Database of the Spanish Observer Program in North Atlantic international waters: Exploring how this existing information could be used to investigate the composition and distribution patterns and the biology of the deep-water species

No abstracts are to be cited without prior reference to the author.

In the 90’s the laboratory of Vigo of the Spanish Institute of Oceanography (IEO) in collaboration with the National Fisheries Administration and with the local fishing industry, started an independent scientific observer program to monitoring the Spanish exploratory fisheries and the new commercial fisheries in international deep-waters of the Atlantic ocean. From the beginning of these fisheries, detailed data (haul by haul) and biological material has been collected by the IEO scientific observers in fishing areas as NAFO, Hatton bank, Reykjanes Ridge, Mid Atlantic Ridge, Valdivia bank and surrounding areas. This information on fisheries resources is analysed by the IEO and is used as a base for the Spanish contributions in international scientific fora as NAFO and ICES (WGDEEP, NWWG, etc). The present paper describes the current state of the Spanish observer program, with special attention to the Northeast and Central Atlantic Ocean, explains the methodology used, summarises the type of data and biological material collected, discussing the advantages and disadvantages of this source of information, and exploring how this existing data could be used to investigate the composition and distribution patterns and the biology of the deep-water species