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Offshore Fisheries Monitoring

Offshore Fisheries Monitoring

aerial view of boat in water

During the Fisheries-Independent Monitoring (FIM) offshore presentation, students will learn about a variety of research methods conducted by scientists to study the Eastern Gulf of Mexico. FIM offshore research focuses on identifying various sea floor habitats and fish populations that are sampled using different techniques such as sidescan sonar, underwater camera arrays, and bottom trawls. The students will learn about different ocean habitats and how fisheries biologists sample them. We will discuss the importance of long-term monitoring and how these data are used to provide information for making decisions about fishing rules and regulations.

Learning Points

  1. How FIM scientists map the ocean floor.
  2. Why cameras are used and what information they gather from them.
  3. What a trawl is and what data are collected by using one.

Additional Activities