Offshore Video Survey and Oceanographic Analysis for Ecosystem Based Fisheries Management

With the aid of the commercial scallop fishing industry, the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth School of Marine Science and Technology has conducted an optical survey of the US Continental Shelf from the southern Mid-Atlantic to the US-Canadian border on eastern Georges Bank from 2003 to the 2014. Though the goal of the survey was to assess the scallop resource, the abundance or presence of approximately 50 taxonomic animal groups and the substrate they were observed on was also quantified. The goal of this project was to use this data in conjunction with oceanographic model outputs to create new spatial data products that advanced our understanding of marine habitats and ecological function in the Northwest Atlantic. The results include large scale characterization of benthic habitat, species distribution and environmental conditions in the survey area over the past decade. These outputs were then used to investigate the relationship between certain species and environmental factors, such as sediment stability, and to identify benthic species assemblages. Spatial outputs from the project were also incorporated into the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic ocean data portals to facilitate their use as aids for ocean planning.