The 2014 acoustic-trawl method (ATM) project aboard Bell M. Shimada represents a joint
effort between the SWFSC and the NWFSC in investigating elements of the California
Current Ecosystem (CCE). The primary goal is to use the ATM to estimate the biomasses,
distributions, and biological compositions of the northern sub-population of sardine,
other CPS (e.g., mackerels, anchovy, herring, and smelts), hake, krill, and gelatinous
zooplankton within the survey region. The adaptive sampling may span the northern
sub-population of sardine, probably between Cape Flattery to Point Conception, but
potentially from the northern end of Vancouver Island, Canada to the U.S.-Mexican
border, as safely navigable in the east, and to the western extent of CPS and hake
backscatter in the west. The seconary goal is to investigate the methods that will
improve the accuracy and efficiency of the Pacific hake (Merluccius productus) in
the California Current Ecosystem (CCE). The overall 2014 effort, hereafter referred
to as CCE14, consists of five project legs: Legs I and II: A SWFSC-led survey of coastal
pelagic fishes (CPS), demersal fishes, zooplankton, and their oceanographic habitats
within the California Current Ecosystem will be conducted during Leg I and Leg II
(24 June to 24 August). This ATM survey will assess biomasses, distributions, and
biological compositions of multiple species and trophic levels within the adaptively
sampled region spanning the northern subpopulation of Pacific sardine (Sardinops sagax).
During Leg II, as time permits (at the discretion of the Chief Scientist), the NWFSC
will sample age-1 hake and characterize the western extent of adult hake. Legs III
and IV: NWFSC-led investigations of Pacific hake (Merluccius productus) and joint
survey methods, life history, and associated ecosystem components (trophic structure
and oceanography) will be conducted during CCE14 Leg III and Leg IV (28 August to
14 September). The data included here are only those collected during Legs III and
IV by NWFSC. |