2023 Inclusive NOAA Fisheries Internship Projects and Mentors
Interested in an internship, but still looking for a project or mentor? Here’s a list of research projects we’ve lined up for 2023.
We’re lining up our opportunities for 2023 for Inclusive NOAA Fisheries Internship (IN FISH). This list will be updated as we get more feedback from mentors and students. For other project ideas, review the research projects IN FISH students completed in 2021 and 2022.
You may not be matched with your first choice project or mentor. But, we’ll work with mentors to match students to projects and locations where they can be successful.
If you apply to the 2023 program, indicate on your application which mentors or projects interest you. If you secure a spot, we will take your interests into account when we match students with mentors. Soon after we extend offers in March, we will make matches and put students in touch with their mentors to discuss potential projects.
This list will be updated periodically as more mentors and projects become available. We anticipate offering a broad range of projects in a variety of disciplines, including:
- Microbiology
- Science communication
- Ecosystems management
- Biogeochemistry
- Marine biology
- Coastal processes
- Geology
- Fish ecology
- Wetland restoration
Email questions to Darius Johnson.
Furthering a Climate Resilience Partnership
Coordinating Mentor: Cori Kane
Institutions: NOAA Fisheries Greater Atlantic Regional Fisheries Office; NOAA Office of Habitat Conservation
Locations: Gloucester and Falmouth, Massachusetts; Silver Spring, Maryland; Orono, Maine or remote
Research interests:
- Social science
- Tribal affairs
- Marine management and policy
- Intergovernmental communication
This will be a dynamic internship and will require strong written and communication skills.
In April 2022, the New England Tribes and federal partners co-hosted a climate change summit. Through the summit, we identified a range of topics that would benefit from further collaboration and coordination and formed a Tribal Climate Workgroup to address these. You will work to further this partnership on climate change and aboriginal fish and wildlife harvesting.
You will help us further define the scope of this topic. We have discussed a range of issues that could fall under this, including identifying and communicating about existing legislation and how climate change may affect the availability of species to be harvested.
The project will include, but is not limited to:
- Interviewing tribal and federal representatives to learn their perspectives on how we should define and move forward with this topic
- Preparing a summary document for the workgroup to consider
Study Life History of Pacific Coastal Pelagic Species
Mentors: Kelsey James, Brittany Schwartzkopf
Institution: NOAA/ Southwest Fisheries Science Center
Location: La Jolla, California
Research Interests:
- Fisheries research
- Oceanographic research
- Data collection
- Data management
- R programming
You will assist Life History Program researchers studying coastal pelagic species including:
- Pacific sardine
- Northern anchovy
- Pacific mackerel
- Jack mackerel
In this internship you will have the chance to go to sea for up to two weeks on a research cruise if you are interested and can meet standard health requirements. Going to sea would allow you to make the most of this opportunity, but is not required. Work can also be conducted in a lab. Work in the lab requires attention to details and following all safety protocols. Experience with Microsoft Excel and familiarity with R preferred, but not required.
You will have the opportunity to:
- Process samples during a research cruise
- Dissect fish (not required, but a large part of at-sea work)
- Clean and photographing otoliths in the lab
- Enter data
- Conduct analyses as appropriate to your background
Marine Mammal Diet and Stranding Studies
Mentor: Kerri Danil
Institution: NOAA/ Southwest Fisheries Science Center
Location: La Jolla, California
Research Interests:
- Marine mammal research
- Data collection
- Data management
You will assist the Cetacean Health and Life History Program in our Marine Mammal & Turtle Division with diet and health studies of stranded and bycaught marine mammals. You will be dissecting stomachs and sorting prey items, curating samples, and assisting with examinations of dead animals in the field.
You must be able to:
- Handle the sight of blood and acrid smells
- Perform cleaning tasks
- Be able to lift and carry 50 lb
- Have strong attention to detail
- Be able to work independently as well as with a team
Finding Ecosystem and Biodiversity Hotspots
Mentor: Jarrod Santora
Institution: NOAA/ Southwest Fisheries Science Center
Location: Santa Cruz, California
Research Interests
- Marine ecology
- fisheries research
- Oceanographic research
- Data collection
- Data management
- R programming
You will assist the Fisheries and Ecosystem Oceanography team with data collection, workup and analyses using our Rockfish Recruitment and Ecosystem Assessment Survey. They are working to evaluate how biodiversity relates to the location and persistence of ecosystem hotspots.
