Fisheries Oceanography of Coastal Alabama

The FOCAL (Fisheries Oceanography of CoastalAlabama) program* aims to examine the close connection between the biological and physical environments of coastal Alabama and how this interaction affects larvae and eggs dynamics across the shelf. The shallow coastal northern U.S. Gulf of Mexico represents one of the most biologically and physically dynamic systems in North America. The overarching *scientific goal* of the FOCAL program is to understand the key ecological and environmental drivers of egg and larval fish variability, and how this variability influences later adult stages entering the fishery. The core element of FOCAL is a cross-shelf survey initiated in fall 2004. These data are currently being employed in several long-term studies aimed at understanding recruitment variability of several key fish species. Additionally, FOCAL continues to provide support to state and federal agencies in the areas of taxonomic expertise and training in ichthyoplankton and other plankton groups.