IMIS

The Maine-New Hampshire Inshore Trawl Survey is conducted twice a year, for five weeks at a time, always starting in New Hampshire and ending off Grand Manan. The spring surveys start the first week of May, and the fall surveys start the first week of October. Data collected by the survey include:

1. Fish and invertebrate weights and lengths,
2. Biological measures (sex, maturity, age) for selected species,
3. Icthyoplankton samples (fish eggs and larvae), ended in 2004, and
4. Oceanographic data (salinity, temperature, depth).

The survey has a stratified random design with a fixed component. The inshore areas sampled are divided into four depth strata, out to approximately the 12-mile limit. Strata 1: 5-20 fathoms Strata 2: 21-35 fathoms Strata 3: 36-55 fathoms Strata 4: 56+ fathoms The coast is also divided into five longitudinal regions based on oceanographic, geologic and biological features. Together, 20 separate strata exist. The total survey area is approximately 4,617 square nautical miles. A target of 115 stations is selected for sampling each survey, resulting in a sampling density of 1 station for every 40 NM2. Of those 115 stations, 20 of them are fixed stations, sampled each survey. There is 1 fixed station per stratum, either designated due to its historical importance and representative nature or chosen at random. The remaining 100 stations are chosen at random. The F/V Robert Michael, a Down East 54 out of Portland, Maine, is the primary vessel used for this survey. It is owned by Robert Tetrault and Captained by Rob Tetrault II. In addition, a virtually identical sister ship, the F/V Tara Lynn, Captained by Sam Galli, has been used by the survey as well. The survey utilizes a modified version of the shrimp net used in Maine waters. It was designed by the vessel owner and net designer Jeff Flagg to fish for a variety of near-bottom dwelling species without targeting any specific component. It has a 2-inch mesh, with a 1-inch mesh liner in the cod end. The net is outfitted with the NetMindTM trawl monitoring system manufactured by Northstar Technical. This sonar system allows continuous monitoring of net dimensions during towing to assess consistency, maintain quality control, and provide swept area for biomass calculations.