Developing a Collaborative Research Program to Evaluate Fine-Scale Groundfish Dynamics in Eastern Maine

• Main Author: Rodrigue, Mattie
• Format: Text
• Language: unknown
• Published: DigitalCommons@UMaine 2017
• Subjects: Collaborative research; fisheries; Sentinel Survey; fine-scale; groundfish; New England; longline; Marine Biology; Social and Behavioral Sciences; Hake; The Sentinel; atlantic cod; Gadus morhua
• Online Access: https://digitalcommons.library.umaine.edu/etd/2810; https://digitalcommons.library.umaine.edu/context/etd/article/3867/viewcontent/M_RodrigueMattie_Final.pdf

Fisheries science conducted and used for management strategies in the Gulf of Maine (GOM) is conducted at broad spatial and temporal scales. There is a tendency for fisheries-independent monitoring programs, which play a critical role in fisheries assessment and management, to miss fine-scale dynamics, especially given the complex hydrographic structures characterizing the GOM. In New England, fishermen participating in a heterogeneous groundfish fishery within the GOM may have varied perceptions of fish abundance or distribution depending on the scale at which they participate in the fishery. Overlooking fine-scale life-history dynamics coupled with scale-mismatch in science and management may perpetuate a cycle of mismanagement and mistrust in the groundfish fishery. We developed and evaluated a collaborative fisheries-independent survey called the Eastern Gulf of Maine Sentinel Survey-Fishery (Sentinel Survey). We used demersal longline gear and jig gear to sample the eastern Gulf of Maine (EGOM), which is an area characterized by unique hydrographic features and complex benthic structure, and is sparsely sampled by regional monitoring programs. The survey has two major objectives: to evaluate fine-scale groundfish dynamics in eastern Maine, and to involve fishermen directly in the data collection and analysis process. The outcomes of the first objective will provide important abundance, distribution, and life-history information for groundfish species in a region not well-covered by existing fisheries-independent monitoring programs, which is useful for stock assessment. Outcomes of the second objective help establish a collaborative framework for evaluating fine-scale groundfish dynamics in the EGOM, align perceptions of scale between fishermen, managers, and scientists, and to build trust between them. Catch data from the Sentinel Survey was evaluated to derive abundance indices and examine distribution for Atlantic Cod (Gadus morhua), Atlantic Halibut (Hippoglossus hippoglossus), White Hake (Urophysis ...