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The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) began placing at-sea observers on commercial shrimping (Penaeidae and Sicyonia brevirostris) vessels in the early 1990's in the southeastern region of the United States (U.S.) to identify and minimize the impacts of shrimp trawling on federally managed species. Recent analysis of bycatch data relative to smalltooth sawfish, Pristis pectinata, a species endangered globally, indicated a high level of uncertainty in the estimated take in the U.S. Due to costs associated with observer coverage, and given the rare event of capturing a smalltooth sawfish, increasing observer coverage to refine take estimates of this species is not considered practical. We explored the use of electronic monitoring (EM) to provide a valid alternative to increased observer coverage for the purpose of documenting fishery interactions with smalltooth sawfish. This system was additionally used to document interactions with other protected species and large teleost and elasmobranch bycatches (>1.0 kg). While no smalltooth sawfish were observed, the catch and safe release of a loggerhead sea turtle, Caretta caretta, was recorded by both the EM system and observer. The EM system was used to record commercial shrimp vessel operations during six trips, encompassing 1,733 h of video over 94 sea days, with a certified fishery observer also being present for the full duration of each trip. Catch composition documented by the EM reviewer was compared to observer data. Overall, 20 tows contained a total of 33 bycatch items in the observer sample that met criteria of being over 1.0 kg. Of these catch items, 87.9% were also detected by the EM reviewer compared to observer data. Detection rates for elasmobranchs were higher in comparison to teleosts, at 95.8%. Pairwise comparison of EM video to data collected by onboard observers (animals >1.0 kg in size) lead us to conclude that EM would be an effective tool for detecting protected resources and larger fauna interactions in the Gulf of Mexico shrimp trawl fishery., Introduction The use of electronic monitoring (EM) has the potential to augment the collection of bycatch information and lessen the need for onboard scientific observers, which in some cases can [...]

A mandatory Federal observer program was established in July 2007 to characterize the U.S. Gulf of Mexico penaeid shrimp fishery. The program grew in scope in June 2008 to include the South Atlantic Penaeidae and rock (Sicyoniidae) shrimp fisheries. In 2012, following an increase in sea turtle (Chelonioidea) strandings, observer coverage expanded to coastal waters of the northern Gulf of Mexico for skimmer trawl vessels and in 2016 for statelicensed otter trawl vessels. From January 2011 through December 2016, data were collected from 27,116 tows during 11,118 sea days of observations aboard 1,134 trips. For the mandatory component, data from 24,679 tows (10,734 sea days) were analyzed by area and target species. The majority of tows sampled (65%) were off the coasts of Louisiana and Texas. The highest concentrated effort occurred off South Texas, Louisiana, and southwestern Florida. Gear, including net characteristics, bycatch reduction devices (BRD's), and turtle excluder devices (TED's), were fairly consistent for the penaeid and rock shrimp otter trawl fisheries. By species categories, finfish comprised the majority ([greater than or equal to] 58%) of the catch in the Gulf of Mexico and southern U.S.Atlantic penaeid shrimp fisheries, while in the rock shrimp fishery, finfish and rock shrimp rates were similar. Bycatch to shrimp ratios were comparable to a 2007-10 shrimp assessment but lower than reported in previous studies for the Gulf of Mexico penaeid shrimp fishery. Declining shrimp effort since 2002 combined with higher shrimp catch per unit of effort (CPUE) and several management measures most likely contributed to the lower bycatch ratios seen in more than a decade. Density surface plots for several commercial and recreational species illustrated spatial differences in distribution and CPUE. Hot Spot Analyses depicted areas with significant clustering of high or low CPUE for shrimp and bycatch species. Distribution of protected species interactions is illustrated both spatially and temporally., Introduction The southeastern shrimp trawl fishery impacts commercial, recreational, and ecologically important fish stocks (Pellegrin, 1982; Alverson et al., 1994; Nichols et al. (1); NMFS (2,3)). Declines in several finfish [...]

In July 2007, a mandatory Federal observer program was implemented to characterize the U.S. Gulf of Mexico penaeid shrimp (Farfantepenaeus aztecus, F. duorarum, and Litopenaeus setiferas) fishery. In June 2008, the program expanded to include the South Atlantic penaeid and rock shrimp, Sicyonia spp., fisheries. Data collected from 10,206 tows during 5,197 sea days of observations were analyzed by geographical area and target species. The majority of tows (~70%) sampled were off the coasts of Texas and Louisiana. Based on total hours towed, the highest concentrated effort occurred off South Texas and southwestern Florida. Gear information, such as net characteristics, bycatch reduction devices, and turtle excluder devices were fairly consistent among areas and target species. By species categories, finfish comprised the majority (>57%) of the catch composition in the Gulf of Mexico and South Atlantic penaeid shrimp fisheries, while in the South Atlantic rock shrimp fishery the largest component (41%) was rock shrimp. Bycatch to shrimp ratios were lower than reported in previous studies for the Gulf of Mexico penaeid shrimp fishery. These decreased ratios may be attributed to several factors, notably decreased shrimp effort and higher shrimp catch per unit of effort (CPUE) in recent years. CPUE density surface plots for several species of interest illustrated spatial differences in distribution. Hot Spot Analyses for shrimp (penaeid and rock) and bycatch species identified areas with significant clustering of high or low CPUE values. Spatial and temporal distribution of protected species interactions were documented., Introduction Bycatch in shrimp trawls is a significant source of fishery induced mortality for several state and Federally managed finfish species in the southeastern United States (Pellegrin, 1982; Alverson et [...]

