Want to make a difference?  Commercial fishing dates back hundreds of years.  Today commercial fishing continues to be possible due to cooperation between fishermen and fisheries management scientists.   In order to facilitate that cooperation, fisheries observers collect data pertaining g to fishing programs, economics, catch data, and fishing efficiency.  Collected data is used to document stock information which is then used to protect the environment and preserve future generations of fish/fishermen.  Commit to the journey! Panama City, Fl. Laboratory: The Panama City Laboratory is responsible for collecting data and samples from several fisheries and projects in the Gulf of Mexico and South Atlantic.  These include the Shark Bottom Longline fishery, Bycat