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Feature Articles
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ME sea urchin survey development
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This article is reprinted with permission of Commercial Fisheries News, the Northeast's fishing newspaper for over 30 years, ©2003 Compass Publications Inc. Commercial Fisheries News is published monthly; annual subscriptions are $21.95. To subscribe or request a sample issue: call (877) 263-4496; fax (207) 367-2490; e-mail (cfoster@fish-news.com); or click on the hot link.
In 1994, the state of Maine began a new program of sea urchin fishery monitoring, assessment, and research. We began with a commercial port sampling program in which harvesters and buyers were interviewed at the docks and urchin samples were collected.
In 1996, we began collecting information about catches from buyers through a logbook program. Although our port sampling and logbook programs provide important information about the fishery, they cannot tell us the quantity, size, or health of the urchins that remain in the water when the season is over.
Other researchers have been monitoring larval abundances, which may or may not reflect adult stock abundance. Several research projects have evaluated urchin stocks at several Maine locations, and although useful, these were short-term studies with different purposes.
A formal stock assessment model was developed in 2001, but it depends mainly upon fishery-dependent data, creating some bias in the results. An unbiased estimate of sea urchin abundance is required.
An annual fishery-independent survey has been instituted to provide this information. The 2001 survey has provided a baseline of data with which future years can be compared. The survey will also allow us to identify areas that may have been impacted by a die-off, and to quantify young urchins coming along.
For more info contact Maggie Hunter, (207) 633-9541 or Margaret.Hunter@state.me.us.
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