• Fish Trawl Survey
• Methods
• Data
• History
• Species
• References
• Contact

The Beginning of the GSO Fish Trawl

The University of Rhode Island Graduate School of Oceanography Fish Trawl Survey is a survey of the bottom fish and invertebrate community in Narragansett Bay, Rhode Island, jointly funded by the URI Graduate School of Oceanography and the DEM Marine Fisheries Division. The Fish Trawl Survey was developed to quantify the seasonal occurrences of migratory fish populations, whereas scientists had previously relied on anecdotal information.

Realizing its value as a documented record of long-term fluctuations in fish and invertebrate abundance, Charles Fish continued the trawl survey until he retired in 1966. The trawl was then passed to H. Perry Jeffries, late professor at the Graduate School of Oceanography, who maintained the survey for more than 30 years until he handed it over to Jeremy Collie in 1998. With over 65 years of data, the Graduate School of Oceanography Fish Trawl Survey is one of the longest continuous records of fish and invertebrate relative abundance in the world.

Data collection on the Graduate School of Oceanography Fish Trawl Survey has expanded over time and now includes: abundance and biomass of all fish and invertebrate species; surface and bottom temperature, dissolved oxygen, and salinity at each survey site; and total length measurements and sex determination of winter flounder, Pseudopleuronectes americanus. The long term data are stored in a database at the lab of Jeremy Collie and can be requested by emailing our team.

Modified from Taylor, D.L, and J.S. Collie. 2000. Sampling the Bay Over the Long Term. Maritimes, volume 42, number 4, pages 7-9.

Past Fish Trawl Assistants

• Jim Donaldson (1993 – 1995)
• Galo Escanero (1995 – 1997)
• Jerome Hermsen (1997 – 1999)
• Dave Taylor (September 1999 – August 2001)
• Tony Wood (September 2001 – August 2003)
• Rich Bell (September 2003 – August 2005)
• K.M. Henry (September 2005 – July 2007)
• Erin (Collings) Bohaboy (August 2007 – August 2009)
• Anna Malek (September 2009 – August 2011)
• Lis Henderson (September 2011 – December 2013)
• Mary Kane (January 2014 – August 2015)
• Joseph Langan (September 2015 – August 2016)
• Joseph Zotolli (September 2016 – August 2018)
• Nina Santos (September 2018 – August 2020)
• Rachel Marshall (September 2020 – August 2022)
• Riley Secor (September 2022 – present)

Research Vessel Cap’n Bert, utilized by the Fish Trawl Survey since 1987

R/V Cap’n Bert is a 53-foot stern trawler owned and operated by the University of Rhode Island Department of Fisheries, Animal, and Veterinary Sciences. The Graduate School of Oceanography Fish Trawl Survey has been performed from R/V Cap’n Bert since 1987.

Originally known as the Angelita, the vessel was seized by the U.S. Coast Guard in the Florida Keys in the early 1980s. Used for smuggling drugs, she was superficially configured as a longline fishing boat. The University of Rhode Island acquired the Angelina and performed a multi-year major refitting to transform her into a stern trawler and research/training vessel. The wheelhouse was moved aft several feet, and trawl winches, the A-frame transit, and all scientific and navigation technology were installed. The University of Rhode Island re-launched the Angelina in 1986 as R/V Cap’n Bert, named for the late Albert Hillier, Professor of fisheries and marine technology at the University of Rhode Island during the 1970s and 1980s.

R/V Cap’n Bert supports the research and educational needs of the University of Rhode Island and the Graduate School of Oceanography. In addition, R/V Cap’n Bert can be chartered for non-University of Rhode Island research and education. For more information, please contact Barbara Somers at 401-874-2012.

R/V Cap’n Bert website: https://web.uri.edu/bert/