October 2, 2019 — Hooks are in the water for the 2019 Hawaii bottomfish survey, an annual count of abundance done by researchers from the Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center since 2016.
Those hooks are part of the second half of the annual survey, and the first portion of the survey went off without a hitch according to Benjamin Richards, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration researcher aboard the NOAA ship Oscar Elton Sette.
The NOAA ship returned to Honolulu Sept. 29 after using deep-water cameras to measure, count and watch Deep-7 bottomfish at 176 locations around the Main Hawaiian Islands.
Target species for these surveys are the “Deep-7” fish — opakapaka, onaga, ‘ehu, gindai, kalekale, lehi, and hapu‘upu‘u.
“The fall 2019 bottomfish survey went very well. With a very professional crew and science party, we had smooth sailing,” Richards said, pointing out newly established collaborations between NOAA Fisheries and the National Weather Service offices. “For the first time, we had National Weather Service Forecasters onboard the NOAA Ship Sette for the duration of the survey. This allowed us to choose ideal operating areas, with light winds and calm seas, maximizing the amount of work the team was able to accomplish.”