supporting information on the current use of precision measures by the Councils, Commissions, and states. Dr. John Weidenmann developed a Management

Transcription

1 ATLANTIC COASTAL COOPERATIVE STATISTICS PROGRAM FisheriesFiles A vibrant source of fisheries data information for Atlantic coast fisheries decision makers, managers, and industry professionals Fall 2014 Volume 6, Issue 4 Features ACCSP Convenes Workshop on Recreational PSE... 1 Rhode Island Party & Charter Boat Captains to Report with Tablet Technology... 5 What s the Value of ACCSP? From the Chair of the ACCSP Biological Review Panel... 6 In Every Issue Committees, Philosophy, & Staff... 2 Letter from the Director... 3 Out & About: AFS & OFWIM... 3 Status of Available Data... 4 Fast Facts: Commercial Landings by Region... 7 Program Partners... 8 Page 4: AVAILABLE COMMERCIAL & RECREATIONAL DATA ACCSP Convenes Workshop on Recreational PSE The Atlantic Coastal Cooperative Statistics Program (ACCSP) with the support of the Marine Recreational Information Program (MRIP) an ongoing data collection and reporting effort through NOAA Fisheries, convened a workshop on recreational Percent Standard Error (PSE) on September 23rd and 24th, The focus was to evaluate levels of recreational data precision that would best support stock assessment results and fisheries management actions. More than 50 individuals from state and federal fisheries agencies participated either inperson or via webinar. Presentations reviewed a simulation model developed for this project, and The PSE model report and workshop presentations are available on the ACCSP website for review. For more information, please contact Geoff White, Data Team Leader, at geoff.white@accsp.org. supporting information on the current use of precision measures by the Councils, Commissions, and states. Dr. John Weidenmann developed a Management Strategy Evaluation (MSE) model using simulated data to investigate the effect of varying input PSE levels (.2,.3,.4,.5,.6, ) on three generalized species having slow, medium, and fast growth over various exploitation histories. Participants had indepth and spirited discussion on the effects of PSE in assessments and management. The surprising feedback from participants was that stock assess-... Continued on page 8 Page 5: RI PARTY & CHARTER BOAT CAPTAINS TO REPORT WITH TABLET TECHNOLOGY Gray triggerfish otolith (c) SEFSC Page 6: BIOLOGICAL MODULE MILESTONE TIMELINE

2 Atlantic Coastal Cooperative Statistics Program Fisheries Files STAFF Who We Are & What We Do COMMITTEES PHILOSOPHY The Program is separated into three teams to effectively advance the goals of the Program. PROGRAM STAFF Program staff is dedicated to maintaining ACCSP standards and handling administrative and funding tasks of the Program, including outreach. Michael S. Cahall, Director Ann McElhatton, Program Manager Elizabeth Wyatt, Program Assistant DATA TEAM The Data Team works with partners to identify, transform, and audit data so they can be included in the Data Warehouse. They also provide data services by designing custom data requests and participating in stock assessments. Geoff White, Data Team Leader Julie Defilippi, Senior Data Coordinator Joe Myers, Data Coordinator Jennifer Ni, Information Systems Specialist SOFTWARE TEAM The Software Team designs and builds the Standard Atlantic Fisheries Information System (SAFIS), as well as internal systems that the Program manages or that support program activities. Karen Holmes, Software Team Leader Nico Mwai, Fisheries Programmer Shared with the ASMFC is Ed Martino, Information Systems Manager. Since its inception, the ACCSP has been a committee-based organization. Committees are responsible for setting program policies and standards, deciding annual funding allocations, and planning and coordinating data collection and data management programs. Committees, composed primarily of representatives from the partners (listed on page 8), provide the framework for the collaborative processes that create and manage the standards and govern the Program. Technical committees create and manage the program standards with guidance from the Operations and Advisory Committees. The Coordinating Council provides general oversight to the Program and sets overall policies. COORDINATING COUNCIL Chair: Cheri Patterson, NH FGD OPERATIONS COMMITTEE Chair: Thomas Hoopes, MA DMF ADVISORY COMMITTEE Chair: Rick Bellavance, RI - Com. BIOLOGICAL REVIEW PANEL Chair: Larry Beerkircher, NOAA Fisheries BYCATCH PRIORITIZATION COMMITTEE Chair: Jennifer Lee, NOAA Fisheries COMMERCIAL TECHNICAL COMMITTEE Chair: Amy Dukes, SC DNR INFORMATIONS SYSTEMS COMMITTEE Chair: Holly McBride, NOAA Fisheries OUTREACH COMMITTEES Atlantic Coastal Fisheries Communications Group: Tina Berger, ASMFC Data Warehouse Outreach Group: VACANT SAFIS Outreach Group: Anna Webb, MA DMF RECREATIONAL TECHNICAL COMMITTEE Chair: Scott Newlin, DE DFW VISION To be the principal source of fisheries-dependent information on the Atlantic coast through the cooperation of all program partners. MISSION Produce dependable and timely marine fishery statistics for Atlantic coast fisheries that are collected, processed and disseminated according to common standards agreed upon by all program partners. VALUES Accurate data are required for good fisheries management decisions. Coordination and collaboration amongst the program partners are essential for success. The Program must be responsive to the changing needs for fisheries data. Processes must be open and transparent but confidential data must be protected. Data shall be accessible and easy to use. Responsibilities should be matched with available resources. NEED MORE INFORMATION? For more information on the ACCSP Staff, please visit For more information on the ACCSP Committees, please visit htm. For more information on the ACCSP Philosophy, please visit

