Fishery dependent data--length distributions, sex ratios, maturity schedules, and species composition of landed catches--are necessary for stock assessments. These data are currently collected by state port biologists using a sampling design that randomly selects samples from a small percentage of a very large target population. Sampling programs may need to increase the sample size and possibly expand data collection times into evenings and weekends. This must also be accomplished in an economically reasonable manner, which is a significant challenge. Working cooperatively with the seafood processing plants is one way to meet these challenges. This study explored the feasibility of implementing a cooperative sampling program for Pacific West Coast groundfish, with the goal of improving the precision and accuracy of estimates derived from the fishery dependent samples. The study was a cooperative project utilizing seafood processing plant workers to collect fish length frequency data. There is evidence that the seafood plant workers can measure fish with reasonable accuracy. This cooperative effort has the potential to dramatically increase the sample size and the coverage of sampled catch landings. / Graduation date: 2001