Testing the feasibility of using commercial fishing vessels to conduct acoustic surveys of Atlantic herring

PROJECT OBJECTIVES: 1. Test the feasibility of using a commercial fishing vessel and its crew to collect information on Atlantic herring distribution and abundance for stock assessment purposes. 2. Using this vessel, to apply acoustic survey procedures developed by the Maine Department of Marine Resources in the fall of 1995 on Jeffreys Ledge to coastal Gulf of Maine spawning grounds in the summer and fall of 1996. 3. Train the crew of the fishing vessel and the crews of other commercial fishing vessels collaborating in this project in proper acoustic survey procedures, the operation of the echosounder and computer hardware and software, and proper data collection procedures aboard the vessel. Grant no. NA66FK0078