Independent Data Collection” will explain the research that is done by scientist on the water. 

The final article - “South East Data Assessment and Review” - will explain how all the data is brought together and used to make conclusions about the health of a fish stock and the amount of fish that can be harvested.

So, stay tuned as the mystery of fisheries science is revealed. 

April 2013 Council Meeting Preview

The Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council will meet next week in Gulfport, Mississippi. During the meeting the Council will discuss and make decisions about a range of different fisheries issues that you might be interested in.

Photo: Mark Miller

The meeting is open to the public and we invite you to join us at the Courtyard Marriott, or you can listen in live from your computer. Check out the committee agenda and the full Council agenda to figure out when the Council will be discussing the topics that you want to hear about.

Public comment will be held Wednesday, April 17^th beginning at 1:45 pm. An informal question and answer session for the public will be held Tuesday evening immediately after the Council adjourns (around 5:30).

The following is a brief description of some of the things the Council plans to address next week:

Regional Management for Recreational Red Snapper

Photo: Robert Navarro

Red snapper is managed as a single unit in the federal waters of the Gulf of Mexico. Since red snapper is subject to a Gulf-wide quota, states with inconsistent regulations impact federal management. Recently, states have begun to express a desire to make red snapper regulations that are more suitable to local needs.

The Council has been considering ways to manage the recreational red snapper quota in separate regions in the Gulf. Scoping workshops to gather public input have already been held electronically, and in cities around the Gulf. At this meeting the Council will review an options paper that was drafted using public comment, and make recommendations on how to move forward with the issue.

For-Hire Days-at-Sea Pilot Program

The Council is considering initiating a pilot program that would allow a sample of for-hire fishermen to fish a specified number of days or trips throughout the year instead of using the recreational season. The pilot would be evaluated and the Council could make an informed decision about whether a days-at-sea program should be implemented for the entire charter fleet.

The Council collected public input at scoping workshops that were held in different cities over the past few weeks. A video tutorial, quick guide, and online comment form are also available for at-home use.

It’s not too late to share your thoughts! Council will review public opinion next week and decide how to move forward.

Photo: Emily Muehlstein

Headboat Electronic Reporting for Reef Fish and Coastal Migratory Pelagics

The Council is considering alternatives that could change the frequency and method of fishery data reporting by headboat vessel operators. Improving data, especially in the recreational sector, could reduce the chance of exceeding Annual Catch Limits and triggering accountability measures. The Council will review a proposed framework action and decide how to move forward with the idea.

Funding for Electronic Logbooks for the Shrimp Industry

The Council plans to review a framework action that considers how to fund a program to install and maintain electronic logbooks on all federally permitted shrimping vessels.

Spanish Mackerel and Cobia Stock Assessments

The Council will review results and Scientific and Statistical Committee recommendations from recent benchmark stock assessments for cobia and Spanish mackerel.

Photo: Mark Miller

Red Drum

The Council will review the history of red drum management, consider current research, and begin to discuss the possibilities and obstacles to opening harvest of red drum in the federal waters of the Gulf of Mexico.

Advisory Panels

The Council will review recommendations made by the Ad Hoc Private Recreational Data Collection Advisory Panel and the Ad Hoc Artificial Substrate Advisory Panel Meetings.

The Council will also review the resumes submitted by the public and select new members for the Advisory Panels and Scientific and Statistical Committees.

As always, if you have any questions please contact us.