Effective management depends on quality fishery-dependent data (e.g., information collected from recreational, for-hire, and commercial fisheries, such as landings, effort, or discards) and fishery-independent data (e.g., information collected through monitoring programs and research surveys) to inform stock assessments and fisheries management decisions. Just as fisheries management responsibilities are divided among agencies, so too are fisheries data collection efforts across different agencies with varying data needs.
The Atlantic Coastal Cooperative Statistics Program (ACCSP) was established in 1995 as one of five regional Fisheries Information Networks (FINs) to address the issues of inconsistent temporal and spatial coverage and dataset compatibility by standardizing and centralizing fishery-dependent data collection and data management along the Atlantic coast. FINs are collaborative state-federal programs that supply dependable and timely marine fisheries data in their respective regions. ACCSP is composed of representatives from marine fisheries management agencies coastwide, including the Commission, the three Atlantic coast regional fishery management councils, the 15 Atlantic states and the District of Columbia, Potomac River Fisheries Commission, NOAA Fisheries, and US Fish and Wildlife Service.
ACCSP plays a critical role in supporting effective resource management through its efforts to standardize data collection and dissemination across jurisdictions and to efficiently provide Atlantic coast data to the state, regional, and national data systems.
In 2017, ACCSP transitioned from a standalone program, administered by the Commission, to a full program under the Commission umbrella. The move has increased ACCSP’s visibility among partners and stakeholders, encouraged greater participation by the states in the program’s data collection and management efforts, and enhanced coordination between fisheries data experts and the Commission staff.
For more information on the program, please visit www.accsp.org.
Contacts
Geoff White, ACCSP Director
Julie Defilippi Simpson, ACCSP Deputy Director