Fishing Revenue-Intensity Raster Database, 2007-2012

These revenue-intensity rasters were built as part of an effort to improve upon the spatial precision of self-reported Vessel Trip Report (VTR) fishing locations. Merging VTR information with data collected by at-sea fisheries observers, statistical models were developed to estimate cumulative distribution functions (CDF) for the distance between VTR points and observed set/haul locations. This method allows us to generate predictions for the spatial footprint of fishing from variables reported on the VTR (e.g. gear type and length of trip) that are and theoretically linked to the trip’s footprint. This process was used to develop a fishing revenue-intensity raster dataset for the years 2007 through 2012, the period studied in the above-mentioned NMFS socio-economic impact report. For additional detail on the process of developing this raster dataset of "fishing footprints," see NOAA Tech Memo NE-229 (DePiper 2014).