Summary

Description

This data set contains catch (landed catch) and effort for fishing trips made by vessels that have been issued a Federal permit for the Gulf of Mexico reef fish, South Atlantic snapper-grouper, sharks, and king and Spanish mackerel fisheries. Because the soak time for these fisheries is relatively short, it is infeasible to require fishermen to complete a separate form every time the gear is deployed. Thus, the catch and effort data for the entire trip are reported on a single form (i.e., one form per trip). In 1990, the Southeast Fisheries Science Center (SEFSC) initiated a logbook program for vessels that held a federal vessel permit to fish in the Gulf reef fish fishery. A similar program was initiated in 1992 for vessels with federal permits in the snapper-grouper fishery in the South Atlantic region. These two programs combined to form the basis of the coastal fisheries logbook program. In 1993, this program was expanded to include vessels with federal permits in the shark fishery and in 1999 it was expanded to include vessels with commercial vessel permits in the king and Spanish mackerel fisheries. The types of information required on this trip form includes information on the quantity (reported in pounds) caught for each species, the area of catch, the type and quantity of gear, the date of departure and return, the dealer and location (county and state where the trip is unloaded), the duration of the trip (time away from dock), an estimate of the fishing time, and the number of crew are included on this form.