Results of trawl surveys of groundfish resources of the West Coast upper continental slope from 1989 to 1993

Abstract

The Alaska Fisheries Science Center (AFSC) conducted annual groundfish bottom trawl surveys of the West Coast upper continental slope (WCUCS) from 1989 to 1993 between the U.S-Canada border and central California (lat. 38°20' N). Each year the survey covered habitat 183-1,280 m deep in different but contiguous parts the International North Pacific Fisheries Commission (INPFC) U.S. Vancouver, Columbia, Eureka, and Monterey statistical areas. The primary objective of these surveys was to describe and monitor abundance, biological characteristics, and the geographic and bathymetric distribution of major groundfish resources inhabiting the WCUCS.

Sampling was conducted aboard two vessels, the F/V Golden Fleece in 1989, and the NOAA ship Miller Freeman from 1990 to 1993. A total of 484 stations were established for all surveys combined, of which 402 were successfully sampled. Catches included 153 different species of fishes and 68 different species of invertebrates.

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: 1) position and catch listings for each haul by survey year; 2) catch rates of fish and invertebrates by year, by INPFC area, and by depth stratum; and 3) population size compositions by year and by INPFC area.