3 Volume 6, Issue 4 Letter from the Director Sometimes I don t think that busy even begins to describe ACCSP. In the past few months we ve been working to advance the Program on any number of fronts. First, to help provide better guidance in the use of survey data in recreational fisheries, we conducted a workshop on the use of percent standard error in making stock assessment and management decisions. My thanks to all who participated in a lively discussion on the subject. It s clear that there is more work to do in this area, but I think we have built a firm foundation. Also, our newest data reporting tool, etrips/m, has gone into limited production in the for-hire fishery in Rhode Island. It has also generated a lot of interest in other states. In fact, planning is under way to develop a version to be used in the North Carolina for-hire fishery as Out & About The 144th Annual Meeting of the American Fisheries Society (AFS) was held in Québec City, August 17-21, There were 1,694 attendees from 37 nations present. Julie Defilippi, ACCSP Senior Data Coordinator, was invited to present a paper on data standards during a symposium on Developing a National Fisheries Data Exchange Standard. The new etrips/m was presented in the symposium Gaining Better Understanding of Resources and Resource Users through the Application of Emerging Technologies, which she co-chaired. Julie also participated in the Fisheries Information and Technology Section Meeting, serving as Incoming President, and attended the Business Meeting, a session on New Media for Fisheries Science and various networking events. well. Concurrent with that is an effort to have etrips data approved for use by Greater Atlantic Fisheries Regional Office (GARFO), allowing etrips/m to become one of the approved tools for federal trip reporting in the Northeast. Finally we continue to work on the transition of the MRIP intercept survey from contractor to state conduct on the entire Atlantic coast. Geoff White, our Data Team Leader, has been heading up this effort working with all the states and NOAA Fisheries to ensure that all the requirements and costs are understood. The Recreation Technical and Operations Committees have made a recommendation to move forward with the transition. Regards, Michael S. Cahall Director, ACCSP Sometimes, I don t think that busy even begins to describe ACCS P. The 2014 Annual Meeting of the Organization of Fish & Wildlife Information Managers (OFWIM) was held in Flagstaff, AZ September 28 October 2, Julie Defilippi presented the new etrips/m application, which was first introduced to this group last year, and a paper on the National Fisheries Data Exchange Standard project. She participated in the committee session, where she was nominated as Chair of the Communications, Membership and Outreach Committee

4 Atlantic Coastal Cooperative Statistics Program Fisheries Files COMMERCIAL CATCH & EFFORT The goal of program partners is to advance the implementation and maintenance of trip-level reporting for all fisheries. At this time, the catch and effort data module is the most complete. The chart below reflects the level of detail of the catch and effort data in the Data Warehouse. More importantly, this chart shows how collection methods have evolved. The broadest level of catch and effort data in the Data Warehouse is annual summaries dating back to RECREATIONAL CATCH & EFFORT Data Warehouse users can also query or request recreational catch and effort data. The most recent data includes wave 4 Status of Available Data The Data Warehouse is an online database populated with fishery-dependent data supplied by the 23 program partners of ACCSP. You can access the data in the Data Warehouse 1) publicly or 2) with a login. Both ways provide you the ability to access valuable fishery-dependent data from all of our partners along the Atlantic coast. (July - August) for The data have been updated in conjunction with the new MRIP estimation methodology released in early This includes both the public estimates and the advanced queries for bag limit analysis and directed trips. BIOLOGICAL DATA Additionally, users have access to available biological data. This biological data includes information on American lobster from and Atlantic herring from Please visit org/dataware.htm for the most up to date status of available data. STATE PARTNER COMMERCIAL CATCH & EFFORT DATA IN THE ACCSP DATA WAREHOUSE This chart illustrates how commercial catch ad effort data are collected at the partner level and the level of detail at which those data are submitted to ACCSP Today For example, Trip reports (presented as monthly) means that data were collected by partners at the trip-level and submitted as monthly summaries to NOAA Fisheries or ACCSP. The Program began receiving all data directly from partners in ME DMR NH FGD MA DMF RI DFW CT DEEP NYS DEC NJ DFW Annual summaries Monthly summary DE DFW MD DNR VMRC Trip reports (presented as monthly) Mixed trip reports and monthly summaries NC DMF SC DNR GA DNR Trip reports (all fisheries) FL FWCC - 4 -

