File Descriptions

Note: Files are named in the order they were created (i.e., 01_Project_Fact_Sheet was the first of the following files to be created in this project). This naming convention is intended to help the reader follow the order of operations that led to the target species recommendation.

01_Project_Fact_Sheet

This contains general information about the project design, outcomes, goals, and broader impacts.

02_Managed_Migratory_Species

This is a list of all managed, migratory fish species that inhabit U.S. Atlantic waters (from the U.S. East Coast to the shelf edge) that will be referenced by participants in a regional monitoring workshop to choose 20 target species. Data next to the common name (Common_Name) and scientific name (Scientific_Name) of each species in the form of "Yes" or "No" indicate whether the species is known to migrate greater than 100 km (~62 miles) inshore and offshore (Migrate_Inshore_Offshore), migrate greater than 100 km (~62 miles) north and south (Migrate_North_South), is being studied with acoustic telemetry in the region (Acoustic_Tagged_Species), has been included in offshore wind impact studies in the region (Species_Studied_in_Offshore_Wind), and whether the species is managed by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC_Managed), the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council (MAFMC_Managed), the New England Fishery Management Council (NEFMC_Managed), and/or by the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS_Managed). At the bottom of the list are species that are not eligible for selection of target species in this study. 

04_Target_Species_Ranking_Workshop_Recommendation

This is the resultant recommendation of the target species ranking that was solicited from the 03_Target_Species_Survey Aug. 4-6, 2026 after the workshop/information session was offered via a live Zoom platform on Aug. 4th, 2026 and a pre-recorded workshop/information session Aug. 4-6, 2026 (passcode: ZA28M8d!). The ranking was created by summing the quantity of respondents that chose each species and selecting the top 20 species and ranking them in order of species chosen by most survey respondents. When the number of respondents were equal among multiple species, the species were ranked by alphabetical order by common name. However, where respondent counts between species are equal, efforts will be made to include all species  in the analysis once the minimum ranking is incorporated. 

06_Respondent_Satisfaction_to_Target_Species_Ranking

These are the results of the 05_Satisfaction_Survey solicited from the 03_Target_Species_Survey respondents Aug. 7-10, 2026. The respondents were asked to rank their satisfaction with the target species ranking, which can be viewed in the 04_Target_Species_Ranking_Workshop_Recommendation. 

07_Managed_Migratory_Species_with_Workshop_Recommendation_and_Stock_Status

This is an augmented version of the 02_Managed_Migratory_Species document that contains the workshop recommendation ranking and counts for the top 20 species and the stock status of all eligible migratory species. In addition, the Acoustic_Tagged_Species and Species_Studied_in_Offshore_Wind have been updated and verified. Any changes in the Acoustic_Tagged_Species column from the previous version has bold text and cell outlines. There were no updates required for the Species_Studied_in_Offshore_Wind column.

<((>< What's Next? ><((>

Join us on Wednesday, August 26th at 1pm ET at a joint RWSC/ROSA meeting as we discuss the results of the surveys. Add the event to your calendar at this link.