NOAA Fisheries collaborates with the fishing industry and other partners across the nation through cooperative research. These partners play a valuable role in conducting research and collecting data to improve the evaluation of stock status and the management of fishery resources. The Southeast Cooperative Research Program seeks to increase collaborations and strengthen working relationships among researchers from NOAA Fisheries, state fishery agencies, universities, and fishermen. 

Congress initiated cooperative research funding to assist NOAA Fisheries with improving the fishing industry’s confidence in the data and analyses performed in support of fisheries management.

Cooperative research allows fishermen the opportunity to apply their experience, knowledge, skills, and resources to help advance our science. Working with fishing communities not only improves the design and implementation of research studies but also improves the knowledge and acceptance of their results. Working together, fishermen and scientists can improve our understanding of the complex interactions between fishery resources and fishing practices to better manage our marine resources.

Below are some examples of cooperative research in the Southeast:

Biological Sampling for Species of Concern

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Biological sampling of fish is a key responsibility of the Southeast Fisheries Science Center. As part of this effort, we work with state agencies like the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and South Carolina’s Department of Natural Resources to collect life history and biological samples from various federally managed species. We collect information and samples including otoliths for estimating fish age, fish length and weight, reproductive tissues for fecundity estimates, and more. Cooperative funding allows for focused efforts to collect updated data for species of concern—including those scheduled for upcoming stock assessments. Samples are derived from other cooperative research studies, recreational fisheries, commercial fisheries, and scientific surveys. 

Cooperative Puerto Rico Deepwater Fishery-Independent Reef Fish Survey

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The Puerto Rico Deepwater Reef Fish Survey conducts fishery-independent sampling in collaboration with local scientists and fishermen for deepwater reef fishes island-wide to generate indices of relative abundance and life history samples to support stock assessments and management. Stock assessments for several of these species—silk snapper and queen snapper in particular—are considered “data-poor” and often lack basic biological information. We collaborate with commercial fishers in Puerto Rico using hook-and-line fishing gear to sample over 200 sites each year in depths ranging from 50 to 450 meters. This survey is expanding into shallower water (20 to 50 meters deep) to increase coverage and overlap with other surveys in the region. 

A second objective of this project is to develop camera technologies with wavelength modified lights for surveying in low-light, deepwater habitats and collaborate with local fishers to scale the equipment for deployment off small vessels. These technological advancements will not only benefit the U.S. Caribbean, but will help enhance our fishery-independent research in other regions as well. 

Survey Contact: Kate Overly (katherine.overly@noaa.gov)

Cooperative Statistics Program 

The State/Federal Cooperative Program for Fishery Statistics ("CSP") is a partnership between each of the eight coastal states (North Carolina through Texas), Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and NOAA Fisheries. The program was initiated to enhance the collection of fishery statistics in the Southeast Region. It focuses on two major data collection activities: (1) enhancing the collection of the landings statistics such as the quantity or pounds and dollar value of the catches that are landed and sold in established market channels, and (2) improving the collection of biological data such as size frequency, length and weight measurements, and aging.

Cooperative Tagging Program

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Our Cooperative Tagging Program relies on information collected by volunteers—charter captains, anglers, and commercial fishermen—who are frequently out on the water. Volunteers tag and release highly migratory and coastal pelagic species and report when they have recaptured one. By recording interactions with tagged fish, scientists learn more about fish movement, habitat use, seasonal patterns, shifts in behavior, and post-release survival.  All of this information leads to a more sustainably managed fishery. Among other successes, the program documented five trans-Atlantic and two trans-equatorial movements by white marlin which were satellite-tagged in 2023—findings not observed by past electronic tagging studies. We have also used satellite tags to document habitat use and movements of silky, night, oceanic whitetip sharks (an Endangered Species Act listed species), and giant manta rays as part of these collaborative efforts. To request a free tagging kit, contact us at tagging@noaa.gov!

