Purpose
The primary goal of the survey is to develop estimates of juvenile abundance for important fish species in the Chesapeake Bay. Estimates of young-of-the-year abundance derived from catch data help evaluate the health of a stock, and are used in predicting future commercial and recreational fish abundance.Method
For a given species, an index is created by selecting both spatial and temporal components. The spatial component is determined by the range of the animal and catch rates across the sampling area. The temporal component is selected as a three to four month window when the species is most fully recruited to the estuary and available to the sampling gear. With both the spatial and temporal components selected, the data are statistically treated to produce a "geometric mean catch per seine haul", or more simply put, an average catch rate. With several years of data, the results can provide a very informative picture of a species' health and spawning success in the Chesapeake Bay.
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