In the spring of 2006, the Fisheries Resources Division of the Southwest Fisheries Science Center conducted a coast-wide survey from Baja California to British Columbia, including the waters off California, Oregon and Washington. This survey was unique in that it is the first to provide a snapshot of the physical and biological environment encompassing the entire California Current ecosystem.
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Coastwide Sardine Survey I: Marine Mammals and Seabirds
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During the Coastwide Sardine Survey, specialists using high powered binoculars identified and counted all of the marine mammals and seabirds to come within 300 meters of the ship.
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Coastwide Sardine Survey II: Acoustic mapping of fish schools
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The NOAA Fisheries Survey Vessel(FSV) Oscar Dyson is very quiet while underway, allowing scientists to detect faint echoes from fish schools and other marine life, with little interference from ship noise.
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Coastwide Sardine Survey III: Continuous Underway Fish Egg Sampler (CUFES)
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The Continuous Underway Fish Egg Sampler, or CUFES, is a machine that continuously pumps a sample of water from the top 3 meters of the ocean while the ship is moving. The water is filtered in order to trap all of the floating fish eggs which are then identified and logged into a data software program.
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Coastwide Sardine Survey IV: CTD deployment
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A CTD is a device that measures the Conductivity, Temperature, and Depth of the water column. The CTD is lowered by a winch to 200 meters depth and sensors on the device that are linked to a computer on board create a profile of the water column. Water samples can be taken at different depths, triggered by the scientist on board.
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Coastwide Sardine Survey V: Trawling for Fish
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Trawl nets are towed through the water behind the ship at predetermined stations in order to sample adult fish. The fish are categorized by species and length/weight measurements are also taken.
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