Southeast Area Monitoring & Assessment Program: Trawl Survey

Gulf States Marine Fisheries Commission

• Trawl Survey Station Map
• SEAMAP Data Download
• Data Structure Documentation
• Operation Manual

About SEAMAP Gulf of Mexico: Trawl and Plankton Survey

The objectives of the SEAMAP Summer Shrimp/Groundfish Survey are to monitor the size and distribution of penaeid shrimp during or prior to migration of Brown Shrimp from bays to the open Gulf of Mexico; aid in evaluating the “Texas Closure” management measure of the Gulf Council's Shrimp Fishery Management Plan; and provide information on shrimp and groundfish stocks across the northern Gulf of Mexico from inshore waters to 110 m. The objectives of the SEAMAP Fall Shrimp/Groundfish Survey are to sample the northern Gulf of Mexico to determine abundance and distribution of demersal organisms from inshore waters to 110 m; obtain length-frequency measurements for major finfish and shrimp species to determine population size structures; and collect environmental data to investigate potential relationships between abundance and distribution of organisms and environmental parameters.

Both surveys use a 12.8 m semi-balloon trawl with 8'x40" chain doors. The trawl is towed at 2.5 knots for 30 minutes to sample each station. All specimens collected in the trawl during the survey are identified, weighed, enumerated, and measured. In addition, water temperature, salinity, dissolved oxygen, and transmissivity or Secchi disc depth are collected at all stations.