The 1997 Pacific west coast upper continental slope trawl survey of groundfish resources off Washington, Oregon, and California : estimates of distribution, abundance, and length composition

The Alaska Fisheries Science Center's Resource Assessment and Conservation Engineering Division (RACE) conducted a groundfish bottom trawl survey of the West Coast upper continental slope (WCUCS) in 1997. The survey area stretched from the U.S.-Canada border (near Nitinat Canyon) to 34°50'N lat. (near Pt. Arguello) in waters from 183 to 1,280 m deep. This was the tenth survey in an ongoing series to monitor long-term trends in the distribution and abundance of WCUCS groundfish populations. The spatial coverage of the WCUCS groundfish trawl survey was expanded in 1997 to include all of the International North Pacific Fisheries Commission statistical areas between Point Conception (34°30'N lat.) and the U.S./Canada border. Sampling density was reduced to one-third the density of previous surveys so that the expanded area could be surveyed within a 5- week period. Sampling was conducted aboard the NOAA ship Miller Freeman. 1999 NMFS (National Marine Fisheries Service) AFSC (Alaska Fisheries Science Center) Library Public Domain 1861