Project Leader: John Sowles,

Maine Department of Marine Resources

Additional Participants:
Sally Sherman, Maine Department of Marine Resources
Yong Chen, University of Maine
Jeff Flagg, Portland Trawler Supply
Sam Galli, F/V Tara Lynn
Doug Grout, New Hampshire Fish and Game
Hannah Smith, Maine Department of Marine Resources
Vincent Manfredi, Maine Department of Marine Resources
Keri Stepanek, Maine Department of Marine Resources
Robert Tetrault, F/V Tara Lynn
Curt Rice, F/V Robert Michael

"This project is a fishery independent multi-species stock assessment along the Maine and New Hampshire inshore waters. The overall goal of the project is to establish a solid foundation for long-term fishery-independent monitoring of the Gulf of Maine inshore waters, filling an information gap on the status and trends of groundfish and other species in this area for which assessment data would otherwise be absent. Funded in part by the Northeast Consortium and in part by the NOAA Fisheries Cooperative Research Partners Program, the survey began in the fall of 2000 and consists of annual, spring and fall stratified random surveys, each covering approximately 115 stations from New Hampshire to Canada. The project is a close partnership with commercial fishermen and the two state agencies charged with managing the inshore state waters. Data is being provided for the management of a number of species including lobster, shrimp, crab, scallop, shad, herring, and groundfish. The project is contributing to stock abundance, structure, and recruitment indices for the area and compliments data from the NOAA Fisheries bottom trawl survey in the Gulf of Maine and the Massachusetts Department of Marine Fisheries inshore trawl survey.

In August 2005, and independent peer review of the project was facilitated by the Northeast Consortium. It was conducted to determine the viability of using the data in regional stock assessments and to improve the project for the future. The project received funding again in 2005 from the Northeast Consortium and the participants are incorporating many of the panel's recommendations in current and future surveys." extracted from: Summary of Completed Cooperative Research Projects Funded by the Northeast Consortium, January 2006

Companion/support files:
Station Meta Data
Length Frequency Data
Lobster Catch Data
Bio Maturity Data
Final Report

Project website: http://www.state.me.us/dmr/rm/trawl/

Regions:
1 = NH-Southern ME
2 = Casco Bay - Midcoast
3 = Penobscot Bay
4 = Jerico-Frenchmans Bay
5 = Downeast, ME over the survey area.

Depth strata codes:
2000-2002:
1 = 5-20 fathoms,
2 = 21-35 fathoms,
3 = 36-50+ fathoms
2003-2004:
1 = 5-20 fathoms,
2 = 21-35 fathoms,
3 = 36-55 fathoms,
4 = 55-85+ fathoms

Questions regarding the data should be directed to:

John Sowles
Maine Department of Marine Resources
P.O. Box 8
West Boothbay Harbor, ME
04575-0008

Phone: 207 633 9518
E-mail: john.sowles@maine.gov

Last modified 10/26/06; gfh