NOAA technical memorandum NMFS-AFSC ; 319

This report documents the second year of the Aleutian Islands Cooperative acoustic study (AICASS). The AICASS was developed to investigate the possibility of conducting scientific acoustic surveys in cooperation with commercial fishermen aboard commercial fishing vessels and use these data to manage the Aleutian Islands walleye pollock (Gadus chalcogrammus) fishery at spatial and temporal scales important to predators such as the Steller sea lion (Eumetopias jubatus). In 2007 the study successfully completed two acoustic surveys and collected biological and oceanographic data important to calculating pollock biomass estimates. The 2007 AICASS demonstrated that it is possible to conduct scientific quality acoustic surveys in the Aleutian Islands aboard properly calibrated and verified commercial fishing vessels equipped with commercially available echosounders. [doi:10.7289/V5/TM-AFSC-319 (http://dx.doi.org/10.7289/V5/TM-AFSC-319)]

National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS)