Development of Surveys and Data Bases in Support of EBFM

Fishery independent surveys provide data in support of traditional assessments and of development of new population and ecosystem models. Vital components of model expansion from a single-species to a multi-species approach are quantitative estimates of predator-prey interactions based primarily on analyses of stomach contents. Acquisition of these data involves a significant addition to the typical operating procedures of most surveys and the initiation of labor-intensive laboratory efforts.

Two major fishery independent trawl programs conducted by the Virginia Institute of Marine Science have collected and analyzed tens of thousands of fish stomachs, representing a variety of species, since 2002. Results are available via a web portal that offers users several choices which subset(s) of data are presented. Users can choose to view analyses based on point-of-view of either prey or predator. It is anticipated that these continuing efforts will be a primary source of data support of modeling and EBFM.