5 Volume 6, Issue 4 Project Spotlight Rhode Island Party & Charter Boat Captains to Report with Tablet Technology Commercial and for-hire captains in Rhode Island are now able to enter their trip reports using a mobile version of the Standard Atlantic Fisheries Information System (SAFIS). The application, known as etrips Mobile (etrips/m), was developed and integrated into SAFIS by the ACCSP, at the request of the Rhode Island Division of Fish and Wildlife(DFW)and the Rhode Island Party and Charter Boat Association. etrips/m captures catch and effort data from the captains. Trip reports, or logbooks in some fisheries, provide catch and effort data to the state or federal government and are used in fisheries management and assessments. Trips can be categorized as commercial or for-hire. Rick Bellavance, Captain of Priority Too and President of the Rhode Island Party and Charter Boat Association, describes the innovate ability to report on a handheld device by stating, ACCSP s new mobile reporting application will revolutionize the way fishermen provide fisheries-dependent data. The software, designed with extensive input from active and experienced fishermen, is easy to use and saves time. It s the latest tool available to improve data quality and timeliness - a goal of fishermen everywhere. The etrips/m application will increase data accuracy and make data available immediately to fisheries managers improving their ability to respond to changes in the fishery in a more timely way. John Lake, Principal Biologist with the Rhode Island DFW Marine Fisheries, is enthusiastic for the launch of etrips/m as a management tool because he recognizes that there will be more flexibility in the management of the party and charter boat sector in state waters (0-3 miles from shore). He explains, Every year, it s a delicate balance to create realistic recreational regulations on species for party and charter boat operators that are also, not too liberal for general recreational anglers. This type of trip level data collected from the mobile application greatly aids in the accounting of catch and analysis of how the regulations are working. If you would like to view a demonstration of etrips/m, the ACCSP is conducting a webinar on Thursday, November 6 at 10am EST. Please info@accsp.org or call

6 Atlantic Coastal Cooperative Statistics Program Fisheries Files What s the Value of ACCS P? From the Chair of the ACCSP Biological Review Panel The program partners of ACCSP often come into contact with one another through a variety of fisheries data collection mechanisms (e.g., Fisheries of the U.S. process, stock assessments), but it s coming together as ACCSP committees that leads to the cooperative efforts of ACCSP becoming the principal source of fisheries-dependent information on the Atlantic coast. For this issue of Fisheries Files, we are pleased to hear from the Chair of the Biological Review Panel, Larry Beerkircher, on the value of ACCSP. From what I have been able to see during my involvement with the Program over the past four years, ACCSP represents a superb medium for partnerships between the federal and state fisheries agencies. The ability to facilitate cooperative data collection, and provide technical expertise, is a great asset. From my experience that interaction is the product of excellent staff. Although my perspective is relatively recent, I would say that the development, evolution, and maintenance of SAFIS is quite substantial. Electronic reporting is a giant step forward in terms of data accuracy, timeliness, and efficiency (for both industry and government). SAFIS has enhanced management in many ways. SAFIS allows the Southeast Fisheries Science Center (SEFSC) to get critical landings information in a more timely and accurate format. Functioning as an independent evaluation body for grant funds is also a very important activity for ACCSP as it has allowed well thought out and critically important projects to receive the financial support they need. These projects often contribute directly to data needs in support of stock assessment. Short term, I hope we can complete the job of creating a set of queries that can be applied to ACCSP biosampling data. This has the potential to save data managers and biologists a great deal of time. Longer term, I would like to tackle the issues surrounding the setting of biosampling targets. I believe strongly that we should produce targets based on a defined, rational, quantitative basis rather than an ad hoc process. However, we should be careful to not let the lack of target achievement be viewed as a failure when generally there are simple and wholly legitimate reasons for missing the target. We also have to be careful that we don t let the pursuit of a target bias our sampling. Biological Module Milestones Timeline ACCS P represents a superb medium for partnerships between the federal and state fisheries agencies. The ability to facilitate cooperative data collection, and provide technical expertise, is a great asset. - Larry Beerkircher, Chair of the ACCSP Biological Review Panel and Fisheries Sampling Branch Chief with the Sustainable Fisheries Division of the SEFSC - NOAA Fisheries For more information on the biological module please contact Julie Defilippi, Senior Data Coordinator, at julie.defilippi@accsp.org

