Southern California Hook and Line Survey (Annual So. CA Bight hook and line data collection/survey)

This is an annual, fishery-independent survey aimed at collecting abundance and biological data for use in the stock assessments of several key rockfish species including overfished species such as bocaccio. The project is a collaboration among NWFSC, PSMFC, and the local sportfishing industry. Two vessels are chartered from the local fleet, and using a fixed-station design and standardized sampling protocols, data and specimens appropriate for use in stock assessments and other projects useful for groundfish research are collected. These include video imagery of the sea floor for habitat classification, collecting specimens and information for rockfish ecosystem research conducted at the SWFSC, and the use of genetic techniques to identify cryptic species. Research products include data transmitted to assessment authors, peer-reviewed manuscripts, and NOAA Technical Memoranda.

The primary management audience is the PSFMC and its panels. This is an ongoing project, and 2013 is the survey's 10th year. The project is stand-alone; however data generated via the survey are combined with various other data in the development of stock assessments. Data, specimens, and analytical products from this survey will have been incorporated into 7 stock assessments through the 2013 assessment cycle. Data collected on this survey also enable other groundfish-related projects conducted at the NWFSC and elsewhere. As the project's goal is maintaining an ongoing time series of data for stock assessments, no completion date is identified. This data set contains information on date; time; vessel; set identification (i.e. unique sampling event number); gear performance; location; depth; soak time; sea surface temperature; water column profile that includes temperature, salinity, dissolved oxygen, turbidity, and chlorophyll; ocean and weather observations; hook disposition; species captured; length and weight information for all specimens captured; and sex, age structure, and genetics data for all rockfish specimens captured.