Bottomfish Sampling
Shallow and deep bottomfishing around the islands north of Saipan has increased in recent years and the Division of Fish and Wildlife (DFW) has implemented a special sampling program to monitor this fishery. Books of North Island Bottomfish Daily Logsheets (Deep Complex) and (Shallow Complex) are provided to vessels to record their catch and effort by location and DFW staff collect detailed data from a subsample of the vessels when they return to port. The following photos show a typical sampling effort.
Before a sampling trip, DFW samplers discuss the trip with the vessel owner, the fish market owner and a the fishermen. They make arrangements to obtain 30 or so fish to take back to the lab for detailed biological sampling. As with most trips to the Northern Marianas Islands, bottomfishing was the major activity, but trolling for pelagic species was also done.
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| Pre-Sampling trip Conference (Click on picture for a larger picture) |
DFW samplers distribute coolers, and begin identifying and measuring the fish (Click on picture for a larger picture) |
The main target species for the shallow water bottomfish fishery is the Redgilled or Spotcheek Emperor (Lethrinus rubrioperculatus), or "mafute" as it is called locally. This species is being studied more intensely by DFW as it may be an indicator species for the health of the shallow water bottomfish fishery.
