MERCI: A Data Management and Catch Estimation System for Aerial-access and Aerial-roving Creel Surveys
MERCI 3 "101" Hands-on Training Course
To give participants an understanding of how the three components of the aerial-roving-access creel survey are used and practice with a powerful and flexible software application (MERCI) for managing this data, so that fishery technicians are able to take responsibility for the timely production of weekly species, gear and area specific catch estimates.
During the course, participants learned how to:
- Calculate catch "by hand," knowing how the raw survey data are used
- Prepare a MERCI 3.0 database for data entry prior to the start of a new season
- Efficiently enter and update data using MERCI 3.0
- Set appropriate pre-estimation options in MERCI 3.0
- Generate catch estimates using MERCI 3.0
- Generate and view catch reports InExcel using MERCI 3.0
- Interpret and address special cases when the survey "breaks down"
- Work with the software and database between offices
- Get further information on the creel survey.
Participant course notes (1 mb) .pdf file of the participant course materials (*for MERCI 3 system).
Trainers presentation (1.1 mb) Power Point presentation used by the course trainer and a simple example (Excel spreadsheet) of how catch is estimated (*for MERCI 3 system).
The above training materials were developed for Department of Fisheries and Oceans technicians for a 1.5-day course delivered in Lillooet, British Columbia on May 29-30, 2002.
In association with the MERCI Users Guide and post-season review documents available on this site, these training materials provide an effective introduction to the survey design and software for new technicians and managers.
Note: while these documents providse a reasonably "stand alone" edition of the training course, the participant exercises were necessarily custom designed in real-time based on the system configuration and amount of data the participants were able to enter during the data entry module.
Also, to conduct the exercises, suitable raw field data forms are needed (not provided here).