You will have the opportunity to:
- Participate on the survey if you meet standard health requirements
- Gain experience in midwater trawling and visual survey techniques
- Monitor distribution and abundance of forage fish, seabirds and marine mammals
- Identify and measure krill in the laboratory
- Develop tools to visualize and evaluate how biodiversity relates to the location and persistence of ecosystem hotspots (may include development of web story map or other outreach products).
You will need a broad interest in marine ecosystem ecology and appreciation of maintaining detailed records of empirical observations. Good communication skills and some experience with basic data organization and visualization will also help.
Understanding Economic and Social Dynamics of Fishing Communities
Mentors: Aaron Mamula, Cameron Speir, Rosemary Kosaka
Institution: NOAA/ Southwest Fisheries Science Center
Location: Santa Cruz, California
Research Interests:
- Social science
- Marine and & coastal resource economics
- Endangered species
- Fishing communities
- Data collection
- Data management
- R programming
Our projects all involve tracking and quantifying how fisheries, and the people who fish, are changing in response to multiple drivers. You will assemble data, estimate factor analysis models, and summarize results. We will train and adapt the project to your skills and experience. There are three potential projects on offer:
- Modeling shifts fishing activity in response to climate change, fisheries management, and other drivers
- Demographic analysis of fishing industry participants to support environmental justice and equity research
- Assess social vulnerability of West Coast fishing communities through assembling data, estimating factor analysis models, and summarizing results.
Students from all life experiences, backgrounds, and identities who have an interest in learning about marine and coastal social science are encouraged to apply. You will work independently in a friendly, team-oriented environment and interact with a diverse range of colleagues in a professional and courteous manner.
Some of the preferred but not required skills that will help you in this internship include:
- Interest in reading scientific literature (environmental and resource economics literature in particular)
- Experience with data analysis or statistics (R or other statistical software)
- Coursework in economics, statistics, quantitative or qualitative research methods, and/or other social science.
Resilience in Southern California Seafood Processing
Mentor: Sarah Shoffler
Institution: NOAA/ Southwest Fisheries Science Center
Location: La Jolla, California
Research Interests:
- Seafood and food systems
- Seafood industry
- Science communication
- Social sciences
- Marine and coastal fisheries
You will assist a team of researchers from NOAA Fisheries and San Diego State University who are working to understand the state of seafood processing in Southern California. You will be collecting preliminary information about:
- What services processing plants provide
- Seafood processing capacity
- Business challenges, opportunities, and risks
- Workforce composition
Students from all life experiences, backgrounds, and identities are encouraged to apply. You will work independently in a friendly, team-oriented environment, and interact with a diverse range of colleagues in a professional and courteous manner.
Some of the preferred but not required skills that will help you in this internship include:
- Interest in reading scientific literature (environmental and social science literature in particular)
- Coursework in economics, statistics, quantitative or qualitative research methods, and/or other social science
Trends in West Coast Fisheries
Mentor: Dale Squires
Institution: NOAA/ Southwest Fisheries Science Center
Location: La Jolla, California
Research Interests:
- Social science
- Fisheries resource economics
- Fisheries regulations and policy
- Data collection
- Data management
- R programming
You will assist a team of NOAA Fisheries researchers in describing trends in fisheries value, composition, and economic viability over time on the West Coast.
You will have the opportunity to:
- Use R programming to develop indicators
- Compile logbook data
- Compile monthly landings and ex-vessel prices
Some of the preferred but not required skills that will help you in this internship include:
- Experience R programming or data entry
- Coursework in economics, statistics, R programming
Mapping the Spot Lifecycle
Mentors: Mike Wilberg, Maya Drzewicki
Institution: University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science/Chesapeake Biological Laboratory
Location: Solomons, Maryland
Spot (Leiostomus xanthurus) support commercial and recreational fisheries on the East Coast from New Jersey to Florida. It is a common bycatch species in many fisheries.
The objective of this research internship is to develop a conceptual model of the spot life cycle that includes juvenile habitat usage, migration, spawning, and interactions with fisheries. The conceptual model will be used to help develop a quantitative model to estimate spatial spot dynamics on the East Coast.