Puerto Rico Fishery-Dependent Sampling

We collaborate with local fishing communities in Puerto Rico to gather essential life history information about Caribbean fish stocks. As part of this effort, we developed partnerships with fishers to allow observers on board fishing vessels to collect biological samples such as otoliths, gonads, eyes, and DNA samples. These data help us fill in the gaps in life history data conduct stock assessments for data-poor species in the U.S. Caribbean. This is a collaboration with HJR Reefscaping and Puerto Rico Department of Natural and Environmental Resources. Our priority species of interest include groupers (black, red, red hind, tiger, yellowedge, yellowfin), snappers (mutton, black, vermillion), and hogfish. Since the project began in 2022, we’ve successfully sampled over 650 fish!

Puerto Rico Lobster Abundance Index Survey

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Commercial fishermen are conducting cooperative research in Puerto Rico to survey lobster using traps. Data collected during this project will be used to further develop an index of recruits, provide size composition information, and provide gear selectivity information for use in future stock assessments. Southeast Fisheries Science Center staff have developed an integrated stock assessment model for Caribbean spiny lobster that requires annual landings, sizes of landed and discarded lobsters, and life history parameters. This cooperative research is helping address the model’s data gaps to improve stock assessment performance.

South Atlantic Deepwater Longline Survey

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The South Atlantic Deepwater Longline (SADL) survey was initiated in 2020 to survey data-limited deepwater species like deepwater groupers and tilefish in depths from 75 to 366 meters from the Virginia-North Carolina border to the Florida Keys. This survey was designed to fill data gaps by collecting abundance and size structure data, as well as life-history information from otoliths and reproductive samples. The survey is conducted cooperatively with fishermen using industry vessels as survey platforms, and at-sea observers to collect the data. The survey expanded northward to Delaware Bay in 2023 to better address interjurisdictional management of stocks along the Atlantic seaboard. These data are intended to support multiple stock assessments and the management of South Atlantic fisheries. Survey cooperators include the commercial fishing industry and the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources. 

Shark Research Fishery

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Fishery-independent abundance estimates for sharks are currently limited. Several shark species, including the sandbar and dusky shark, are also prohibited from commercial and recreational harvest. This has caused a lack of biological sampling for life history studies in recent years. Stock assessment projections indicated a small amount of quota could still be harvested and allow the sandbar sharks to rebuild. With this critical data needed, NOAA Fisheries established the Shark Research Fishery in 2008 to allow a small number of fishermen to harvest a limited number of sandbar sharks if accompanied by a scientific observer. Through this cooperative research, we work with fishermen to collect life history and abundance data for several data-limited shark species. These trips also offer the opportunity to study and inform modifications of fishing practices to reduce bycatch of prohibited species. Since the inception of this program, data collected has been used in five stock assessments for eight species of sharks and resulted in over ten peer-reviewed publications. 

Survey Contact: Dr. John Carlson (john.carlson@noaa.gov)

West Florida Shelf Reef Fish Video Survey

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The West Florida Shelf Reef Fish Video Survey has been ongoing since 2016. For this survey, we work with various partners including commercial and recreational vessels, universities, and offshore supply ships to deploy spherical stereo-video camera systems, environmental DNA (eDNA), and sidescan sonar mapping systems. We use data collected with these technologies to monitor reef fish and their habitats in the Gulf of Mexico. Sidescan sonar data help us focus our survey efforts, examine habitat use by different species, and refine ecosystem models. Once sites are selected, we deploy baited, 360-degree cameras and eDNA sampling equipment to estimate the species composition and abundance at more than 100 stations each year. We use these data to generate indices of relative abundance for use in stock assessments and to inform fishery managers. 

Survey Contact: Kate Overly (katherine.overly@noaa.gov)

Funding Opportunities for Cooperative Research

Funding opportunities through which external cooperative research activities could be supported include:

• Marine Fisheries Initiative 
• Saltonstall-Kennedy Grant Program 
• Bycatch Reduction Engineering Program
• Sea Grant