The ability of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration to conduct fisheries research and to assess fish
stock levels along the northeast U.S. coast has been enhanced
significantly with the completion of a major upgrade to the NOAA
ship DELAWARE II. The 155-ft vessel returned to its home port
in Woods Hole, Mass. and resumed operations the first week of
December 1996.
The DELAWARE II's sea time will be spent
primarily in support of the National Marine Fisheries Service's
Northeast Fisheries Science Center programs. The data collected
by the vessel are used by NMFS, the New England and Mid-Atlantic
Regional Fisheries Management Councils, and the Atlantic States
Marine Fisheries Commission to determine sustainable yield levels
for commercial fish stock and to protected species.