U.S. GLOBEC: Analysis of Ichthyoplankton Abundance, Distribution, and Species
Associations in the Western Gulf of Alaska (Brodeur, R. [NOAA Alaska Fisheries
Science Center (AFSC)], Bailey, K. [AFSC], Doyle, M. [Pacific Marine
Environmental Laboratory], Kiernan, A. [AFSC]) The coastal Gulf of Alaska
supports large and economically valuable fisheries resources and provides nursery
areas for many species, including all the dominant salmon species. Over the last
few decades, there have been dramatic shifts in the abundance and species
composition of many of these commercial species and concomitant changes in the
marine ecosystem due to large-scale atmospheric forcing and changing ocean
conditions. It is hypothesized that there are strong linkages between the
spawning strategies of fishes and environment in which they occur in the northern
Gulf of Alaska and that these fish species must continually adapt to new
conditions as major regime shifts occur. It is further hypothesized that higher
frequency but less dramatic changes in ocean conditions, such as those
attributable to El Niņo/Southern Oscillation (ENSO) events, lead to increased
cross-shelf flux of fish larvae but do not dramatically alter the established
spawning strategies of most fish species.
To test these hypotheses, a collaborative program of research will analyze an
extensive set of ichthyoplankton data spanning 16 years (1981-1996) and
encompassing much of the western Gulf of Alaska. Included are data from 51 U.S.
and U.S.S.R. cruises and from ca. 5500 bongo and Tucker vertically-integrated net
tows, as well as additional depth-discrete tows made with MOCNESS samplers. The
PIs propose: to identify dominant species and multispecies assemblages in the
ichthyoplankton and to describe their temporal/spatial distribution patterns in
relation to local circulation processes.
This page was last updated on
March 15, 2007.
Maintained by:
Hal Batchelder
College of Oceanic and Atmospheric Sciences
Oregon State University
Corvallis, OR 97331-5503
phone: 541-737-4500; FAX 541-737-2064