2026 Bottom Trawl Survey in Photos

Our Bottom Trawl Survey is one of several comprehensive surveys that help us better understand the interactions between the environment, marine life, and people living and working in our region. It's among the longest-running surveys of its kind in the world. Our survey provides more than 60 years of standardized data collected during a time of significant change in the ocean around us. It helps us monitor fishery stock abundance and distribution on the Northwest Atlantic continental shelf, from the Scotian Shelf off the coast of Nova Scotia, Canada, to Cape Lookout, North Carolina. These photos give a behind-the-scenes look at what happens at sea during the survey, and a window into our work supporting healthy fish stocks and vibrant fishing communities.