FISHERIES DATA PORTAL

Catch Per Unit Effort (CPUE)

Rather than analyzing and reporting data as actual number of fish caught, fisheries data are typically reported as Catch Per Unit Effort (CPUE). Because sampling effort may differ from area to area, month to month, or year to year; the number of fish captured must be analyzed in such a way as to standardize the effort that was exerted. CPUE standardizes catch data based on the amount of the effort (total time or area sampled) exerted. Bag seine CPUE is reported as number of individuals captured per area sampled (units are in hectares; one hectare is equivalent to 2.47 acres). Shrimp trawl, gill net, and oyster dredge are reported as number of individuals captured per hour sampled.