The 2019 West Coast Fisheries Survey combined the efforts of eight saildrones and research teams onboard the NOAA FSVs Bell M. Shimada and Reuben Lasker to survey the full length of the US West Coast from San Diego, CA, to Cape Flattery, WA. The mission was performed in partnership with NOAA’s Northwest Fisheries Science Center (NWFSC) and Southwest Fisheries Science Center (SWFSC).

The saildrones were all equipped with Simrad EK80 echo sounders in addition to the standard sensor suite.

Four vehicles worked south to north with the Shimada collecting data on the abundance and distribution of Pacific hake. Three vehicles worked north to south with the Lasker and included sampling closer to shore and farther offshore than previous years. The goal was to collect data on target species in areas too shallow for the Lasker to safely navigate, as well as in offshore areas that have not been routinely surveyed to date. The mission was completed in 60 days and included more granular coverage near shore, to depths as shallow seven meters, as well as transect extensions up to 140 nautical miles offshore.

This dataset is hosted by NOAA PMEL and contains the atmospheric and oceanographic variables from the mission. Echo sounder data is not included.