Future of fisheries-independent surveys and their use of advanced technologies at the National Marine Fisheries Service

This report provides a series of 10 findings and 12 associated recommendations in three critical areas: (1) Modernizing fishery surveying approaches to fish stock surveys by applying advanced genomic, optical, acoustic and other technologies, where warranted, (2) Developing the NMFS workforce of the future capable of collecting, analyzing and summarizing information from advanced technology applications, and (3) Optimizing the use of NOAA and partner surveying assets supporting fishery-independent surveys by encouraging regionally-based collaborations with stakeholders and partner agencies, and other recommendations to assure cost-effective platform acquisition and allocation. The 12 recommendations are compiled into actions to be taken in the short-term (0-2 years), medium-term (2-5 years), and long-term (>5 years).