2013-2014 California Current Ecosystem (CCE14): Acoustic-Trawl Survey of Coastal Pelagic Fishes (Legs I and II); and Investigations of hake survey methods, life history, and associated ecosystem (Legs III and IV) (SH1405, EK60)

The 2014 acoustic-trawl method (ATM) project aboard Bell M. Shimada represents a joint effort between the SWFSC and the NWFSC in investigating elements of the California Current Ecosystem (CCE). The primary goal is to use the ATM to estimate the biomasses, distributions, and biological compositions of the northern sub-population of sardine, other CPS (e.g., mackerels, anchovy, herring, and smelts), hake, krill, and gelatinous zooplankton within the survey region. The adaptive sampling may span the northern sub-population of sardine, probably between Cape Flattery to Point Conception, but potentially from the northern end of Vancouver Island, Canada to the U.S.-Mexican border, as safely navigable in the east, and to the western extent of CPS and hake backscatter in the west. The seconary goal is to investigate the methods that will improve the accuracy and efficiency of the Pacific hake (Merluccius productus) in the California Current Ecosystem (CCE). The overall 2014 effort, hereafter referred to as CCE14, consists of five project legs:
Legs I and II: A SWFSC-led survey of coastal pelagic fishes (CPS), demersal fishes, zooplankton, and their oceanographic habitats within the California Current Ecosystem will be conducted during Leg I and Leg II (24 June to 24 August). This ATM survey will assess biomasses, distributions, and biological compositions of multiple species and trophic levels within the adaptively sampled region spanning the northern subpopulation of Pacific sardine (Sardinops sagax). During Leg II, as time permits (at the discretion of the Chief Scientist), the NWFSC will sample age-1 hake and characterize the western extent of adult hake. Legs III and IV: NWFSC-led investigations of Pacific hake (Merluccius productus) and joint survey methods, life history, and associated ecosystem components (trophic structure and oceanography) will be conducted during CCE14 Leg III and Leg IV (28 August to 14 September). The data included here are only those collected during Legs III and IV by NWFSC.