Fisheries Independent Assessment Project

Both fishery-dependent and fishery-independent data are used to make informed management decisions regarding marine resources. Fishery-dependent data rely on direct observations of the fishery through market sampling, on-board observer programs, landing receipts, and logbooks. Fishery-independent data, on the other hand, rely on direct observations of species, populations, and ecosystems.

Fishery-independent research and monitoring collects essential fishery information (or "EFI"). EFI is information about the biology, ecology and harvest of a fish species, and is important for sustainable fisheries management. Some examples of EFI include indices of abundance, total mortality, movement patterns, spawning behavior, fecundity, reproductive potential, age, and growth.

Fishery-independent data are collected using a variety of methods and equipment. Fishing surveys (trawls or other nets), underwater surveys (scuba), and mark-recapture efforts (tags) are often used to collect information. Fishery-independent methods collect standardized information on all life stages of a species, not just information on species that are marketable or utilized by a fishery.

The Fisheries Independent Assessment Project staff work in southern California (Los Alamitos) and central California (Monterey). The southern California staff is currently studying abundance and movement patterns of surf fishes in the Southern California Bight, and habitat characteristics and movement patterns of barred sand bass. In addition, staff are also characterizing hormonal changes in barred sand bass related to gonad development and external environmental cues, and developing an estimate of spawning frequency. The central California staff is currently studying abundance, mortality and movements of nearshore fishes within Carmel Bay, including the Carmel Pinnacles State Marine Reserve; kelp greenling age, growth, and maturity; and age validation for cabezon and kelp greenling.