TEMPERATE TUNA FORECASTING 



It is the purpose of this project to investigate and 

 develop the techniques on which fishery prediction serv- 

 ices must be based, by continuing to expand and improve 

 a service now entering its ninth consecutive year tor the 

 temperate tuna fisiieries on the West Coast. More than 

 in its considerable vahie to the albacore and blucfin tuna 

 fishery, its real importance lies in its theoretical studies 

 in the understanding and prediction of processes in the 

 biological and physical environment of the sea; these 

 studies are sharpened by being tested in the context of 

 the forecasting service each summer. 



The predictive service contains three elements: 

 monthly and 15-day oceanographic charts, showing the 

 actual environmental situation; daily fishery advisories 

 radioed to the fishing tleel through station WWD at La 

 Jolla; and occasional bulletins mailed throughout the 

 fishing season describing trends in the environment and 

 the fisheries, and including prognoses of future trends. 



G.A. Flittner and his colleagues continue to investi- 

 gate the complex train of events which preludes the sea- 

 sonal arrival of albacore and bluefin tuna off the Pacific 

 Coast each year. The facilities which thev use have been 



greatly improved in the last 12 months, primarily with 

 the estabhshment of the new data coniniunications cen- 

 ter, adjacent to their forecasting office, in which are 

 mounted several electronic plotters, on-line to the U.S. 

 Navy Fleet Numerical Weather Central at Monterey, to- 

 gether with a suite of other telecommunications equip- 

 ment. Data collection from expendable bathythermo- 

 graph equipment placed aboard fishing and research ves- 

 sels continues, and the raw data from this conununica- 

 tions center are fed directly into the Navy computers at 

 Monterey. 



The merits of this system have recently been rec- 

 ognized by the Marine Technology Society, who pre- 

 sented a special commendation to P.N. Wolff, of 

 Monterey, and to G.A. Flittner. in recognition of their 

 joint success in its development and operation. 



The l%7 long-term season prediction was made in 

 mid-May and was based on a "cooler than usual" trend 

 in oceanographic conditions maintained over the pre- 

 ceding months. This trend suggested that the albacore 

 tuna might move to the Oregon-Washnigton region later 

 than in U'bti and consequently, that a good southern 

 California fishery would develop during JuK. 



DATA BASE 



SHIPS AT SEA 



BUOY PLATFORMS 



SATELLITES AND 

 OTHER MEDIA 



WEATHER BUREAU 

 SAN FRANCISCO 



BCF RADIO STATION **D 

 SCRlPPS-LA JOLLA 



NAVAL-FLEET NUMERICAL 

 WEATHER CENTRAL 

 MONTEREY 



UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA SAN DiEGO 

 COMPUTER CENTER 

 LA JOLLA 



ESSA-WEATHER BUREAU 



NOOC DATA ARCHIVES 



ESTABLISH SYSTEMS FOR 

 ENVIRONMENTAL FORECASTS 



DEVELOP TECHNIQUES FOR 

 FISHERY FORECASTING 



WEATHER SERVICE 

 FNWC 



NAVOCEANO MONTHLY PUBLICATION 

 OF SEA SURFACE 

 TEMPERATURE 



DAILY BROADCAST 



OF FISHING 8 WEATHER 

 SPECIAL INFORMATION 



BULLETINS 



SEA SURFACE 



TEMPERATURE AT 



5 DAY INTERVALS 



TEMPERATE TuNA 

 FORECAST 



CONSUMERS 



Organizational chart oj fishery forecasting service. 



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