You will use data from multiple state fishery surveys to explore patterns of spot presence and absence. You will also conduct a literature review to incorporate studies on spot habitat use and movement into the conceptual model.
You will have the opportunity to:
- Participate in Chesapeake Bay Program Goal Implementation Team meetings
- Meet with scientists at the NOAA Chesapeake Bay Office
- Gain first-hand experience in non-academic careers in marine science and exposure to science to inform policy
- Participate in field sampling (beach seining, benthic invertebrate sampling)
- Be part of a scientific cruise on the Patuxent River
Multi-Decadal Change in Northeast Shelf Fish Populations
Institution: Gulf of Maine Research Institute
Location: Portland, Maine
Mentor: Kathy Mills
Research Interests:
- Climate change in ecosystems
- Fish community dynamics
- Ecology
- Data organization
- Statistical analysis
- Ecosystem dynamics
- Ecosystem-based management
The Gulf of Maine Research Institute’s Integrated Systems Ecology Laboratory integrates physical, biological, social and economic information to assess climate vulnerabilities, evaluate climate adaptation strategies, and provide support for adaptation planning by fishery participants, fishing communities and fishery managers. We will help you form your project based on your interests. It will also involve organizing and aggregating data and conducting statistical analyses using R, and we provide the training you may need to use R.
You will also work with Scott Large of the NOAA’s Northeast Fisheries Science Center to learn more about how his group tracks and reports on ecosystem conditions and changes relevant to fisheries management.
Examples of possible research questions include:
- How has the functional trait composition and distribution of the Northeast Shelf fish community changed, and how are these changes related to key ecosystem and anthropogenic drivers?
- Do functional groups moderate fluctuations seen in individual species, or does trait similarity within functional groups cause stronger responses to climate and ecosystem changes?
- Do certain traits respond more quickly to acute events such as marine heatwaves?
Applied Kelp Aquaculture
Institution: Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Lindell Laboratory
Mentor: Scott Lindell
Location: Woods Hole, Massachusetts
Research Interests
- Genetics
- Physiology
- Ecology
- Engineering
- Experimental design
- Microscopy
- Image analysis
- Kelp biology
The Applied Aquaculture Research Program conducts research and development of marine aquaculture to sustainably provide food, feed, and fuel. We strive to develop methods that provide positive ecosystem services and economic development opportunities and minimize negative social and environmental impacts. This demands a multi-disciplinary approach encompassing various subsets of biology and engineering. Major research focuses on selective breeding and on improving hatchery/nursery processes for ocean farming sugar kelp (Saccharina latissima). There are three potential student projects for this summer. All projects will equip students with data collection and analysis skills, and with experience working in a kelp hatchery.
Kelp Farming Trial Data Analysis
You will analyze data from four years of kelp farming trials to relate kelp traits such as growth and sugar content to individual kelp genotypes. You will work with large amounts of phenotypic and genetic data , and have the opportunity to help take measurements of kelp harvested in the 2023 field season. Experience with databases and bioinformatics is helpful but not essential.
Kelp Heat Tolerance Study
You will screen and select heat-tolerant kelp varieties that are resilient to changing ocean farm conditions. Students will gain experience with experimental design, microscopy skills, and taking algae physiology measurements.
Measuring Kelp Reproductive Potential
You will quantify several key metrics of kelp reproductive potential and success:
- Spore production from selected farmed and wild kelp
- Spore settlement rate
- Development and growth rate of kelp gametophytes
- Optimal seeding density on string used for planting onto ocean farms
You will gain laboratory skills including microscopy, cell counting, and image analysis. You will also work on specialized skills such as how to prepare kelp tissue for spore release, and how to identify different life stages of kelp.
Bycatch Reduction Engineering Program Project
Mentors: Lindsay Fullenkamp and Justin Pearce
Institution: NOAA Fisheries Office of Sustainable Fisheries
Location: Silver Spring, Maryland
Research interests:
- Sustainable seafood
- Public policy
- Fishing gear and fishing practices
- Reducing bycatch
- Data management
You will work closely with the coordinator of the NOAA Fisheries Bycatch Reduction Engineering Program. Through BREP, NOAA Fisheries supports development of technological solutions and changes in fishing practices designed to minimize bycatch. Our mission is to find creative approaches and strategies for reducing bycatch, seabird interactions, and post-release mortality in federally managed fisheries. You will create a repository of the different technologies and fishing gear types that NOAA Fisheries has funded through BREP over the years. The repository will be used to respond to inquiries and assist the BREP in decision-making.
