Inshore Gulf of Maine Survey of Atlantic Herring Sentinel Spawning Grounds: Acoustic time and location data from the F/V Jennifer & Emily NEC-JA2005-1 from the Gulf of Maine, 2006 (NEC-CoopRes project)

<p><strong>Inshore Gulf of Maine Survey of Atlantic Herring Sentinel Spawning Grounds Year 6 - Acoustic time and location data</strong></p>

<p>This dataset contains date, time and position data for acoustic transects taken during 7 cruises in 2006.</p>

<p>This project was designed to acoustically monitor the locations, timing, and biomass levels of prespawning and spawning aggregations of Atlantic herring on significant \"sentinel\" spawning grounds. The western portion of the Gulf of Maine (Figure 4), which encompasses Jeffreys Ledge, Scantum Basin, and the coastal waters from Cape Ann, MA to Cape Porpoise, ME was chosen for a trial of this sentinel survey approach. The long-term goal is to extend the sentinel survey model to additional areas in the nearshore Gulf of Maine. Specific information collected on the timing and locations of spawning Atlantic herring will allow comparison with historical distributions and abundance of spawning Atlantic herring and provide insight into the relative importance of this region for spawning Atlantic herring.</p>