Offshore marine development is impacting several of our long-standing fishery-independent surveys. To maintain data continuity, support sustainable fisheries management, and continue improving and modernizing data collections/streams, we’re working with fishermen in our region to develop and test a brand new survey!
Trials and Tribulations
What goes into designing a new survey? Well, a lot of trial and error. The earliest trips, called “shake-down” trips, were dedicated to separating the theoretical from the practical. Sometimes things in theory don’t always work in practice. So, in April, October, and November 2024, we conducted shake-down trips out of Ocean City, Maryland, and Virginia Beach, Virginia. That’s when I got to see a bunch of interesting ways to test out our ideas and adapt to challenges. Here are a few of the things we worked on and tested during our shake-down trips.
Getting Jiggy With It
One item we’re testing is automatic jigging machines. They consist of fishing reels the size of a large coffee can, a computer screen, and analog buttons. The machines have programmable options for standardization of gear deployment and retrieval including jig pattern and speed, height off the seafloor, and sensitivity to detect fish on the line.
Fine tuning the machine’s fish sensitivity was tricky. The sensitivity function tells the machine how much tension is required before the line is automatically reeled back to the surface. If we set the sensitivity too high, the machines may misinterpret the bobbing lead sinkers or fish nibbles as an actual hooked fish and reel the line up prematurely. If we set the sensitivity too low, they won’t detect small, hooked fish.
Weight, Weight, Don’t Tell Me
In our initial sensitivity tests in southern New England, we accounted for the strength of tides and currents. We selected a weight that would keep tension on the line and not trigger the sensitivity sensor. Unfortunately that meant small fish went undetected. Contrast that to Virginia, where tides and currents are weaker and the weight amount triggered the sensitivity sensor way too much! To fix that, we experimented with reduced weights and adjusted the sensor settings. We’ll use this information to find the right weight amount that balances the need to detect small fish against the need to reduce false detections.
Tackling the Tackle
We make all the fishing gear rigs by hand. Rigs consist of one monofilament line with six equally spaced hooks attached by leader lines and swivels. Leader lines are weaker than the main line so that a very strong fish or a snag will break the line at a weak point. This prevents the entire machine and line from getting hung up. If a rig is lost, we unspool a new rig from our fancy gear compartmentalization system—pool noodles. It’s the best and safest way to store backup rigs that can be quickly and easily attached to the machine’s main line.
The Bait Debate
After talking with fishermen, we learned squid was the bait of choice—it’s readily available, inexpensive, and stays the hook well. In the spring, we cut bait into two different sizes appropriate for large and small hooks. That meant we needed to standardize sizes. Our first experiment was to standardize them using customized cookie cutters. Sadly the squid was too tough to cut. We then tried a triangular plastic block to form a stencil. That was more successful. In the end, we went with a single bait size.
Carrot and Stick
Another tackle component we tested were soft, squid-looking teasers you find in bait and tackle shops. They can be appealing for sight-oriented species, but can also frighten smaller fish. In the fall, we equipped half of our rigs with teasers to test what they caught compared to rigs without. We’ll analyze these data this winter to help us identify and finalize our bait and tackle configuration.
Next Up
We put in a lot of sea days in 2024 and recorded tons of information about how well the gear caught fish. Our next step is to take a closer look at the data and continue standardizing our activities in time for the spring 2025 survey. We also plan to introduce other data collection tools that don’t involve catching fish, such as video cameras and environmental DNA. Stay tuned!
