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Fisheries Biology

The fisheries biology program was established to investigate the biology, life history and habitat of economically important reef fish and coastal-pelagic fishes relative to their management and conservation. Our primary area of concern is the Gulf of Mexico but some studies are also conducted on species from the Caribbean and South Atlantic region of the United States. Through dock-side sampling, observer programs and scientific fishery surveys, we collect and archive fishery data along with hard parts (otoliths, spines) and reproductive tissues. After samples are processed and aged, and reproductive interpretations are completed, we develop annual databases used in stock assessments.

While the program focuses on basic biological processes (particularly age, growth and reproduction) related to stock assessment needs, investigators at this laboratory are also involved in studies of comparative life history, population age and size structure across spatial and habitat gradients, stock delineation, and recruitment and reproductive variability. Methods studies are also conducted and have included aspects of gear selectivity, evaluation of growth models, validation of aging accuracy, new techniques in sample processing, and tests of precision for age and reproductive estimations.

Where the Samples Originate and What We Do with Our Data

While some sampling is conducted "in house" via port sampling in the Panama City area and small-vessel fishery-independent surveys, the bioprofiles program is largely responsible for processing biological samples obtained from several other state and federal programs. Fishery-dependent programs that have contributed "dock-side" samples include the Panama City Charter boat survey (Panama City FL NMFS), the Head Boat Survey (NMFS, Beaufort NC Laboratory), the Trip interview program (TIP, NMFS Miami Laboratory), the Florida Fish and Wildlife Research Institute (FWRI), and the Marine Recreational Fisheries Statistics Survey (MRFSS, NMFS).

In addition to "dock-side" sampling, we also conduct collaborative studies involving "at-sea" sampling from observers aboard fishing vessels (shark bottom longline observer program and Galveston observer program) and from scientific fishery surveys. These collaborating studies have included the Pascagoula Laboratory (NMFS) reef fish and long-line surveys, Pascagoula/Panama City NMFS fishery reserve study, and the United States Geological Survey's fishery habitat characterization studies. For formal assessments, the biological data, including age, size, sex, maturity, and reproductive status, are then used in models that enable assessment scientists (primarily NMFS Sustainable Fisheries Division, Miami) to estimate population parameters and assess fishery impacts. Because it is commonly recognized that biological data (and resulting parameters) can vary due to natural conditions and from process error, bioprofile program investigators most familiar with the data and their sources (e.g., by gear, fishery type, and locations), work as interactively as possible with the end users conducting the assessments.