Aerial sardine surveys in the Southern California Bight

Current survey indices used in annual stock assessments to manage the federal Pacific sardine (Sardinops sagax caerulea) fishery do not include nearshore sardine biomass in southern California waters. This survey uses direct observer estimates of sardine biomass in nearshore and offshore waters of the Southern California Bight to calculate an index of relative abundance. Surveys have been conducted since summer of 2012 and have continued through the spring and summer 2013 seasons. Aerial identifications of fish school species have been validated using boat sampling of aerial sightings, and demographic information obtained from collected samples. Additionally, habitat analyses compared sardine distribution with environmental variables (sea surface temperature and chlorophyll a concentrations).