"This paper describes the relational database created for the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) California Recreational Fisheries Survey (CRFS) Onboard Observer Sampling Program. The program surveys the commercial passenger fishing vessel (CPFV) fleet fishing out of 15 coastal counties and two counties inside San Francisco Bay, representing 46 site locations. From 1999 through 2011, observers collected spatially-explicit catch and release records for 47,417 drifts (fishing stops) during 7,043 observed trips. Lengths of discarded fish caught by observed anglers were recorded to monitor in-season discards. Presented herein is a brief description of the sampling program, an overview of the fully relational database, and quality control methods applied to the historical data. Data from the relational database are governed by condentiality requirements and are available via permission from CDFW."

National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS)

California