Southeast & Caribbean Offshore Wind Energy Development
Mentors: Erica Rule and Mandy Karnauskas
Institution/Department: NOAA/Southeast Fisheries Science Center
Location: Miami, Florida (may also be remote/hybrid)
Research Interests:
- Offshore wind energy development
- Science communications
- Ecosystem-based management
- Protected resources
- Fisheries survey data
- Critical habitat
You will work closely with the office’s chief of staff, ecosystem lead, and communications specialists to research, collect, and document our regional role and planned contributions to supporting offshore wind energy development in the Gulf of Mexico, South Atlantic, and Caribbean. This is an opportunity to help articulate and describe a new role for our agency as we support the administration’s priority to increase our nation’s capacity to produce clean energy while ensuring that NOAA’s Trust resources are protected.
You will have the opportunity to:
- Engage with our center's senior leadership, communication leads, and science staff
- Learn how we work with our partners at NOAA Fisheries Southeast Regional Office, NOAA’s National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science, and the Bureau for Ocean Energy Management
- Help create a centralized web location to coordinate all of our wind-related activities
- Support the development of a science plan to support offshore wind (including travel to any related workshop that may take place during the internship)
- Learn about ecosystem approaches to inform ocean resource use
Bay Scallops and Ocean Acidification
Mentors: Katherine McFarland, Sheila Stiles, and Shannon Meseck
Institution/Department: NOAA/Northeast Fisheries Science Center
Location: Milford Laboratory, Milford, Connecticut
Research Interests:
- Aquaculture
- Shellfish
- Adaptive capacity
- Ecophysiology
- Ocean acidification
- Climate change
We hope to recruit an IN FISH student to work on a multigenerational experiment to assess the ability of bivalves to adapt to ocean acidification. You will conduct this work with third-generation bay scallops that have been reared under continuous exposure to one of three ocean acidification treatments over all three generations. We are using bay scallops as a proxy for other bivalves, including sea scallops, due to their short generation time.
Primary research questions for the project are:
- Do juvenile bay scallops have increased resilience to ocean acidification after three generations of rearing under one of three OA conditions?
- How does ocean warming affect this tolerance?
Postlarval scallops will be exposed to OA conditions and elevated temperatures (three cohorts, three OA conditions, two temperatures) to understand the synergistic effects of combined environmental factors. Growth, survival, and respiration rate will be used to characterize the phenotypic responses to OA and ocean warming.
This research will lead to increased knowledge on the capacity of bivalves to adapt to ocean acidification and warming. This work will also inform selective breeding programs geared toward improving aquaculture success in a changing environment.
Waste Mitigation for Striped Bass Aquaculture
Mentor: Michael Acquafredda
Institution: NOAA/Northeast Fisheries Science Center
Location: James J. Howard Laboratory, Sandy Hook, New Jersey
Research Interests
- Aquaculture
- Finfish
- Polychaete worms
- Sea vegetables
- Diversification
- Food security
- Sustainable and local food systems
- Climate change
This project is investigating whether integrated multi-trophic aquaculture is a feasible and environmentally sustainable strategy for mitigating the wastes produced by striped bass reared in land-based recirculating aquaculture systems. Specifically, we are testing the capacity of the polychaete worm Alitta virens and the salt-tolerant plant Salicornia bigelovii to use solid and dissolved wastes, respectively. Waste management is one of the factors that has limited the sustainability and expansion of finfish aquaculture.
