Ecosystem Monitoring

Shelf-wide Research Vessel Surveys are conducted 6-7 times per year over the continental shelf from Cape Hatteras, North Carolina to Cape Sable, Nova Scotia, using NOAA research ships or charter vessels. The Cape Hatteras to Cape Sable area is divided into four regions, and 30 randomly selected stations are targeted for sampling from each region.

The investigation utilizes shelf-wide research vessel surveys to gather data on planktonic organisms including zooplankton and ichtyoplankton. Environmental parameters are also collected but stored in different databases (e.g., OCDBS).

The investigation monitors the fishery-relevant components of the Northeast Shelf ecosystem, to characterize the baseline conditions and to determine the effects of biological and physical processes on the recruitment of Northeast shelf fishes.

Data from this program have supported numerous analyses documenting the seasonal and interannual variability in the distribution and abundance of the dominant zooplankton taxa on the northeast continental shelf.