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.

FOCAL（沿海阿拉巴马渔业海洋学，Fisheries Oceanography of Coastal Alabama）项目*旨在探究阿拉巴马沿海海域生物环境与物理环境之间的紧密关联，以及这种相互作用如何影响陆架范围内鱼卵与仔鱼的种群动态。

美国墨西哥湾北部的近岸浅海区域，是北美地区生物与物理过程最为活跃的海域之一。

本项目的*核心科学目标*为阐明驱动鱼类卵与仔鱼种群变异的关键生态与环境因子，以及该变异如何影响后续进入渔业种群的成鱼阶段。

FOCAL项目的核心内容为2004年秋季启动的跨陆架调查。目前，该调查获取的数据已被多项长期研究采用，旨在阐明多种关键鱼类的补充群体变异规律。此外，FOCAL项目还持续为州级与联邦机构提供鱼类浮游生物（ichthyoplankton）及其他浮游生物类群的分类学专业支持与相关培训。