You will gain skills in:
- Operating aquaculture systems
- Conducting animal and plant husbandry
- Collecting and analyzing data
- Sharing results through scientific presentations
Striped bass are large, anadromous fish native to the East Coast. Both farm-raised and wild-caught harvests support domestic production of this popular seafood. Commonly known as the sand worm, A. virens is an important bait species in the Northeast with high commercial value. The sea bean, S. bigelovii (also known as pickleweed and sea asparagus), is an edible, salt-tolerant plant with several commercial uses, from animal fodder and biofuel to human consumption. If grown together successfully, these three native species have the potential to:
- Diversify aquaculture operations in the Northeast
- Increase the sustainability of recirculating aquaculture systems
- Relieve pressure on wild stocks
- Give growers an additional crop and potential new sources of income
Developing Fish Passage Engineering Guidelines for the Atlantic Coast
Mentor: Bjorn Lake
Institution: NOAA Fisheries National Hydropower Program, Office of Habitat Conservation
Location: Woods Hole, Massachusetts, or Silver Spring, Maryland, or split between each location
Research interests:
- Fish passage
- Biology of migratory fish species
- Restoration ecology
- Hydraulic engineering
- Hydrology
- Technical writing
- Graphic design
- Database management and data entry
- Construction costs and methods
You will primarily help our fish passage engineer develop fish passage engineering guidelines for the Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico coasts and the Great Lakes. NOAA Fisheries and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service are working together on these guidelines. NOAA Fisheries’ Hydropower Program works to restore and improve fish passage at dams by issuing “fishway prescriptions” under the Federal Power Act.
“Fish passage” describes how fish move among habitats they rely on for food, growth, reproduction, and other needs. Studying fish passage involves a range of knowledge and abilities. These guidelines will eventually cover engineering criteria, design guidelines, and pertinent information for practitioners (engineers, fishery biologists, habitat restoration specialists, etc.) to use when designing fish passage facilities. An example of a recently completed similar document is the NOAA Fisheries West Coast Region Anadromous Salmonid Design Manual.
Stakeholder Support for International Programs
Mentors: Krissy Rusello, Kim Young, Jeff Weir
Institution: NOAA Fisheries Office of International Affairs, Trade, and Commerce
Location: Silver Spring, Maryland
Research interests:
- Communications
- Stakeholder outreach
- Engagement
- Public policy
- International fisheries
- Seafood trade
You will work closely with the office’s chief of staff and communications specialists on projects such as expanding and updating our stakeholder contact lists or drafting talking points and briefing papers. This is an opportunity to experience a fast-paced office and to see the development and implementation of U.S. government policy related to international fisheries.
You will have an opportunity to:
- See and help respond to various requests for information from Congress, foreign countries, or members of the public
- Participate in a rollout of one of our reports or rulemakings
- Help craft one or more web articles about our work
- Engage in other projects related to office priorities
Using Satellite Remote Sensing for Ecological Studies
Mentor: Kimberly Hyde
Institution: NOAA Fisheries Northeast Fisheries Science Center, Ecosystem Dynamics and Assessment Branch
Location: Narragansett Laboratory, Narragansett, Rhode Island
Research interests:
- Remote sensing
- Phytoplankton ecology
- Ecosystem assessment
- Data visualization
You will work with a variety of remote sensing and in situ ecosystem data. One potential project is to compare primary production measurements with satellite remote sensing models. You will need some basic coding and statistical skills. You will learn about oceanography, phytoplankton, data processing, and visualizations, while contributing to broader ecosystem-based management applications and development of a NOAA primary production product.
Understanding Sea-Run Fish
Mentor(s): Justin Stevens and John Kocik
Institutions: University of Maine Sea Grant Program, NOAA Fisheries Northeast Fisheries Science Center Atlantic Salmon Ecosystems Research Team
Location: Orono, Maine
Research interests:
- Diadromous fish
- Estuaries
- Water quality
- Atlantic salmon
You will work on various aspects of our research and outreach projects related to sea-run fish. Fieldwork includes a biweekly hydroacoustic survey in the Penobscot estuary on a small research vessel, part of a long-term monitoring effort for the system. During these surveys you will operate scientific echosounders to measure fish biomass and size, count marine mammals and birds, and collect water quality measurements. You will also perform numerous tasks in support of the Estuarine Survey program including:
- Preparing hydroacoustic gear for deployment
- Genetic sampling
- Otolith extraction,
- Aging river herring species collected during the survey
This project will also support the Penobscot Nation in its fisheries program. This program:
- Develops and protects sustenance fishing opportunities
- Conducts a wide range of water quality monitoring activities throughout the Penobscot watershed and tribal trust lands
- Manages, monitors, and helps to restore the entire suite of sea-run fish to tribal waters in the Penobscot River drainage
Study Endangered Atlantic Salmon
Mentor: Ruth Haas-Castro
Institution: NOAA Fisheries Northeast Fisheries Science Center, Atlantic Salmon Ecosystems Research Team
Location: Woods Hole Laboratory, Woods Hole, Massachusetts
Research interests:
- Atlantic Salmon
- Fish age and growth
- Image analysis
Your project will be related to determining the age and/or growth of Atlantic salmon using newly collected or archived scales. Scales are a valuable record of growth in Atlantic salmon since they record patterns of growth over the lifetime of a fish. You will contribute to a time series of age data collected from Atlantic salmon smolts annually since 1996, develop a project, and access archived data and new data for that project.
