Biological surveys used to establish annual catch quotas and other fishery regulations could be significantly disrupted if the federal government shutdown drags into mid-October or longer, according to officials with regional fisheries councils and outside observers.
The Commerce Department announced last week that the surveys would be among the activities suspended during the shutdown.
Data collected from those studies form the basis of what are called species “stock assessments” that ultimately determine when, where and how many fish can be harvested from federal waters.
It is unclear if any surveys or related work are continuing despite the shutdown. The Commerce Department’s formal shutdown plan excerpts NOAA surveys “where the failure to collect or maintain data on schedule would irreparably harm the value of existing collected research.”
Spokespersons for three fishery management councils, which make management recommendations based on the NOAA data, said survey work varies by region, species and fishing season schedules, and not all fisheries undergo annual stock assessment updates.
