Data and tools on fishery, oceanography, marine mammal, and environmental research compiled and designed by AFSC scientists are used to develop policies and strategies for fisheries management within the U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone, to monitor and manage the health of the region's marine mammal populations, and to assess the impacts of chemical contaminants and physical alterations on select organisms and marine habitats. The data, some dating back nearly 100 years, are obtained from boat surveys, aerial surveys, land counts, stream and beach surveys, and other miscellaneous sources. Data sets or metadata describing the data sets are available through the AFSC website or from database managers at the Center.

Metadata is a file that contains details regarding the basic characteristics of a data set. These are the details about who, what, when, where, why, and how the data was collected. More information about metadata can be found at the FGDC website.

All of these metadata files can be found by searching the NMFS InPort data repository using "AFSC" in the search field or the data set name for quick results.

Data provided on our website are derived from large databases many of which are being updated and modified; the accuracy of some information is subject to change and cannot be guaranteed. We request that users contact the web page content creator or the AFSC webmaster before using any data from our website. Quality Information Guidelines are available on the NOAA website.