Website

https://myfwc.com/research/saltwater/reef-fish/monitoring/fim-stratified-random-sampling/

Region(s)

NE, NW, SE, SW

Summary

The FIM program samples multiple Florida estuaries each month with a stratified-random sampling design. Our goal is to assess fishery stocks but all collected nekton are identified to the lowest practical taxonomic level, and a subset of each taxa is measured. Along with each nekton collection (~10,000 net deployments annually) we record water quality (Temperature, Salinity, pH, Dissolved Oxygen) and habitat (Bottom Type, Submerged Aquatic Vegetation, and Shore Type) metrics, so we hit on several of the potential indicators. Among other collected data are information on age and growth, fish health, and mercury concentrations in edible fish tissues from subsamples of our catch.

Parameters

nekton - Species, size, sex, numbers of fish and select macroinvertebrates caught, temperature (deg. C), dissolved oxygen (mg/L), salinity, pH, conductivity (uS/cm), habitat descriptors (type and quantity of submerged and shoreline vegetation, presence of seawalls or oyster beds), randomly measure and count species subset, type, amount, and ratio of bycatch, tissue samples, gut content analysis, latitude, longitude, weather, tide, secchi depth (m), depth

Notes

Included data from these queries: Combined Biology-Length Query: Pulls the biology number and length data together to give a total count per length for each taxa collected in each net set; Combined Biology Query: Pulls the biology number data together to give a total count for each taxa collected in each net set; Physical Data Query: Pulls together the desired data from tbl_corp_physical_master; Water Quality Query: Pulls together the desired data from tbl_corp_hydrolab;

Application

Publications

GSMFC Number 215.pdf. https://www.gsmfc.org/publications/GSMFC%20Number%20215.pdf

Start

1989

End

Current

Frequency

Monthly

Method

stratified-random sampling by habitat, seines (21.3 m and 183 m), otter trawls (6.1 m), visual surveys (Florida Keys) at fixed (1987-1996) and stratified-random (1989 to present) stations 0-8 m

Discontinuity

Data Location

By Request from FWC Fisheries-Independent Monitoring Program director

Data Format

Can be delivered to requesting researchers in a variety of formats (Access, SAS, Text Delimited, XML, etc.)
SQL server database

Habitats

Water Column

SEACAR Citation

Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC). (2024). Fisheries-Independent Monitoring (FIM) Program. Updated 03/05/2026. Distributed by: SEACAR Data Discovery Interface, Office of Resilience and Coastal Protection, Florida Department of Environmental Protection. https://data.florida-seacar.org/programs/details/69

Alternative Citation

indicates priority attributes