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The FMA database consists of various data collected by
fishery biologists while deployed on board commercial fishing vessels or
at shoreside processing plants participating in the Bering Sea and Gulf
of Alaska groundfish fisheries. Data collection activities began in 1973
and they continue to date. While deployed at their assignments, observers
collect data on the catch size, fishing locations, catch composition, length
frequencies, age structures, marine mammal interactions, and a variety of
special projects. The specific data components collected are outlined in
the Groundfish
Observer Manual. Once received by FMA, these data are extensively
checked for quality and are then entered onto an Oracle database and made
available to authorized staff.
These data are collected cooperatively from private commercial
fishing interests and are protected from general release by
confidentiality statutes. This protects the private business interests
of industry while still providing NOAA Fisheries with the detailed information
necessary to effectively manage the ecosystem. The staff authorized to
use these data include NOAA Fisheries' scientists and managers participating
in a broad range of activities including:
- stock assessments,
- marine mammal interactions,
- food habits,
- fish
age analyses,
- economic analyses,
- fishery management plan development,
- in-season fishery management.
The data are shared with other authorized
users in the Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADF&G) and North
Pacific Fishery Management Council staff with similar responsibilities.
Aggregations of observer data which protect confidentiality are
periodically developed and released to the public. Observer data
serve as essential building blocks for numerous public analyses, reports,
and scientific documents.
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