In July 2006, a mandatory observer program was implemented to characterize the commercial reef fish fishery operating in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico. The primary gear types assessed included bottom longline and vertical line (bandit and handline). A total of 73,205 fish (183 taxa) were observed in the longline fishery. Most (66%) were red grouper, Epinephelus morio, and yellowedge grouper, E. flavolimbatus. In the vertical line fishery, 89,015 fish (178 taxa) were observed of which most (60%) were red snapper, Lutjanus campechanus, and vermilion snapper, Rhomboplites aurorubens. Based on surface observations of discarded under-sized target and unwanted species, the majority of fish were released alive; minimum assumed mortality was 23% for the vertical line and 24% for the bottom longline fishery. Of the individuals released alive in the longline fishery, 42% had visual signs of barotrauma stress (air bladder expansion/ and or eyes protruding). In the vertical line fishery, 35% of the fish were released in a stressed state. Red grouper and red snapper size composition by depth and gear type were determined. Catch-per-unit-effort for dominant species in both fisheries, illustrated spatial differences in distribution between the eastern and western Gulf. Hot Spot Analyses for red grouper and red snapper identified areas with significant clustering of high or low CPUE values., Introduction Amendment 22 to the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council's (GMFMC) Reef Fish Fishery Management Plan (GMFMC (1)) dictates mandatory observer coverage. In July 2006, in collaboration with the [...]

From 2007 to 2019, the southeastern U.S. shrimp fishery's mandatory observer program has collectively observed 1,766 U.S. Gulf of Mexico and southeastern U.S. Atlantic penaeid otter trawl, rock shrimp, and skimmer trawl trips. During observed shrimp trips, the program documented interactions with sea turtles, marine mammals, sawfish, giant manta rays, sturgeons, and seabirds. Spatial and temporal distribution of sea turtle interactions manifested higher numbers of mortalities off the coasts of Louisiana, Texas, and the southern waters of west Florida. Of the 280 sea turtles captured, 233 were alive at release. Marine mammal interactions, though low in number (n =16), resulted in near-total mortality. Habitat range of sawfish overlapped with fishery effort, resulting in captures (n =17) off Florida's coast with over 50% being released alive. Documentation of giant manta ray interactions began in 2019 and showed a higher occurrence in the southeastern U.S. Atlantic shrimp fishery relative to Gulf shrimp. The Gulf shrimp fishery off Louisiana and the southeastern U.S. Atlantic shrimp fishery off the coasts of the Carolinas and Georgia reported the capture of 14 sturgeons with close to 80% survival rate at release. Reporting of all captured seabird species was required; however, reports were low totaling 15. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fishery observers collected data from 307 tows during 96 trips aboard skimmer trawl vessels in Louisiana's coastal waters from September 2004 through June 2005 to estimate catch rates of target and nontarget species, including sea turtles (Cheloniidae and Dermochelyidae), by area and season during commercial shrimping operations. About 16,965.7 kg of total catch were recorded during 517.0 hours of fishing operations. Based on weight extrapolations from species composition samples, penaeid shrimp (Penaeidae) dominated the catch at 66%, followed by finfish at 19%. nonpenaeid shrimp crustaceans at 7%, discarded penaeid shrimp at 6%, and debris at 3%. Noncrustacean invertebrates comprised less than 1%. Catch rates in kilograms per hour by category was 21.6 for penaeid shrimp, 6.2 for finfish, 2.2 for nonpenaeid crustaceans. 1.8 for discarded penaeid shrimp, and 0.9 for debris. White shrimp, Litopenaeus setiferus, other penaeid shrimp, and Gulf menhaden, Brevoortia patronus, were the top three dominant species by weight. Seasonally, a higher catch rate was observed from May through August 2005 for penaeid shrimp as compared with the September through December 2004 period. Conversely, the September through December 2004 period experienced a higher catch rate for finfish than during May through August 2005. No sea turtle interactions were documented., Introduction The majority of penaeid shrimp (Penaeidae) harvested in the Gulf of Mexico and southeastern Atlantic are taken with bottom-otter trawls. Skimmer trawls (Fig. 1), an alternative method for shrimp [...]