7 Volume 6, Issue 4 Fast Facts: Atlantic Coast Commercial Landings by Region ( ) These non-confidential statistics were downloaded in October of However, data in the Data Warehouse are updated regularly. Please visit for the most up-to-date set of statistics. *2013 figures are preliminary New England (ME, NH, RI, CT, MA) SPECIES POUNDS DOLLARS LOBSTER, AMERICAN 1,070,888,725 $3,848,669,890 SCALLOP, SEA 338,188,551 $2,691,911,251 HERRING, ATLANTIC 1,864,199,761 $365,815,501 SALMON, ATLANTIC 106,855,858 $274,953,864 COD, ATLANTIC 143,548,181 $229,613,407 CLAM, SOFT 33,660,497 $219,585,966 GOOSEFISH 197,731,499 $200,948,083 SQUID, LONGFIN INSHORE 174,716,714 $157,812,058 QUAHOG, NORTHERN 30,530,761 $153,479,795 HADDOCK 114,736,429 $137,083,910 Mid-Atlantic (NY, NJ, DE, MD, VA) SPECIES POUNDS DOLLARS SCALLOP, SEA 226,745,630 $1,614,842,626 CRAB, BLUE 773,933,375 $839,711,891 MENHADENS 3,983,676,517 $289,651,923 QUAHOG, NORTHERN 37,147,358 $251,367,049 SURFCLAM, ATLANTIC 380,342,386 $22,449,6344 FLOUNDER, SUMMER 67,408,281 $131,523,247 OYSTER, EASTERN 19,344,140 $128,357,108 BASS, STRIPED 52,256,255 $112,042,462 SQUID, LONGFIN INSHORE 91,667,773 $87,261,183 GOOSEFISH 56,121,099 $63,631,069 South Atlantic (NC, SC, GA, FL - East Coast) SPECIES POUNDS DOLLARS CRAB, BLUE 394,429,862 $359,065,815 SHRIMP, NORTHERN WHITE 117,961,642 $273,420,564 FLOUNDER 49,490,123 $103,294,207 SHRIMP, NORTHERN BROWN 53,882,930 $97,107,805 MACKEREL, KING 34,762,528 $64,947,299 SWORDFISH 1,7391,966 $54,416,712 OYSTER, EASTERN 9,376,075 $47,947,739 MACKEREL, SPANISH 35,925,656 $31,103,309 CLAM, BUTTON 4,795,801 $30,382,386 CROAKER, ATLANTIC 71,273,876 $30,043, Illustrations (c) ASMFC

8 Atlantic Coastal Cooperative Statistics Program Fisheries Files Program Partners Continued from page 1 In 1995, representatives from 23 coastal resource agencies along the Atlantic coast signed a Memorandum of Understanding to become partners in the ACCSP. The program partners are implementing the ACCSP standards within their respective areas. NOAA Fisheries (NOAA) U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (US FWS) Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) New England Fishery Management Council (NEFMC) Potomac River Fisheries Commission (PRFC) Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council (MAFMC) South Atlantic Fishery Management Council (SAFMC) Maine Department of Marine Resources (ME DMR) New Hampshire Fish and Game Department (NH FGD) Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries (MA DMF) Rhode Island Division of Fish and Wildlife (RI DFW) Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (CT DEEP) New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYS DEC) New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife (NJ DFW) Delaware Division of Fish and Wildlife (DE DFW) Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission (PFBC) District of Columbia Fisheries and Wildlife Division (DC FWD) Maryland Department of Natural Resources (MD DNR) Virginia Marine Resources Commission (VMRC) North Carolina Division of Marine Fisheries (NC DMF) South Carolina Department of Natural Resources (SC DNR) Georgia Department of Natural Resources (GA DNR) Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FL FWCC) PSE Workshop ments appear to be capable of utilizing data with a higher PSE than previously considered. The group supported developing broad guidance on using data within ranges of PSE for stock assessment. There was also general agreement that management actions should be aligned with the precision of the data and the ability to measure the outcome of fishery management actions. Many avenues were identified to further clarify the issues and recommendations. These ranged from additional modeling efforts, vetting the workshop proceedings and guidance to larger audiences, and addressing the guidance to management in a separate venue. Over the next several months, ACCSP will be working with the steering committee and MRIP to complete the workshop proceedings and determine the appropriate process to expand on the feedback received at the PSE workshop. Potomac River Fisheries Commission EDITOR S NOTE Fisheries Files is published by the Atlantic Coastal Cooperative Statistics Program. Its purpose is to report developments on ACCSP partner projects, the Data Warehouse, and SAFIS. This document is also used to communicate updates on ACCSP committees and staff. Please credit the Program when reprinting articles used in this newsletter. Anyone wishing to submit relevant information or articles is invited and encouraged to do so. Submissions may be ed to Ann McElhatton, Editor of Fisheries Files, at ann.mcelhatton@accsp.org N. Highland Street Arlington, VA (p) (f) (e) info@accsp.org