Description: This dataset broadly characterizes the density of commercial fishing activity for the Surfclam/Ocean Quahog fishery in the northeastern U.S. based on fishing vessels with Vessel Monitoring Systems (VMS) from 2012 to 2014. These years were selected because habitat closures implemented by the New England Fishery Management Council in 2012 significantly impacted the spatial use patterns in this fishery when compared with the period before 2012. The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) describes VMS as a satellite surveillance system primarily used to monitor the location and movement of commercial fishing vessels in the U.S. This dataset was created using VMS position records for vessels travelling at a speed of less than four knots, which was the speed threshold used to identify vessels engaged in fishing rather than transit activity. This includes vessels in ports despite little to no fishing activity at those locations. Raw VMS data from NMFS were processed into geospatial point products and analyzed to create density grids for select fisheries. The point data were filtered to remove vessel positions which did not meet the "Rule of Three" criteria required by NMFS due to data confidentiality. More information on the Rule of Three is available within the metadata. Data values are standardized and are best interpreted qualitatively. An absence of data does not indicate an absence of fishing activity.
Definition Expression: N/A
Copyright Text: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) Vessel Monitoring Systems (VMS), RPS Applied Science Associates (RPS ASA)