^r^ "*: 



Bongo plankton samplers are used in MARMAP to assess the distribution and 

 abundance of fish larvae. 



facilities, the State of South Carolina, U.S.S.R., Canada, France, 

 West Germany, and Poland. In addition, groundfish surveys will 

 also be conducted in the Gulf of Mexico, Western Caribbean, and in 

 the Northeast Pacific (fig. 3-1]. Future MARMAP effort will be 

 directed to increasing survey frequency, developing advanced 

 fishery assessment technology particularly for pelagic species, 

 assessing stocks, establishing a national fisheries data management 

 system, and developing optimal yield models for coastal and oceanic 

 stocks. NMFS is continuing to develop the program and has targeted 

 1978 for reaching a fully operational status. 



Except for the Atlantic coastal area, there is a severe lack of 

 assessment information. In the Gulf of Mexico and off the 

 southeastern U.S., the problems of determining the various kinds 

 and abundance levels of fish populations are just beginning to be 

 treated. Off the California coast better estimates on tunas and other 

 species are required. Tuna and billfish stocks in the tropical oceans 



35 