You will:
- Prepare and image scales taken from young Atlantic salmon
- Help determine smolt ages from the scales
- Archive and organize processed scales and associated image files
- Measure scale features using our state-of-the-art image processing system.
Our Atlantic Salmon Ecosystems Research Team monitors emigration of Atlantic salmon smolts in Maine rivers and studies the growth patterns in the scales from both juvenile and adult life stages of this endangered species. We examine the growth rings in scales because the patterns observed are characteristic of specific river populations and help identify returning adults. This research is conducted in collaboration with Maine’s Department of Marine Resources.
Seamount National Monument Management
Mentors: Cori Kane, Heather Coleman
Institutions: NOAA Fisheries Greater Atlantic Regional Fisheries Office; NOAA Office of Habitat Conservation
Location: Gloucester, Massachusetts and Silver Spring, Maryland
Research interests:
- Marine protected areas
- Marine management and policy
- Deep-sea coral ecosystems
- Applied ecology
- Science communication
You will help draft the management plan for the Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument. You will be co-mentored, and work on a number of management and data projects to improve the ecosystems sections of the management plan. This is a dynamic internship. You will have the opportunity to work with NOAA Fisheries, NOAA Office of Habitat Conservation, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to develop lasting content that will help guide the management of the monument.
We anticipate that you will:
- Work with NOAA’s deep-sea coral research team to synthesize deep-sea data within monument boundaries
- Create graphics to include in the plan
- Draft summaries for the management plan
- Create relevant social media content for both offices
Understanding Fisheries Permits
Mentor: Ted Hawes
Institution: NOAA Fisheries Greater Atlantic Regional Fisheries Office, Analysis and Support Division
Location: Gloucester, Massachusetts (may also be remote/hybrid)
Research interests:
- Web design/development
- Marine policy
- Fisheries policy
- Education and outreach
- Program management
You will conduct an assessment of our fishery permitting programs and create an inventory. This will require you to work with multiple divisions to:
- Gather and assess information relating to fisheries permits
- Create and design content to update our website and web portals
- Develop outreach materials for the fishing community.
You will gain experience in how NOAA regulates federal fisheries in the Northeast, and have opportunities to communicate science and policy objectives to the fishermen and fishing communities.
Shortfin Squid Electronic Size Monitoring Project
Mentor: Anna Mercer
Institution: Northeast Fisheries Science Center, Cooperative Research Branch
Location: Narragansett Laboratory, Narragansett, Rhode Island
Research Interests
- Collaborative research
- Fisheries oceanography
- Fisheries dynamics
- Northern shortfin squid,
- Electronic technologies
- Environmental drivers of resource species
You will help industry partners with data collection at processing facilities, and learn about analyzing the data to understand the fishery and population dynamics of northern shortfin squid. This is an opportunity to:
- Get fieldwork experience
- Advance your data collection skills using electronic tools
- Build relationships with partners in the fishing industry
- Advance analytical skills
The life history and population dynamics of the northern shortfin squid are poorly understood because there is little data, yet the species supports a productive fishery on the northwest Atlantic continental shelf. We developed our Shortfin Squid Electronic Size Monitoring Project in 2021 to collect size and weight measurements at processing plants from individual shortfin squid throughout the fishing season. These data are key to understanding the ingress, egress, growth, and reproduction of this species, which only reproduces once in its lifetime.
We have distributed electronic data collection systems to shortfin squid processors in the region, and they are using it to collect biological data during the vessel offload process. These data are uploaded to NEFSC databases for scientific analysis and downloaded by processors for use in sales and marketing.
In 2021 and 2022, processors collected more than 60,000 shortfin squid mantle lengths and weights. This project plays a critical role in documenting rapidly changing dynamics of the shortfin squid population and promotes the long-term conservation of this valuable fishery resource.