NOAA Technical Memorandum
NMFS-AFSC-81
The 1996 Pacific West Coast upper continental slope trawl survey of groundfish resources off Washington and Oregon: Estimates of distribution, abundance, and length composition
Abstract
The Alaska Fisheries Science Center (AFSC) conducted a groundfish bottom trawl survey of the West Coast upper continental slope (WCUCS) off Washington and Oregon in 1996. The survey area stretched from the U.S.-Canada border (near Nitinat Canyon) to lat. 43°00' N (near Cape Blanco) in waters from 183 to 1,280 m deep. This was the ninth survey in an ongoing series to monitor long-term trends in the distribution and abundance of WCUCS groundfish populations. This year the survey period was increased from 1 month to 6 weeks so that a larger area could be surveyed, and it is the second survey using the modified trawl gear and sampling protocols established in 1995. Sampling was conducted aboard the NOAA ship Miller Freeman. We successfully sampled 203 of the 225 stations that we had established. Catches included 119 different species of fishes and 106 different species of invertebrates.
The survey design and the methods used are described, the data collected are summarized, and the results of analyses of distribution, abundance, and biological parameters are presented. Data on water temperature, catch composition, relative abundance, and geographic distribution are reported. Estimates of biomass, population abundance, and length composition are also presented. Appendices include position and catch listings for each haul, catch rates of fish and invertebrates, and population size compositions.
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