Atlantic Oculina Survey (2004)

The Southeast Fisheries Science Center Mississippi Laboratories conducts standardized fisheries independent resource surveys off the east coast of the United States to provide abundance and distribution information to support regional and international stock assessments. A pilot pelagic longline survey was conducted in 2004 off the east coast of the United States. The objective of the survey was to examine the feasibility of using pelagic longline gear to collect fisheries-independent data on stocks of offshore fishes and to establish protocols for future use. Additional objectives included examining the distribution and relative abundance of pelagic fishes in the region and collect biological and environmental data.